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How do you get a minimum wage job?

Amethyst

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For whatever reason, I find this to be particularly hard to do.

I feel like I'm not doing anything wrong, but I'm not getting any positive results from what I have been doing. If I apply somewhere, I'll pester them infrequently, as I'm not really sure how much pestering is too much, and if they haven't been hiring for a while, then I'll move on. If somewhere is hiring, however, I'll apply, pester them until I get an interview (rarely does this happen) and then call and say 'Thanks for the interview, just checking to see where you are on hiring etc.'

Yet, nothing.

Are there any techniques you have used just to get a basic job? Do you know what works, and what doesn't?
 

Beargryllz

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Lie about absolutely everything. The moment I stopped telling the whole truth on my applications and during interviews, was the moment I suddenly had more offers than I could possibly respond to.
 

WildCard

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There are a few things I need to know before I get started. When you apply how are you dressed? Do you have a printed resume? Are you stuttering or speaking too loudly or softly? Simple things like that may get you to an interview, and based on your performance, gain you a job.

Depending on how desperate your employer is will translate directly as to how quickly they will call you back. I worked on a remodel crew and showed up looking like complete shit for the application. I still got the job simply because I looked capable. Now, I most certainly don't suggest this, but it is a prime example of an employer being put in a situation where they will take whoever they can get their hands on.

When it comes to the pestering, you can't ease off of it. Give them five days to look over your resume and/or your application and call them. If they still haven't decided, call them again two days later. Express your desire for the job, but be courteous.

During your interview, try to find common ground with your interviewer. This will help him/her remember you in a favorable light. It can be something as simple as admiring a piece of jewelry or shared backgrounds. Be cautious with this, however.

Most of all, you may apply to thirty different stores and only have two call you back. It's frustrating, I know, but that's how the job market is. I got laid off last Thursday, so the job hunt is quite fresh on my mind. I have applied at over forty places in the past two days and only three have called me back interested.

It takes patience, and a lot of practice. I don't suggest lying because if your employer does a background check and catches you, you're fucked. Be honest, but express that you are willing to work odd hours or shifts and that you are willing to learn. Play up your skills and be careful of trick questions during the interview. If you failed math twice and your employer wishes to know why, be honest but play up the fact that you didn't give up. This reflects well on you.

Don't be afraid to ask questions during your interview. This is a good sign on your part, but wait on the employer to signal when you may begin asking questions. If this is not done, then wait at the end of the interview to begin asking questions.
 

dala

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What does your resume look like? Do you have a solid work history? If not, do you have volunteer experience to draw on? What aspects of yourself are you emphasizing? Is there anything on there that would likely be taken negatively? Any typo's or odd phrasing? An unusual font?

Let's say you're applying for a job at McDonalds. If you go to their website, you'll see that they have a careers section, complete with this nonsense:

"We're looking for hard working, enthusiastic individuals who want to be a part of a winning team. If you enjoy working with people and love to learn new things, we want to meet you."

This nonsense is what you want to parrot back to them. Make sure the words 'enthusiasm,' 'hard working,' 'team player' etc. end up on your resume.

And always personalize both your resume and cover letter for the position. Address it to the hiring manager. If you can, have a friend who works there hand it to the manager personally.

As for lying, remember that you're committing what you say to paper. Never put in writing something that is demonstrably false. So, you shouldn't say you're a neurosurgeon, or a member of a club that you have no affiliation to, but you can say you're a people person, because 'people person' is arbitrary, subjective, and meaningless. Be creative.
 

Thalassa

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The economy is incredibly bad right now and one of the easiest way to deal with unemployment is to push high school or college students out of the work force.
 

Thalassa

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What does your resume look like? Do you have a solid work history? If not, do you have volunteer experience to draw on? What aspects of yourself are you emphasizing? Is there anything on there that would likely be taken negatively? Any typo's or odd phrasing? An unusual font?

