Student struggling to find Christmas work

Pov06

Hi all,

I am a third-level student and I've spent more than a month sending in my CV to Christmas job ads on jobs.ie and I'm really struggling to find any kind of work during Christmas time or weekends which made me realise the situation out there.

Is it really that hard to find work, or is my CV just not good enough?

I mean - there must be people who want to take Christmas time off and employers would need replacements for the holiday purposes?

It's really demotivating to see that it's so hard to find work for a student who is willing to do anything for minimum wage

Zauka

Pov06 wrote: »

Hi all,

I am a third-level student and I've spent more than a month sending in my CV to Christmas job ads on jobs.ie and I'm really struggling to find any kind of work during Christmas time or weekends which made me realise the situation out there.

Is it really that hard to find work, or is my CV just not good enough?

I mean - there must be people who want to take Christmas time off and employers would need replacements for the holiday purposes?

It's really demotivating to see that it's so hard to find work for a student who is willing to do anything for minimum wage

Common, 2 weeks left to Christmas. No more Christmas jobs.

However, you can be Secret Santa Use your brains

Zauka

It's not just students. Jobs are very hard to find and those lucky enough to have what were traditional student jobs are hanging on to them. Sending CV's on spec are a waste of time. Sorry.

diograis

In the same boat, thinking of volunteering just for something to do if nothing turns up to be honest. It's a joke, minimum wage jobs requiring 3 years experience etc...

Pov06

Zauka wrote: »

Common, 2 weeks left to Christmas. No more Christmas jobs.
Zauka

"I've spent more than a month sending in my CV to Christmas job ads"

Mrs OBumble

Most Christmas hiring happened back in October-ish, and retailers wanted people to start in November-ish so they were trained up before it got too busy.

Forget jobs.ie.

Focus on going directly to likely employers (Dunnes, Debenhams, M&S, Tesco,etc - for some you apply on the company's own website, for others you need to apply in person).

longhalloween

Smyths! Always Smyths.

foreverme99

You and the rest of the country. Not many jobs to be had.

Bepolite

I'm sorry if this sounds negative or smug it's not my intention.

Firstly see Mrs O'Bumble's post.

Secondly - it has to be your CV or perhaps some of the answers you've given to questions. No one gets Xmas off in retail/service which is why I'm so militantly against stores opening late on Xmas eve, Stephen's day and New years day. If you've given the impression you need time off over Xmas it's unlikely you'll be hired. Most retail managers know they will have a significant number drop on the 20th December over the hours being expected over Xmas.

Similarly, if you gave the impression you just wanted to work over Xmas, again unlikely to be hired as this is when retailers do 70% of their hiring for the year. Finally if you gave any sort of impression (and I'm not suggesting you did) of this is just a temp job for some money my college is way more important (which of course it is) hiring chances go way down.

Do you have retail experience? If not then you're not going to get a temp job in this climate. There are loads of jobs but lots of experienced applicants. Get some volunteer work in Oxfam et al throughout next year.

What you really want is a call centre job if you can get one. People will go on about them as bad jobs, but trust be vs retail they're so much nicer!

3_BOoYA_X

Next have some last minute Christmas helper positions on the go. The positions are generally only available to apply for a day or 2.

http://careers.next.co.uk/retail/RetailVacanciesStores.aspx?l=dublin&jt=0

April O Neill II

Deleted User wrote: »

It's not just students. Jobs are very hard to find and those lucky enough to have what were traditional student jobs are hanging on to them. Sending CV's on spec are a waste of time. Sorry.

If he's replying to ads, it's not on spec.

diograis

3_BOoYA_X wrote: »

Next have some last minute Christmas helper positions on the go. The positions are generally only available to apply for a day or 2.

http://careers.next.co.uk/retail/RetailVacanciesStores.aspx?l=dublin&jt=0

only one job going in cork and the closing date was today, i applied at five just in time! thanks a million!

Moonbeam

Go around the local shops and pubs and ask them.

WildCardDoW

Worked in Smyths for 5+ years, one of the easiest ways to get in is to know someone already, there are always hires outside a pool of friends but understandably managers want to hire people who they can trust and approaching this time of year they don't have time to be scrawling through hundreds of CVs. So if you want to get noticed you have to drop in, try talk to the manager (unlikely) and do it more than once.


I lucked out in that I applied for the job while a lot of staff were signalling to leave and I worked there all throughout college but when I and people who were hired around my time started leaving there were very few replacements drafted in.

Part of that may have been because the existing staff who were out of college but still looking for other jobs simply took on those hours and the management knew they would be much better at handling things than having to train someone in.


Although I popped in recently and there were two new lads at Software (who weren't doing any work!) and at least four new people on the floor.

Pov06

3_BOoYA_X wrote: »

Next have some last minute Christmas helper positions on the go. The positions are generally only available to apply for a day or 2.

http://careers.next.co.uk/retail/RetailVacanciesStores.aspx?l=dublin&jt=0

Cheers! I applied and they shortlisted me.

April O Neill II

Pov06 wrote: »

Cheers! I applied and they shortlisted me.

Don't get your hopes up there, I've been shortlisted for three different positions there in the last few weeks. No interviews, all eventual PFOs. They seem to shortlist most people who apply.

hfallada

Most jobs aren't on jobs.ie as the ads are very expensive. Your best option is indeed.ie which pulls jobs from thousands of websites. It's google for job hunters. It's hard to navigate at first. Buts its a brilliant site

April O Neill II

hfallada wrote: »

Most jobs aren't on jobs.ie as the ads are very expensive. Your best option is indeed.ie which pulls jobs from thousands of websites. It's google for job hunters. It's hard to navigate at first. Buts its a brilliant site

+1 on indeed.ie, 'tis great.

Pov06

Thanks! I'll start using it so

hfallada

OP even if you dont think you are suitable for the job go for it any way(within reason of course). Like the job Im in, had a list of 25 things which you must be able to do, or dont apply for the job. I matched a few of them and impressed the manager so well in the interview I got a job on the spot. Within in a few months Im the best employee they have

Job hunting is numbers game, you just have to apply for everything constantly.

April O Neill II

hfallada wrote: »

and impressed the manager so well in the interview I got a job on the spot. Within in a few months Im the best employee they have

:pac:

April O Neill II

Would I be on to a hiding to nothing trying to find part-time work in January? I'm planning on pounding the pavements handing out CVs, not just applying online. I desperately need to find work in the new year, or it's Pot Noodles for dinner for me!

tatli_lokma

April O Neill II wrote: »

Would I be on to a hiding to nothing trying to find part-time work in January? I'm planning on pounding the pavements handing out CVs, not just applying online. I desperately need to find work in the new year, or it's Pot Noodles for dinner for me!

You'll never know if you don't try, but being realistic and lot of the jobs in retail or the like will be offered to staff who got Christmas jobs and impressed. But in other areas like office work or something you might be lucky.

longhalloween

April O Neill II wrote: »

Would I be on to a hiding to nothing trying to find part-time work in January? I'm planning on pounding the pavements handing out CVs, not just applying online. I desperately need to find work in the new year, or it's Pot Noodles for dinner for me!

Better to get out there now. Places could be looking for January sales staff and they'd want to have hired before January. After the sales retail is fairly dead until Easter.

April O Neill II

tatli_lokma wrote: »

But in other areas like office work or something you might be lucky.

Thanks!


I dunno, office work never seems to be easy to come by, you needs loads of experience!