22 replies to this topic

[slimshadyinc]

Currently I am unemployed because I moved from the west side of new jersey to the jersey shore ( you know like that stupid show that use to be on TV) I thought getting a job would be easy but it turns out that it's not, I guess after having a steady job for 3 years and not really having to apply for jobs you don't really know what it's like. Nobody ever calls me back even after I go to these places 3 or 4 times, it's like nobody want's me. There's actually alot of BS that go's into entry level positions around here, drug tests, background checks, all of these things take alot of time to do and I'm already broke as can be, I'm honestly afraid I'll have to sell my truck that I love very much ( a 91 Ford Bronco, my favourite ride ever) I dropped out of high school 3 years ago when I was 17 years old, I was already employed so it didn't effect my job at all. So my question is to you guys, after applying to at least 20 places so far ( still applying more every day) do you think that I am not being hired because I do not have a high school diploma? Is that grounds enough for most people not to hire me? Nobody ever tells you the truth of why they don't hire you, it's like they don't want to tell you. Further I want to ask you guys, do you think I should start lying on my application and saying that I graduated from high school? Is that something that they check up on? I really don't like lying because that go's against my principles but I really really need a job and no one has hired me at all. I'm not sure what you guys know about this but I would at least like to have some second opinions about it. I'm tired of having no money and no food in the house, always going to food banks just to eat. Now I'm just venting but it's very frustrating. If you guys could give me some opinions that would be much appreciated. There's no one ever to talk to about these kind of things.   

[Thrash]

go to a temp agency

 

where in jersey were you and are you now? im a jersey boy.

[slimshadyinc]

go to a temp agency

 

where in jersey were you and are you now? im a jersey boy.

 

Yeah I was going to go to one tomorrow, maybe you use to live in jersey? Your profile says PA lol It's the toms river area, like barnaget and bayville are nearby. I use to live right on the west of jersey right next to the delaware river, at the park you could actually see philadelphia across the river and the airport with it's planes taking off and landing all the time, with big boats sailing up and down the river all day, sounds like paradise don't it lol 

[Jon32492]

I wouldn't lie to them. It's not something most places will check up on but if they find out you lied to get the job you are gone. Don't leave them alone. Keep calling back and make sure you actually speak face to face with the hiring manager. Otherwise, they will forget about you.

When I was hired, the guy told me he was hiring me because he liked my persistence in calling back checking up on it. He knew exactly who I was each time I called. That doesn't mean to call every day and harass them cause some will get annoyed and pissed off. But if they tell you they will call back, ask when. If they don't call, you call them. If they say to call back at a specific time, do it! If they say give them a few days, give them a few days and go back to check. But if they outright say no or the position is filled, don't bug them.

If you are going for an interview or something live by this rule: If you're early, you're on time. If you are on time, you're late. If you're late, you're fucked. If you are late to a scheduled interview you can hang it up.

Dress the part! Even when just picking up or dropping off an application. Often times if you apply somewhere, the person you talk to will make mental notes and judge you. Most of communication is nonverbal. Something like 80 or 90 percent. Not sure what. But they will talk to the hiring manager about you.

[slimshadyinc]

Thanks jon that is some really good advice and you make good points as well. I think everyone should know that you should never be late for an interview otherwise you can just forget about it, that would just make them think that you will be late for work too if they hire you. I respect what you say about dressing the part, sometimes I forget to think about that when I go into places just to pick up or drop off an application, I always remember for the interview though lol. I mean the jobs I am looking for right now aren't exactly spectacular, I'm just hoping a mcdonalds or a walmart or anything like that will just hire me so I can make some sort of money again, but maybe dressing the part, EVERYTIME I go there, will increase my chances of being employed just based on that.

