I don't know if this is the wrong place to post this, but if it is then apologies.

Okay, so I'm really struggling to find a job at the moment. I'm still in school and I've been applying to new places weekly, sometimes daily, for over six months now and I've I haven't gotten anything.

I've been applying to places such as Coles, IGA, JB-HI-FI, EB Games, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, and other smaller business and I get turned away every time.

I don't have much on my resume. Some work experience at my dads business and some volunteer work is it. However, some employers have told me straight out that my lack of experience isn't a problem (I mean, who needs experience to stack shelves?) but it's just that they're not hiring.

I'm not sure where I'm going wrong. Is it really that hard for a teenager to get a job nowadays?

Advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

http://www.kfcjobs.com.au/team/job-alert.aspx

https://www.bunningscareers.com.au/jobs/australia

http://www.wowcareers.com.au/page/Come_and_work_for_us/Jobs_Available/

https://www.colescareers.com.au/retail-stores/in-store/right4me

http://www.seek.com.au/

Just remember, most jobs are NOT advertised.

Sending unsolicited CVs to companies certainly can work.

I hate to admit it but John is right- make phone calls- deliver resumes personally - try to hand them to who ever is doing the hiring (not the girl at the desk) and just ring places regardless if they have advertised anything or not- that's how I got the job I'm in now.
Volunteering can lead to work- be clean presentable and respectful. Dont give up hope- you will get a job. Going into businesses is a plus-they get see you and make an impression, and your just not another online/resume shoved across their desk. And yes speak to managersi'

pete98 wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 3:05pm:


I think you need a bit of patience. Someone will hire you soon enough, Just leave a resume at each place. Then come back in 6 months, if you have not got a job and apply again. I'm 36 and I still haven't got a job full time yet. Not that I have tried fully. Just that I don't need to get a job when I can pay the bills with the job I have now. If you live in the city, jobs should be plentiful. Regional and rural areas don't have a lot of jobs available, but they are there.

Agnes wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 3:22pm:


Thank you. I hope so.

Good luck with it Pete.   

Black Orchid wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 4:15pm:


Thank you

Sprintcyclist wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 4:17pm:


That sounds good. I made some flyers and posted them around offering to mow people's lawns, pull weeds etc. but that didn't work haha.

Thanks.

pete98 wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 3:05pm:


Send your resume back to your dad's business.

You can always keep working for him.  That way your resume won't go stale.

Don't forget to continue studying (after you complete your schooling).

All the best 

pete98 wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 3:19pm:


keep trying, don't lose heart, I spent several years on the  dole when i left school because no one would hire me. I ended up taking a pizza delivery job at night until I found something else.

remember, it's all about attitude, if you go in there looking like they've already said no, they'll say no. You need to go in excited, with a big smile, big heart and willing to give anything a go ..

John Smith wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 5:31pm:



Leave Pansi alone John Boy.  Pete is doing all the right things- it's only a matter of time before he gets lucky...and Pete jobs are scarce everywhere atm- don't take it to heart - I have work now but I despaired there for a while like you are now - you're not alone- when we kick Abbott out jobs the jobs market will be easier - cheers.

John Smith wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 5:36pm:


Good grief! SEVERAL YEARS ON THE DOLE?

Why didn't you just go to Uni? Or TAFE even?

Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 4:30pm:
you know everything Pansi, you must be so , so clever.

rhino wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 7:41pm:



not sure I'd give that advice although it does seem to be what the majority of people are doing.

I used to hear it all the time when i used to paint, problem was it was easy to tell if they were lying or not  ... one guy comes to mind, told he he painted high rise for 7 years .. gave him a duster brush told him to pick a brush out of the brush bucket and and sent him up a ladder to paint the fascia

he walked past the brush bucket, crawled up the ladder, I could hear his knees knocking together from fear of heights from 50 m away, dipped his duster brush into the paint and started painted the same eaves we'd finished painting the day prior

no way he had ever worked at heights, no way he had ever used a paint brush, no way he had 7 yrs experience. .. sent him home after less than 5 minutes.

