Tweet
I didn't want to jack Repsac's thread, so I thought I'd start a new one, not specific to any particular place of business.
When people handed in applications at the bookstore, we'd put them in a folder in the info desk and the managers would get them at the end of the night. Generally, we'd look them over and laugh at you before we put them away. Also, if you were there for an interview, you would come to the info desk and we would page the manager for you. When the manager came out, we'd generally point you out to them. So here are my rules on how not to get the job, all from actual experience. Feel free to add your own.
1. When filling out the application, write legibly. If we can't read your writing, your app will end up in the recycle bin.
2. If you mess up something small, a neat cross-out and rewrite is generally acceptable. If you mess up big enough to need to scribble out entire lines, just ask for a clean application and start over.
4. If you leave the availability section blank, we are not going to call you. Same goes with the phone number spot!
5. Mom picking up an application for you because she happens to be in the store is OK. Having Mommy return the application and ask when to expect to hear is not. Bring it in yourself! You want a big boy/girl job, you gotta act like a big boy/girl.
6. When you come in for the interview, dress appropriately. Take a moment to notice what the employees generally wear, and dress accordingly, or slightly better.
7. If you come in wearing shorts and a baseball cap, you are not going to get a call back.
8. While you are waiting for the manager to come out to interview you, feel free to browse a nearby bookshelf where you can still see us and we can still see you. If you disappear entirely, we are not going to come looking for you. We will tell the manager, "I don't know where he went, but he was wearing shorts and a baseball cap." (This guy disappeared for at least 10 minutes.)
9. Sit up straight and speak clearly. Slouching and mumbling will not help your case. (I've seen this from just walking past where the interview was happening. I can only imagine what the interviewing manager was thinking.)
10. If your only reference is Mommy, and the only work you've done for her is to clean your room and empty the dishwasher, that's not a good sign. Especially if you are no longer in high school.
When people handed in applications at the bookstore, we'd put them in a folder in the info desk and the managers would get them at the end of the night. Generally, we'd look them over and laugh at you before we put them away. Also, if you were there for an interview, you would come to the info desk and we would page the manager for you. When the manager came out, we'd generally point you out to them. So here are my rules on how not to get the job, all from actual experience. Feel free to add your own.
1. When filling out the application, write legibly. If we can't read your writing, your app will end up in the recycle bin.
2. If you mess up something small, a neat cross-out and rewrite is generally acceptable. If you mess up big enough to need to scribble out entire lines, just ask for a clean application and start over.
4. If you leave the availability section blank, we are not going to call you. Same goes with the phone number spot!
5. Mom picking up an application for you because she happens to be in the store is OK. Having Mommy return the application and ask when to expect to hear is not. Bring it in yourself! You want a big boy/girl job, you gotta act like a big boy/girl.
6. When you come in for the interview, dress appropriately. Take a moment to notice what the employees generally wear, and dress accordingly, or slightly better.
7. If you come in wearing shorts and a baseball cap, you are not going to get a call back.
8. While you are waiting for the manager to come out to interview you, feel free to browse a nearby bookshelf where you can still see us and we can still see you. If you disappear entirely, we are not going to come looking for you. We will tell the manager, "I don't know where he went, but he was wearing shorts and a baseball cap." (This guy disappeared for at least 10 minutes.)
9. Sit up straight and speak clearly. Slouching and mumbling will not help your case. (I've seen this from just walking past where the interview was happening. I can only imagine what the interviewing manager was thinking.)
10. If your only reference is Mommy, and the only work you've done for her is to clean your room and empty the dishwasher, that's not a good sign. Especially if you are no longer in high school.
(Oddly enough, I didn't recommend him for hire. Hmmm.)
Don't act like you're impatient or you have somewhere better to be. Constantly checking your cell phone or watch just makes the interviewer feel like you don't value their time, and therefore, they should not value yours.
Comment