Struggling to get my first job. Any tips on how to get a job?

It depends upon, what you know and whom you know.Sometimes just whom you know.

This is the toughest part. I used to be able to just call up, make an appointment and see someone or not. This is a nightmare. I spent three months screwing around for one job that should have taken a week to get. Because they had a computer set up. I could not do anything with these jerks until my application appeared on screen for them to review and the damned website they had was a nightmare. No wonder no one gets hired. I could no more get a job with hundreds of people sending stacks of paper somewhere than I could stand working in a joint like that. I got the job, worked there three months and walked out. The whole thing was so disorganized I could not even learn the job properly. So, I am on your side. Getting a job sucks these days. I am good at finding people jobs though, so let me ask you, what are you looking to do?

Yeah, how do you feel about school? Baring that you need to approach your job search as your job.

Sometimes employers will take enthusiasm in place of experience. Having been in the position of interviewing and hiring people, although experience is desired to get the employee off to a running start, an attitude of enthusiasm and the willingness to learn is just as important or in some cases, even more desirable. The employers have 2 things to think about when they hire an experienced worker. 1. The good side is that they already have been trained to do the task required so there is less time getting the person started. 2. The employee may have picked up bad or unwanted habits at his previous employment. Or the employee could have learned how to do jobs contrary to how it is done in their company. In which case, the employee must be untrained and trained all over again. Therefore, emphasize your willingness to learn and your eagerness to be employed by that company. Do some research to find out about the company you want to work at so that you can show that you are really interested and have knowledge of the company and its work when you do get an interview.

Well don't just sit around your house and wait for someone to call you. In the meantime keep dropping off other applications elsewhere. Go into your towns local business district to where the factories and sweat shops are and go door to door asking for applications there as well. You gotta drop them literally EVERYWHERE! Then after you get a few calls you can choose what suits you best. Thing about finding a job is, you are in no place to call the shots. You gotta adjust to what they ask and want of you. You just take it, take any entry level position and then see how your chances of climbing the ladder are. If you don't like it or you get a call from somewhere else that's better,you can always quit, but at least you'll be working in the meantime. You gotta move more than what you seem to be doing.

Getting a job is a job in itself, it takes ages and is time consuming. If you are starting out, don't be too picky and limit yourself to one particular area. Most job applications are done online but you should also have a C.V. prepared that you can send out or upload onto the job sites. Writing your C.V. is not easy, get help if you need it. It should be max 2 pages and detail your education and work history (if you have it). Leave two lines at the bottom of the 2nd page to write something short about your interests. It must not contain any spelling or grammatical errors. Same goes for filling out online applications. Same goes for any covering letters. As you apply for more jobs you will find you come across quite a few standardised questions, all variations on a theme, such as What qualities could you bring to our Company Name 3 areas in which you excel What do you consider your weak points? Why do you want to work for us? Where do you see yourself in the 5 years time? Get your brother or somebody to help you prepare the answers to such questions and save them in a file so you can copy and paste the answers when needed - it will save a lot of time and effort. There are right and wrong responses to these questions: areas in which you excel are NOT football, Call of Duty Black Ops and drinking competitions. They are things like: team work, ability to communicate with other on all level, highly motivated, You get the picture! As it is your first job, don't aim to high and leave yourself with little chance of success, Start at the bottom and work your way along. There is nothing wrong in applying for jobs that are below your skill level and may not be in areas that are of interest to you. You may not like the idea of working in a call centre but it does not have to be a career move but it will be something to put on your C.V. and you'll be earning some money while you keep looking for something else. Sign up with as many employment agencies as you can find - some online, some visit in person. When you have registered with an agency (not just looked at the jobs on their site), don't wait for them to call you. Pester these people to death, ring up frequently to see if they have found anything suitable for you. This keeps you on their radar and not forgotten. Don't worry about irritating them, they get paid if they find you a job and you need to make sure your name is on top of the pile. Don't be surprised when you discover that a whole load of companies don't even bother to send you a letter saying 'no thanks'. It happens all the time to everybody. You can send off bucket loads of C.V.'s and sometimes you are lucky if one or two bother to acknowledge your letter. Just keep plugging away. Getting a job is a skill in itself as you will find out and your applications will improve over time as you get used to the kind of questions and the kind of answers you should be putting down. You will succeed if you determined.