At the time, I needed someone and I would have kept him on if he'd been honest about his lack of skills.

pete98 wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 3:05pm:


I commend you in being steadfast in looking for a job. However, if you're not being hired such as you say then it's more of an economic issue and not a personal one so don't beat yourself up over this.

Even if you don't possess much of a resume don't let discourage you. Instead, tell your potential employer what your strengths might be. Are you mechanically inclined? Are you good at math? Do you work well with people who, let's face it, are not these most pleasant people in retail settings. Anything you see as a personal strength exploit it in an interview conversation without overselling it.

Also look for work close to your area, if possible. Employers do look for those who have reliable transportation so if you are lucky enough to have a car tell them that or you are well versed in bus routes and schedules. If not, then learn them.

Are you willing to work nights, weekends, and graveyard shifts? Sometimes when applying for a job it's no surprise you'll find yourself on the bottom on the totem pole and will have to adjust yourself to such schedules. It's not easy but starting new never is.

Finally, be assertive and confident when applying. Look at your potential employer straight in the eye when talking to them. Don't shy away if they happen to ask you tough questions (whatever they may be). Don't figit away or break eye contact for too long. Always shake their hand before and after the interview. Sit upright and dress nice. Employers do look for how well potential employees groom themselves and speak, so do stray from saying "Um, er, ah," in your answers.

And do follow up on your application(s) (which you seem to do). Depending upon the job, I would not wait more than two weeks to hear back or, call back to inquire. Keep on having a plan B so you're ready to move if the job your presently hoping for does not pan out.

It's hard at the moment it's not just you do not become discouraged
It's a numbers game keep knocking on doors
You will get there,then make sure you invest in some training

John Smith wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 8:01pm:



A quick check of how they hold the brush is a pretty good indication.

If they're holding it like a bat or tennis-racquet, they probably aren't a painter.

pete98 wrote on Mar 26^th, 2015 at 4:12pm:


this is the best advice you'll get..

man up and walk straight into Businesses..

what makes you stand out with the other thousands that email in resume's? ........ nothing..

but if you dress up with a tie and a short hair cut you'll stand out from the rest of the plods.. don't take a phone into a business..

one of the biggest things that's pissing off employers at the moment is young folk on smacking mobile phones.. 

go and do a Barristers course... and then work for free in a café for a few weeks on weekends...

same with any other business you are interested in... go to bunnings and work for free on weekends..

"work experience"

make it happen... your first step was to come on here and seek advice.. the next thing to do is to take that advice and put it in to practice...

I worked as a manager for an agri business some years ago and most of the apprentices that I hired were from school based work experience.. the kids would come down and work once a week... if they were any good, I'd employ them at the end of the year...

Kat wrote on Mar 28^th, 2015 at 7:42am:



that's usually the way ... but in this case he didn't eve know what a brush was. 

Lisa Jones wrote on Mar 28^th, 2015 at 8:11am:


If you are going to embellish, you had better be certain that it's something they are unlikely to notice. The problem with painting is that everyone thinks they can do it ... but a professional can spot an amateur a mile away.

John Smith wrote on Mar 28^th, 2015 at 8:15am:



Painting is easy - it's preparing the surface that's hard.

Lisa Jones wrote on Mar 28^th, 2015 at 8:20am:


I don't agree.  You hire a professional if the job's too hard (say, the upstairs guttering and eaves for example), if you're too busy and don't have the time, or if you're just too lazy to do it.

"Professionals" invariably have to compromise on quality of finish so they can get the job finished in a short time.  Painting is the sort of job where you'll usually get a better result if you do it yourself.

Wolseley wrote on Apr 16^th, 2015 at 12:50pm:


rubbish ... if you go after the cheapest quote that's half what everyone else has quoted, then yes, they will rush it. But if you don't know what you are doing it's best to stay away. Repairing a bad paint job will cost you more than it would have originally cost you to get it done.

Having said that, I know many LICENSED painters who don't have a clue what they are doing. The number of idiots that have argued with me that water based enamel is a real enamel or that they can paint over enamel with acrylic with no conversion coating 

Ask around, don't pick a painter based on price, pick on reputation.