 

I think maybe I am not being persistent enough though, a few places that I have gone too, I drop off an application and they say they will call me, they forget so I call them up or I go back into the store for a face to face visit. They say oh they forgot they still have to check up on it and see if they have a position for me, I say okay ask them to call me back again they give me a date, date comes and passes so I call them up again, but now it's another thing and they give me another run around. By this point I just figure they are not interested in hiring me but they just don't want to tell me so. Perhaps if I had stayed on top of these guys and just kept keeping in contact with them maybe I would have gotten a job by now? Usually I try finding another job somewhere else by this point and then that becomes my new focus but then something just like that happens again, or some people just flat out tell me no, I've been rejected a lot lol I'm very use to hearing no as an answer by this point, but I just keep on trying, I finally want to hear a YES though, I'm very looking forward to that one of these days. Being out of work for 2 months now, I'm really tired of this little vacation that I'm on, I just want to get back to working again.  

[Justavictim82]

As a person that has worked in H.R and been a hiring manager I will tell you that following up is the single most important thing you can do. Whether it be a phone call or returning in person to the place, you applied you need to do it. No employer is obligated to interview you but most will at least give you the time of day if you follow up. As Jon said, dress the part. First impressions can make the difference between being hired or not especially when you are competing with someone that may be more qualified. Rule of thumb is always dress slightly better than the average worker in said environment. It does 2 things: 1) It tells the employer that you are taking the interview seriously 2) It tells them you are really interested in the job and are not just going through the motions. 

 

As far as the HS diploma goes, get your GED and quickly. I do not know your back story but a 20 year old H.S dropout is not going to show up on my radar and from an outsider's prospective looks weak in the commitment department. I dropped out of HS when I was 18 and didn't get my first job outside of the food industry until I got my GED. 

[Jumbo]

go to a temp agency

 

where in jersey were you and are you now? im a jersey boy.

 

I done this.And now I am a full time for 3 years.It works.

I started as a temp for 12 weeks.Then I became full time.

 

I like your post it true.

Edited by Jumbo, 30 September 2014 - 11:01 AM.

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

I would say that yes, your lack of a HS diploma is probably hurting you. Think of it this way: If you had two applicants for a job who were otherwise equal, one who had a HS diploma and one who did not, who would you pick? As to whether you should just lie and say you have one, only you can answer that. I don't think there's much danger of being caught. Can they check up on it? Yes, in theory. But I've never heard of anyone calling a high school to validate graduation. I suppose they could ask for a copy of your diploma, but I've never even heard of that either. And anyone with a decent printer can make a legit-looking HS diploma.

[CeltSoldierKev]

Do not lie about graduating high school! I'll say again... Do. Not. Lie. About. Graduating. High. School! Hate to disagree w/ Jorost on topics not being politics, but here I have to. Companies do follow up to check out applicants backgrounds. As someone who works for an employment background screening company (yes, a company dedicated to checking backgrounds for other companies), I can assure you, they can and do check out the claims on your application. And yes, not graduating is going to be a huge hurdle for you. Go and get your GED as soon as possible. Not only will it get you on more equal footing with high school graduates, some employers actually give GED holders a bit more points, as it shows a willingness and dedication to correct past mistakes and improve.

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

Just out of curiosity I just called a high school (Pentucket Regional in Topsfield, Massachusetts), pretending to be an employer seeking to verify HS graduation on someone I happen to know did graduate there. They wouldn't tell me. i don't think HS graduation records are that easy to obtain.

 

Not that I'm advising you to lie. Only that the risk of getting caught is probably not high. On the other hand, the potential damage if you do get caught in a lie is, as Celt says, catastrophic. Get your GED. And then go to community college. Or if you have something else in mind that you know you'd like to do, get trained in that. But you need some sort of post-HS training or education. Otherwise you're going to be stuck in the kind of low-paying jobs we're arguing about in the minimum wage thread!

[Mydas]

Just lie about graduating high school and get some entry level sales job at a startup.  Do work on the side, have a github with some shitty code on it, just do something to show you've stayed busy and kept learning.  Their salaries are usually pretty shitty (~35k), but if you're in a decent sales job you should be able to pull 60-70k once you take commission into account

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

You really have to have the right personality for sales, though. Not everyone can do it. I'd shoot myself within a week.

