Hi there! The kind of places you might be able to work depends what time you finish school and where you live! If you're in a city and the shops don't close until 7pm, you could work in retail as long as you could get there by 3 or 4pm. Most part time shifts tend to be 4 hours at a time. But you never know; some places might need someone just for a couple of hours. It's more likely to be Saturday work though.
If you definitely want after school work (you'll hate me for this) then consider fast food places like McDonalds. Normally pubs and restaurants like you to be 18. But I worked in McDonalds for a year after school when I was 17. It really wasn't that bad and the time went quickly!
Other suggestions could be video rental stores (i.e. Blockbuster) or even a paper round! I did a paper round when I was 16, after school and on Sundays. It doesn't pay very much, but I actually really liked that job! (Got to walk around with my headphones in and get paid for it!) Also, if you can get to them easily, try supermarkets, as they are usually open quite late!
If I were you, I would actually go into the places and ask. Take at least 20 copies of your CV with you. It's only really management positions that you need to write in for.
I am an Assistant Manager of a clothing store, so maybe I can give you some insider information on the best way to present your cv!
> Don't write 'CV' as the heading! Only write your name, in large, bold font, as the title. Make sure it is centred - not to the left.
> Don't waste half the page on your personal details. Just put your address on one line under your name, then your phone number underneath that. You don't need to include your gender, marital status or date of birth!
> Start with a personal profile, about a paragraph long. Explain that although you have never had the opportunity to work before due to your age, you are now ready to enter employment. Explain that you are enthusiastic, bright and eager to learn. If you want to work in a customer-facing environment, be sure to say that you have good communication skills, etc. Say that you are punctual and reliable and that you work well as a team, as well as being able to show initiative. Basically this whole section should be telling the employer why they should hire you. DON'T point out any weaknesses! Basically, acknowledge the fact that you've never been able to work before, but that now you are old enough you want to start working. You have to try to show that you have enough personal skills to be a good employee.
> Next, put the header 'Availability'. Put something like 'Every weekday after 4pm', for example. If your days vary, write down each day and your availability for each day. Employers generally want to know two things - what hours can you do, and do you look like you have a brain?!! They generally don't care what school you are at, what classes you are taking or if you did some babysitting once three years ago.
> Don't say anything like 'I am looking for a job in a shop/pub/warehouse because....' If you say you want shop work, but you hand your CV in to a pub, this will be all wrong! Just talk about your general skills instead and don't relate it to specific roles.
> Underneath your personal statement, put a header to the left saying 'Educational Informational'. Simply write down the name of your school and the town (i.e. Hill Green School, Glasgow). You don't need to put the address, postcode, phone number or head teacher's name.
>Under the name of your school, list any qualifications you have, if you have done your GCSEs by now. If you haven't, write your predicted grades for each subject, if you know them. If you don't have or know any grades, simply say "I am in Year [whatever] and am currently taking [list subjects]".
> If you've done anything at school like clubs, or awards, or if you have any musical qualifications, etc, point these out underneath and put bullet points about what they have taught you in relation to work (i.e. to be dedicated, to work as a team, to work well under pressure, etc).
> Finally, if you have anyone you could use as a referee (i.e. not a relative - but a teacher), put their name and contact details at the bottom under the heading 'references'. Make sure you ask their permission BEFORE writing them down as a reference on your CV! Otherwise, put 'references available on request'.
If you need any more help with your CV, you will find lots of templates on the internet. If you wanted to post your personal statement in a separate question then I'd be happy to tell you if it looks ok!
Just a final few tips -
> Most importantly, make sure your CV is formatted correctly - e.g. capital letters in the right places, use the same font throughout. If your headers are going to be bold, make sure they are all bold - don't underline some and not others. Basically, make it look smart. Where I work, we actually throw CVs straight in the bin if the person hasn't even bothered to format their CV correctly. It just looks lazy. Also, don't fold your CV up in your pocket - take a plastic folder and keep them all neat!
> When you go into shops/restaurants/pubs/etc to ask about vacancies, remember that first impressions count! Go in on your own - not with your mom or a friend; you will look like you can't fend for yourself! Don't be scruffy - just wear something like nice jeans and a nice coat: no tracksuits, etc! (No mini skirts with bare legs, either!)
> Most importantly, SMILE at whoever you speak to when asking about jobs!! Where I work, it's usually the sales assistants that meet people asking about jobs, and they get to make decisions on whether to pass CVs on to the manager or not. If someone comes in and is very timid or miserable, we don't even bother! So smile, ask confidently whether they have any job vacancies at the moment, and be sure to smile again when you leave.
Good luck!
xx Emmie
Answered By: Sparklepop - 4/20/2008 |