Job References

[Mongrel]

So I'm trying to find a job right now. I'm 19 and have never held a job, which is already a strike against me because it makes me look lazy and irresponsible.
The problem I've run into is my references. If I'm putting "N/A" for past employment, I want my references to be good. Unfortunately, I haven't the faintest idea what makes a good reference, and most of the suggestions--like coaches and leaders/members of groups I belong to--don't apply to me because the last proper organization I was in was the Girl Scouts in seventh grade.
I'm considering a former teacher, but I don't know if that's a good move, and I have no idea what other references I might conceivably use.
Does anyone have any suggestions for people I might ask?

[ahoteinrun]

Teachers are definately good. I used one on my reference when I was younger. If your principal knows you at all, that would be good too. Have you ever babysat? Those people can help...

hmm. *shrugs* My references are 2 of my old bosses and someone who reguarily buys my art.

[Demulesca]

If you have no professional references, it's suggested that you use character references. They include those who have worked with you on a large project as part of your team, or something who you volunteered under. Girls Scouts isn't a bad idea, if you still know the person that was in charge of your uhh... team(?). It still counts no matter how long ago, as long as you keep a relationship with that person and they can attest to both your personal and professional personalities.

If you are trying to find a job, pick up a small volunteer job while you are looking. Although most people prefer that you know your reference for a year or more, you can ask to help your aunt's friend or neighbour etc with some small yard work. Therefore they know you, and you've worked for them.

Oh and one last thing, if you have no previous employment, make sure you plump up your resume with volunteer experiences, high school awards/clubs/committees and anything that you can think of that indicates that you are a strong leader and communicator. Depending on the job, talk up customer service, cash/math skills or leadership skills. Don't forget to research the company/place extensively and string it into your interview somehow, that has gotten me so many callbacks I never go without some research. And don't be afraid to do follow-ups, (most) people love follow-ups.

Okay, I said the last thing was the last thing but I have to mention that your age alone will get you more interviews than someone who is fourteen. Don't worry about not having experience, managers can look for that as then they can mold you to whatever their company needs as opposed to having to force you to forget a certain set of skills before learning theirs. Once I hit college, my interviews quadrupled, so don't worry.

I hope that has helped. I've held down way too many jobs. :S Pick one that you love and remember never to work too much. Don't turn into a workaholic like me.

Last edited by Demulesca on Tue May 22, 2007 4:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Skynetmain]

My mom used to do resumes and helped me out with mine. I picked up a lot from her.

It is a good idea to hit up former teachers and clergymen for references. Until you get other references, those are always a good bet. Other similar people are good to have on tap as well.

Plus, it is hard to really list no experience if you are clever enough. I got a couple callbacks from just listing my past experience as helping my brother with his paper route. Sure, at this point a good reference is your best bet, but it doesn't hurt to 'embellish' a little.

(Okay, so 23.6 yr old and never held a job isn't really the best person to get advise from, but I learned a lot from my mom and teachers. You can do good at this point with good references and a good attitude). (Okay... not entirely unemployed since I have a summer research gig lined up).

PS: Don't forget to put that you write for the illustrious Pink Ink

[Demulesca]

PS: Don't forget to put that you write for the illustrious Pink Ink

Bingo. She just made a point, you can add Pink Ink to your list of extra-curricular to show your communication and how responsible you are. Since the editor of Pink Ink is beyond call, a letter written can also suffice.

[Skynetmain]

PS: Don't forget to put that you write for the illustrious Pink Ink

Bingo. She just made a point, you can add Pink Ink to your list of extra-curricular to show your communication and how responsible you are. Since the editor of Pink Ink is beyond call, a letter written can also suffice.

... Who is 'she'?!

And yeah. That was another thing my mom and I joked around with once in a half serious manner.

[Mongrel]

I'm not quite ready to write out a resume, considering I've never had anything even resembling a job/job skill training, but I'm applying for pretty much minimum-wage jobs so hopefully it's not hurting my chances too much to just fill out the applications they give me. I'd think my two-toned hair would hurt me more than a lack of a resume, but I'm going to try to fix that tonight.
I've pretty much got until the end of May to jobhunt; after that, I'm just going to give up and do volunteer work for the summer(which I was planning on doing anyway, just not as much as I would if I were also working).
Thanks, guys. I think I'll be able to scrape up three references this way.