[slimshadyinc]

Just lie about graduating high school and get some entry level sales job at a startup.  Do work on the side, have a github with some shitty code on it, just do something to show you've stayed busy and kept learning.  Their salaries are usually pretty shitty (~35k), but if you're in a decent sales job you should be able to pull 60-70k once you take commission into account

I'm actually thinking of doing this, I just need a job ANY job, and if people are going to turn me away for not having a HS diploma just to run a cash register then why should I be truthful about it. I dont care if I only make 12k a year I don't care if someone wants to pay me less then minimum wage, money is money and that's what I need when the bills are piling up, this is something called STOP GAP I believe, where you take any job that you can get just to stop the hurt a little bit.  I could do sales, I kinda wish I could get into it, talking to people is something I'm pretty good at and if I really know a product inside and out I could sell it to people with no problem.

 

 

 

 

Thanks, there is some good advice here from you guys, like I cant really see the dollar store checking up to verify my information like that because why would they? But anyhow I can't get a GED at this moment (no money) Though I can assure you guys if I have the money I certainly can go and get one I'm not dumb or anything, in fact school wasn't hard for me, except for that damn algrebra 2 I'm almost certain I couldn't pass that. You know how some people are the english types and others are the math types? I'm no math guy in anyway, least not in that way, once they started putting letters in with the numbers my brain just got confused by it. I'm literally incapable of truly understanding algrebra lol 

 

I would like to go to community college, I'm sure that's something financial aid would pay for and I could meet a lot of people my age but there's just no reason I should go, there's no subjects that I'm really interested in learning that would help me out. Also I want to work full time and between working full time and going to college I think it would be a little too time consuming. Plus I don't want to waste tax payer money to learn something that won't help me get a job lol

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

There are tons of subjects at community colleges that could help you out. Get a certificate to be a respiratory or radiology tech, then you can work at any hospital anywhere and make $20 an hour. Check out the catalog for the one nearest you and see what they offer. And yes, there's definitely financial aid. Hell, even if you have to take out a loan, community college is cheap. 

 

Or you could go to North Dakota and work in the oil fields. They're having a boom up there from what I read.

[CeltSoldierKev]

It depends on the individual dollar store as to how in-depth of a background check they do. Mom-and-Pop places, you might get away with it. Might. But any chains can, and will, check backgrounds. In fact, bot Dollar General and Dollar Tree are clients of ours. So yes, I do know that some dollar stores check backgrounds. Criminal records, employment experience, and educational backgrounds. And, it's not a matter of calling high schools, but checking one of several websites that act as clearing houses for educational information. Company subscribes to service, pays fee, logs in, looks up person.

[slimshadyinc]

It depends on the individual dollar store as to how in-depth of a background check they do. Mom-and-Pop places, you might get away with it. Might. But any chains can, and will, check backgrounds. In fact, bot Dollar General and Dollar Tree are clients of ours. So yes, I do know that some dollar stores check backgrounds. Criminal records, employment experience, and educational backgrounds. And, it's not a matter of calling high schools, but checking one of several websites that act as clearing houses for educational information. Company subscribes to service, pays fee, logs in, looks up person.

 

I can't believe that they would pay for such a service, is it expensive? The world seems so unfair sometimes....

 

Hey what if I turned to a life of crime? That generally doesn't work for anybody that doesn't like prison, such as myself. 

[Mydas]

If you're asking on a forum relating to an online browser game if a life of crime would be a good career path you aren't cut out for it

[Justavictim82]

If you are that desperate, you can resort to prostitution. If you inbox Nas pics, I am sure he will pay.

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

What about joining the military?

[CeltSoldierKev]

Can't join the military without at least a GED. And, as the force is shrunk, expect the requirements to go back to a Diploma- with a waiver available for GED holders.