My First Job

mega911

Hi,
Im a 16 year old male in Dublin looking for my First part time summer job. Im confident enough my CV is good enough. I really am prepared to work hard to get it. Almost any job will do.

But how do i find a suitable employer? do i look online, ask friends, just walk im confident? how do i im about getting an interview?

Any help is much appreciated.

LowKeyReturn

Don't look for summer work. Find something permanent and stick with it. CVs of 19 and 20 year old students with jobs commencing in May/June and ending in Sept/Oct almost universally found their way to being filed in my bin.

The time and effort required to train someone up, isn't worth it for four of the quietest months of any business. The logic for summer work seemed to be 'that's when the regular staff went on Holiday' well that is true, but it's also the quietest time of year - most business are happy to see the reduction in payroll costs.

If it has to be summer work, look at seasonal things like summer marketing campaigns.

mega911

LowKeyReturn wrote: »

Don't look for summer work. Find something permanent and stick with it. CVs of 19 and 20 year old students with jobs commencing in May/June and ending in Sept/Oct almost universally found their way to being filed in my bin.

The time and effort required to train someone up, isn't worth it for four of the quietest months of any business. The logic for summer work seemed to be 'that's when the regular staff went on Holiday' well that is true, but it's also the quietest time of year - most business are happy to see the reduction in payroll costs.

If it has to be summer work, look at seasonal things like summer marketing campaigns.

Thanks that really helped i would normally have assumed that it would be easier to get a summer job. Do you have any suggestions on what kind of job i should get? For example ive heard hotel jobs are really good for first jobs.

LowKeyReturn

Anything sales related or customer service related. It's going to be tough going at 16 but use any contacts you have to try and get into retail. Even if it's 4 hours per week. Spar used to be good at hiring younger people.

Even now I can walk from one job to another as my career has been sales based. Even if you end up doing something completely different in 10 years time there will still be a sales element to it, even if it's just selling yourself at the interview.

If you can't find paid work volunteer. This pays dividends later in life on the CV and if it's relevant, manning the till in Oxfam etc, it may lead to a paid job.

Best of luck to you.

the_syco

At 16, you're not looking for an interview, you're looking for a meeting with the boss for a job. Unless you're related to the owner, you won't be able to work anywhere that involves the sale of alcohol. Although this usually means no pubs, it allows collecting glasses, but not taking orders. Look up your minimum wage, and use the lower wage to your advantage; they pay you less than the 18 year olds, so it saves them money.

Check out working in the kitchens of nearby pubs and restaurants (my first "real" job was in a restaurant peeling spuds and carrots at 16). Just be aware that you need a thick hide if you do so, as some good (and alot of the bad) head chefs are cnuts to work under, that will yell at you, and call you names (after a while, you'll see they do this to all the staff, not just you). The bonus is that as well as getting paid, you'll usually get a half decent meal for free every day.