[Asthaloth]

From my experience you don't stand much of a chance of getting a job without some kind of employment history / A damn good refferance.
I'm on gateway to work at the mo, which will give me a strong refferance, however, even with it I don't stand much chance.

Best bet is volunteer work.

[Twinkle]

From my experience you don't stand much of a chance of getting a job without some kind of employment history / A damn good refferance.
I'm on gateway to work at the mo, which will give me a strong refferance, however, even with it I don't stand much chance.

Best bet is volunteer work.

Rubbish. I've had plenty of work experience yet I still use references from school and college. I don't tend to use past employers as the last two bosses I had didn't even know my name! Just make sure anyone you go to knows you and your character well.

If you ever got involved in extra-curricular activities at school, you could go to the person who ran them because they know you outside a school environment. If you ever took on any extra responsibility at school, for example, library monitor, prefect, whatever the equivalent is, go to whoever gave you that responsibility. Show that you were willing to take on extra responsibility at an early age on your CV/resume and it will look very good indeed.

[Asthaloth]

*Points at the work experience*
Actually read what I put, yeah.

Edit;
To clarify.
A refferance will give you the edge, but it wont matter for jack if you don't have any experience.
For example, I have A Derbyshire county council officer on mine, stating that I created a database for the Information wardens.
Hasn't helped me for Jack though.

[ahoteinrun]

*Points at the work experience*
Actually read what I put, yeah.

Edit;
To clarify.
A refferance will give you the edge, but it wont matter for jack if you don't have any experience.
For example, I have A Derbyshire county council officer on mine, stating that I created a database for the Information wardens.
Hasn't helped me for Jack though.

References have helped me loads. When I didn't have a job before my first official one my references were amazing. And according to the guy who hired me my references had nothing to say but nice things about me. I'm sure Moongewl has some sort of volunteer type experiences and real world experience that will help her out. It depends on the personal situation that you yourself are in, who your references are, and what exactly the company is hiring for.

[thelilbear]

I'm not quite ready to write out a resume, considering I've never had anything even resembling a job/job skill training, but I'm applying for pretty much minimum-wage jobs so hopefully it's not hurting my chances too much to just fill out the applications they give me. I'd think my two-toned hair would hurt me more than a lack of a resume, but I'm going to try to fix that tonight.
I've pretty much got until the end of May to jobhunt; after that, I'm just going to give up and do volunteer work for the summer(which I was planning on doing anyway, just not as much as I would if I were also working).
Thanks, guys. I think I'll be able to scrape up three references this way.

Not sure how it is where you're located, but I helped with some of the hiring for McDonalds when I worked there. I think most mini-wage jobs will be very happy with just your application and a few references. To be honest, sometimes they don't even call them. Mostly they're just happy you're a living, breathing human (depending on the job, of course).

[Mongrel]

I work in a small city with two universities(with a combined enrollment of around 27,000) and a couple colleges, and between that and our recent influx of hispanic immigrants--who seem to have a better work ethic than most people my age--competition's pretty stiff around here for jobs. A lot of the applications I've been looking at don't even have a place to list references or past experience, though, which is helpful.

[Demulesca]

PS: Don't forget to put that you write for the illustrious Pink Ink

Bingo. She just made a point, you can add Pink Ink to your list of extra-curricular to show your communication and how responsible you are. Since the editor of Pink Ink is beyond call, a letter written can also suffice.

... Who is 'she'?!

Sorry, it was just a typo. Calm down.

From my experience you don't stand much of a chance of getting a job without some kind of employment history / A damn good refferance.
I'm on gateway to work at the mo, which will give me a strong refferance, however, even with it I don't stand much chance.

I disagree as well with Twinkle. The Toronto job market is disgustingly hard to get into and when I was starting out I had a little trouble until I worked on the things I mentioned above.

It depends on the employer, some people don't call your references, some people do. Just be sure to bring the best that you can in resume, interview, references and extra-cirricular to pump it up a bit. It also would help to add some likability to your repertoire.

I work in a small city with two universities(with a combined enrollment of around 27,000) and a couple colleges, and between that and our recent influx of hispanic immigrants--who seem to have a better work ethic than most people my age--competition's pretty stiff around here for jobs. A lot of the applications I've been looking at don't even have a place to list references or past experience, though, which is helpful.

Speaking of "most" resumes and applications, most resumes aren't done very well or designed very well. As a graphic designer, I changed my resume around a lot and I've yet to fail at getting an interview. It's all about presentation. It wouldn't help screening your resume against us.