Let's say you're applying for a job at McDonalds. If you go to their website, you'll see that they have a careers section, complete with this nonsense:

"We're looking for hard working, enthusiastic individuals who want to be a part of a winning team. If you enjoy working with people and love to learn new things, we want to meet you."

This nonsense is what you want to parrot back to them. Make sure the words 'enthusiasm,' 'hard working,' 'team player' etc. end up on your resume.

And always personalize both your resume and cover letter for the position. Address it to the hiring manager. If you can, have a friend who works there hand it to the manager personally.

As for lying, remember that you're committing what you say to paper. Never put in writing something that is demonstrably false. So, you shouldn't say you're a neurosurgeon, or a member of a club that you have no affiliation to, but you can say you're a people person, because 'people person' is arbitrary, subjective, and meaningless. Be creative.

Yes, the parroting does work, telling them what you know they want to hear - corporate crap, stuff about Protestant work ethic, lie through your teeth...I never had problems getting minimum wage jobs when I was a teenager but that's because the economy was fantastic in the 90's under Clinton's presidency, and I also lived in the booming Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill triangle area at that time, which Money magazine had voted one of the best places to live in the U.S. in the 90s.

On the other hand, it's nigh near impossible right now to get a minimum wage job in L.A. and it's really harder in some areas than others, the economy is doing better in some areas than others.

It's freaking crazy, and I'm just so happy I have the job I do right now and I don't have to do minimum wage type of work. I feel bad for other people, though. I feel lucky.
 

Arclight

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Lie about absolutely everything. The moment I stopped telling the whole truth on my applications and during interviews, was the moment I suddenly had more offers than I could possibly respond to.

This.. is sadly true. Honesty is about the worst approach possible when looking for a job.. I could tell the same story.
I stopped being "me" in interviews and started "acting" and saying exactly what they wanted to hear and with a smile :)
 

Thalassa

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Well especially corporate jobs, not necessarily ALL jobs. Some jobs you can be honest. Corporate wage slave jobs are looking for robots who claim to love conformity, hate unions, and talk about how wonderfully efficient and people-oriented they are.

Looking for a laugh? Go apply at Wal-Mart. It's a learning experience that will possibly scare the fuck out of you.
 

Thalassa

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Hint: the right answer is "yes! I love being a mindless slave! I live to serve my superiors and deserve nothing for myself!"
 

OrangeAppled

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Well especially corporate jobs, not necessarily ALL jobs. Some jobs you can be honest. Corporate wage slave jobs are looking for robots who claim to love conformity, hate unions, and talk about how wonderfully efficient and people-oriented they are.

Looking for a laugh? Go apply at Wal-Mart. It's a learning experience that will possibly scare the fuck out of you.

Pretty much. Those personality tests many minimum wage retail jobs give now basically seek answers which show you have such qualities. I read an article that says they are NOT seeking above-average intelligence, creativity or qualities that would enable a person to advance in a career, or enable them to think much beyond their required tasks. They're looking for people who will be content in a menial job for a long time, to cut costs on training new employees. Having a well written resume & lots of work experience may NOT be in your favor when applying for these jobs. Over-qualification rules you out fast, as they see someone who will leave as soon as a better opportunity comes along because they see you are capable of more.

Those personality tests are also borderline unethical, IMO. A question Target asks: "Do you have traditional values?". Whoooooooa there - why don't you just ask my religion? Of course, INFP personality traits are pretty much the antithesis of what they are seeking also. I might get flak for saying this, but the descriptions read like "ESXJ w/ average intelligence or slightly below".

As an unemployed person, I've come closer to getting a decent paying professional job that involved creativity, autonomy, & opportunity for advancement in this economy than a part-time retail, minimum wage position. The application/interviewing process is actually easier also....
 

Amethyst

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Pretty much. Those personality tests many minimum wage retail jobs give now basically seek answers which show you have such qualities. I read an article that says they are NOT seeking above-average intelligence, creativity or qualities that would enable a person to advance in a career, or enable them to think much beyond their required tasks. They're looking for people who will be content in a menial job for a long time, to cut costs on training new employees. Having a well written resume & lots of work experience may NOT be in your favor when applying for these jobs. Over-qualification rules you out fast, as they see someone who will leave as soon as a better opportunity comes along because they see you are capable of more.

