Student Daughter finding sat job hard

Oldernotwiser

Ripata wrote: »

Boring zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz jealousy is a sad sad thing!

Well, I for one am sorry I bothered to give any thought to your daughter's problems; obviously the major one is her mother's attitiude.

westferret

As most people have said on here the initial phone call coming from you isn't good. If she doesn't have time to call these people their first thoughts are probably going to be does she have time to work and can she stand up for herself. I know you are trying to do the best for your daughter but she does need to put the effort in and actually phone the companies and write letters to them. Yes i agree help her with ideas and comments on how to write letters and help with the cv but she the one they're employing not you and that's who they want to see and speak to. She's the one doing the interviews and going to be employed. I think you need to get her to start helping herself. I'm not trying to be rude towards you or say you're a bad mother but at the moment you need to take a step back and let her be in control and let her get the job. She clearly has the ability to do it but needs to start using that herself. My suggestion is for you find to oppurtunites and jobs and as you said earlier she has saturday's free so set a saturday and get her to just phone the companies and see what happens

I hope this helps and i hope i don't get a negative comment back and hope she gets a job.

marksandsparksgal

Oh what a lovely thread lol!

Can I just make a point ... very small, however, (I think), pertinent:

If the OP's daughter doesn't have time to look for a job, how is she expecting to fit one in, especially in the current climate where so many stores expect a minimum amount of hours per week?

Also, OP, no offence, but it's the internet. There are always those who won't agree or you may read something the wrong way (text-based conversations are extremely easy to mis-interpret after all), but, it's the internet with a bunch of strangers (no offence to anyone), so don't stress ... if you don't like the advice given to you, a quick "Thanks but it's not helping, bye", would look a lot better, rather than poorly written comments such as "zzzz boring!"

Just throwing my 2 cents in! (My qualification being a student who worked for m&s for 6 years before moving away for a year out, I also did interviewing when I was at m&s, so I think I know what I'm talking about!)

m&sgal

Brooker_Dave

Ripata wrote: »

My Daughter who is first year of college is finding it so hard finding a saturday job,so difficult as she is only at home at weekends as she lodges out during week,tried so many places as well,not even getting an interview,any ideas?

Spearmint Rhino?

GlasweJen

My little sister (16) needed a job, claimed there weren't any in the area etc. I got her a list of jobs going, helped her with a CV, cover letters, bought her a book of stamps and a top up for her phone.

3 weeks later she had 7 job offers and chose to work in the local gym at a rate of £5.75 p/h (for a 16 year old!). She manges to work around school, dance college (she's taking her teachers exam soon so lots of work) and thai boxing classes twice a week.

I think if you encouraged your daughter to go out and get her own job this thread wouldn't exist.

jamie00353

GlasweJen wrote: »

My little sister (16) needed a job, claimed there weren't any in the area etc. I got her a list of jobs going, helped her with a CV, cover letters, bought her a book of stamps and a top up for her phone.

3 weeks later she had 7 job offers and chose to work in the local gym at a rate of £5.75 p/h (for a 16 year old!). She manges to work around school, dance college (she's taking her teachers exam soon so lots of work) and thai boxing classes twice a week.

I think if you encouraged your daughter to go out and get her own job this thread wouldn't exist.

Much respect to you! This is exactly how it should be done. Offer your advce, but ultimately its down to your son/daughter to apply and do the work themselves!!

jamie00353

As OP's daughter has an interview, I thought i'd post some advice here for interviews! As always, this is purely what I look for. Feel free to disregard to all and do the opposite.

Please confirm the time and location. You'd be surprised how many people presume the interview is in the store they applied-when really the recruitment is taking place in another store!

Do not go with your parent! I once had a mother who waited with her son at the interview and I was embarrassed for him. He was obviously terrified, but he wasn't given an opportunity to stand on his own two feet. He did badly as he was blatantly unaware of what was on his CV - which his mother had obviously written for him! Nobody likes rejection, but at least give them the chance to live in the real world and do it themselves!

Arrive 10 minutes early.

Visit the store once before your interview and have a look around. Note how they serve customers - were you approached etc. Look at how friendly the staff are etc. This will give you things to mention in interview and make you sound like you've done your homework

Don't be afraid to ask what format the interview will take. Don't presume it's a one on one. A lot of big stores do assessments which are different. If you get invited to an assessment...DEFINITELY visit the store before your interview!!

Research the company. You'd be surprised how many interviews start with 'Tell me what you know about our company...' look on the companies website and look into their history. Info like this will be dead easy to find and takes 5 minutes. It never fails to annoy me how many people say in response 'You sell clothes' Remember you're in competition for student jobs so things like this will do the trick!

If you've got an interview for Nike don't show up kitted out in Adidas!

Dress according to the environment. A suit will be great for Next etc. But a friend of mine works for Bench where they encourage jeans etc at interview!

If the place you're applying to has a few branches near you, don't be afraid of going in and speaking to the staff to ask them what the company is like! We all work to live, but don't apply for a job you'll obviously hate!

Re-read your CV and be familiar with what's on it!

If you're being interviewed for Next etc you'll be invited to a competency interview. Don't be daunted! Here the questions will be asking you to give examples of your experience IE 'Tell me about a time you gave great customer service' Have examples ready.

Keep your hands on your lap and don't shuffle around! Be calm and don't be afraid to take a bottle of water in if you mouth goes dry. Make eye contact throughout.

Lastly, remember your personality is important as your experience! If you bond well with the interviewers, this will go in your favour.

Be yourself, and good luck!

days4dreams

if sh hasnt got the time to do hand out a single cv herself then this clearly isnt gunna work.
Ive been through my alevels, there a piece of cake compared to waht shell be getting at uni. But then i guess youll be there to do everything for her then wont you.
I agree, do her a favour and teach her a more important lesson that she has to do things for herself, shes hardly going to feel like shes tried hard to get a job when its you thats done the running around for her!

red_bertie

Spearmint Rhino?

:huh: Please explain for us sheltered souls!

RB

hplfoghorn

Ripta, Have you got a golf club or conference centre or large hotel in the area? It is coming up to wedding season & they will be looking for function staff. If she gets a job on a zero hours contract (which basically means they call & ask if she is available) then she can pick up extra shifts if she can do them.
I work for an agency, so I know that these type of establishments are often looking for casual staff, so you could also try a local agency who specialise in Catering staff. If she has her OWN transport rather than just you, that shows independance to an agency & means you won't have to pick her up at 2am when a lot of these functions finish.
Another thing for her to say to an agency (but she has to mean it) is that she is happy to do ANY type of catering work including washing up. We often get students come to see us who are "too good to wash up" but have no experience in an office or waiting. Remember, an agency is a business & trying to make money, which I know sounds harse, but if she shows she is willing & capable, she will get offered the pick of the jobs.
Some agencies will offer Food Hygiene & Waiting training.
I understand you are trying to help & that is great, but please don't go with her to the agency, it's all about first impressions.
Hope this helps.

Good Luck to your daughter.