For Part II, click here.
For Part III, click here.
For Part IV, click here.
Last October, I walked into Carrabba’s 5 minutes before one in the afternoon dressed up in the best clothing I had and a tie to go with it. I waited there patiently at the front desk, ready for the store manager to walk out at any moment to greet me. I was ready for my interview, confident that all would go well because I knew that I was prepared and went through all the steps necessary to get hired. Twenty minutes later, I finally shook hands with the man who would potentially be my boss.
When you’re applying for a job, there are steps that you need to take if you want to get hired. You can’t just walk in one day, hand someone at the front desk your application and expect a call back the next week; not if you’re serious about getting the job. Here’s what you should first be doing:
1. Creating Your Resume
This is the thing that brings you one step above the rest. This lets the employer know who you are, where you’re from, and what you’re capable of. If you haven’t had any previous work experience, then you may want to mention any volunteer experience you may have. One of the selling points on my resume was the fact that I went to a Christian school, being that the manager is a Christian as well, so even the smaller details of your resume can be just as important as the rest. Skills are important, so the more you list, the better; these can simply be skills such as ‘persistent’ or ‘hard working’, but skills that are more specific to the job you’re applying for net you more points.
2. Writing a Cover Letter
This will be a formal letter that acts as a cover page to your resume. This helps your resume feel personal, telling the employer who you are, what you do, and why you want to work for them. This will of course contain the name of the company you’re wishing to apply for, but you can leave this out for now.
3. Creating a List
For this one, you will need a pen, paper, and a tab open to Google Maps. To get there, just right-click this link (not to insult your intelligence or anything) and select ‘open in new tab’, which will take you to Google Maps directly. Search for any restaurants or retail store (i.e. Walmart, Best Buy, Publix) in your area and write them down with the store’s phone number next to it. You should have around 10 stores listed, which of course will be narrowed down a lot once you start making your rounds.
So there’s the first part on how to apply for a job. At this point, you should have a general idea as to what stores are in your area. Next week, I will go over how to get yourself organized and ready for your visits and how to approach the hiring manager.
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