Those personality tests are also borderline unethical, IMO. A question Target asks: "Do you have traditional values?". Whoooooooa there - why don't you just ask my religion? Of course, INFP personality traits are pretty much the antithesis of what they are seeking also. I might get flak for saying this, but the descriptions read like "ESXJ w/ average intelligence or slightly below".

As an unemployed person, I've come closer to getting a decent paying professional job that involved creativity, autonomy, & opportunity for advancement in this economy than a part-time retail, minimum wage position. The application/interviewing process is actually easier also....

I remember one time, which relates to the bolded part, where I was applying for a job at a local restaurant, because my dad knows the owner, and I thought with some charm and persistence I'd be a shoe-in. At the time, however, they were already in their 'busy' season and were really only looking for dishwashers. I was told in the interview, 'You seem over-qualified for the job...do you feel over-qualified?' I said 'Definitely not.' Mostly because I believed that to be a trick question, or that the owner actually believed I was over-qualified for the job (she went on about how that job is usually reserved for 13-15 year olds etc.). :shrug:


I'm going to apply to a few more places this week when I find the time....and bother a few more while I'm at it. That parrot thing is a great idea though.

Also, I've never heard of any place accepting written resumes for such kinds of jobs...I've never written one before...:shock:
 

Lady_X

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Hint: the right answer is "yes! I love being a mindless slave! I live to serve my superiors and deserve nothing for myself!"

huh? what do you mean? they ask you this?!
 

Lady_X

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Pretty much. Those personality tests many minimum wage retail jobs give now basically seek answers which show you have such qualities. I read an article that says they are NOT seeking above-average intelligence, creativity or qualities that would enable a person to advance in a career, or enable them to think much beyond their required tasks. They're looking for people who will be content in a menial job for a long time, to cut costs on training new employees. Having a well written resume & lots of work experience may NOT be in your favor when applying for these jobs. Over-qualification rules you out fast, as they see someone who will leave as soon as a better opportunity comes along because they see you are capable of more.

Those personality tests are also borderline unethical, IMO. A question Target asks: "Do you have traditional values?". Whoooooooa there - why don't you just ask my religion? Of course, INFP personality traits are pretty much the antithesis of what they are seeking also. I might get flak for saying this, but the descriptions read like "ESXJ w/ average intelligence or slightly below".

As an unemployed person, I've come closer to getting a decent paying professional job that involved creativity, autonomy, & opportunity for advancement in this economy than a part-time retail, minimum wage position. The application/interviewing process is actually easier also....

i think this is what i've been dealing with as well and it makes me mad. they have no idea what your situation is....maybe you don't really have to work and you just want to work somewhere you think would be fun...who cares if your over qualified...you obviously want to work there or you wouldn't bother applying...it's fucking stupid.
 

King sns

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For whatever reason, I find this to be particularly hard to do.

I feel like I'm not doing anything wrong, but I'm not getting any positive results from what I have been doing. If I apply somewhere, I'll pester them infrequently, as I'm not really sure how much pestering is too much, and if they haven't been hiring for a while, then I'll move on. If somewhere is hiring, however, I'll apply, pester them until I get an interview (rarely does this happen) and then call and say 'Thanks for the interview, just checking to see where you are on hiring etc.'

Yet, nothing.

Are there any techniques you have used just to get a basic job? Do you know what works, and what doesn't?

Dress really nice, fashionably. Nothing too tight or uncomfortable, though. Be fresh and clean. Be wide awake. (But not so much coffee that you'll be nervous.) Be friendly. Act interested. (Be interested, actually. If only for the interview.) Firm handshake. Eye contact. Know your strengths and weaknesses. and be able to make your weaknesses sound mild. (Or as if they are fixable, or turn your weaknesses into strengths.) Most importantly, get references who think you are God's gift. I've always been gotten the job once I got an interview, no one has turned me down, and this has been my technique.

Regarding the before interview process- resumes and applications.. I'm still trying to figure that one out myself.
 

King sns

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I remember one time, which relates to the bolded part, where I was applying for a job at a local restaurant, because my dad knows the owner, and I thought with some charm and persistence I'd be a shoe-in. At the time, however, they were already in their 'busy' season and were really only looking for dishwashers. I was told in the interview, 'You seem over-qualified for the job...do you feel over-qualified?' I said 'Definitely not.' Mostly because I believed that to be a trick question, or that the owner actually believed I was over-qualified for the job (she went on about how that job is usually reserved for 13-15 year olds etc.). :shrug:


I'm going to apply to a few more places this week when I find the time....and bother a few more while I'm at it. That parrot thing is a great idea though.

Also, I've never heard of any place accepting written resumes for such kinds of jobs...I've never written one before...:shock:

You should have worn your baggy jeans and gone in with a hangover and left your hair as is. Tsk tsk.
 

kyuuei

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Honestly, I went on craigslist.org and just kept throwing my applications everywhere. I tried monster.com and all that other bullshit.. but it seems like unless you go apply to a store-front in person, or use craigslist or something like that, it is hard to find work.

I've been job hunting for 3 months now. I'm pretty close to landing two jobs. (I hope!!) It is NOT easy. Even with my resume being tailored for several different work fields, it just is hard to come across a job. Keep your options open and apply to EVERYTHING that meets your minimum criteria for a job. Keep your chin up.

Oh. And lie. A lot. :laugh: Be yourself in person, but lie for everything else. You're after what they've got.. and 90% of them won't remember the smaller, stupider lies anyways.
 

King sns

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Honestly, I went on craigslist.org and just kept throwing my applications everywhere. I tried monster.com and all that other bullshit.. but it seems like unless you go apply to a store-front in person, or use craigslist or something like that, it is hard to find work.

I've been job hunting for 3 months now. I'm pretty close to landing two jobs. (I hope!!) It is NOT easy. Even with my resume being tailored for several different work fields, it just is hard to come across a job. Keep your options open and apply to EVERYTHING that meets your minimum criteria for a job. Keep your chin up.

Oh. And lie. A lot. :laugh: Be yourself in person, but lie for everything else. You're after what they've got.. and 90% of them won't remember the smaller, stupider lies anyways.

No, they won't remember. Once you're in, you're in. And they'll put your application in a pile somewhere and go hunting for some other liar.
 

Lady_X

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this thread is making me feel better...i am about to develop a complex. all my life...literally since i was 16 i have gotten every job i ever applied for. i just saw some cool place where i wanted to work walked in and got it...and now it's like my charm is gone...sometimes i even get intimidated and say the stupidest things....i don't know what the hell is going on...and i was so sure i had this one very cool seeming job...during the interview she was trying to sell me on it...we talked for twice as long as we had scheduled...laughing and connecting and i was just sure i had it...but i must have said something wrong to the next person i spoke with in the follow up because i didn't...grr...

/end rant um...sorry haha
 

King sns

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this thread is making me feel better...i am about to develop a complex. all my life...literally since i was 16 i have gotten every job i ever applied for. i just saw some cool place where i wanted to work walked in and got it...and now it's like my charm is gone...sometimes i even get intimidated and say the stupidest things....i don't know what the hell is going on...and i was so sure i had this one very cool seeming job...during the interview she was trying to sell me on it...we talked for twice as long as we had scheduled...laughing and connecting and i was just sure i had it...but i must have said something wrong to the next person i spoke with in the follow up because i didn't...grr...

/end rant um...sorry haha

It probably has more to do with the lack of jobs right now than you.
 
O

Oberon

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You might offer to do the job for free for a day or two, as a "trial run" cum "training period." It's pretty extreme, but it worked for guys during the Depression.
 
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