Need a Job

[Experiment]

An amazingly awesome tactic which I have found to be quite useful in a job search is this: Talk nice. Like, really nice.

"Pardon me, I was wondering if you might be hiring at this time, and if you were, would you perhaps have an application that I could fill out?"

I said that to a lady at Waldenbooks, and she was like "Erghhh... no, I'm sorry, but that was just the cutest way you asked! Well, here, here's an application for you to fill out if we do get an opening then!"

Talk like you're an old man (or woman), it's amazing the effect you'll have on people. You have to be able to do it comfortably though, like niceness comes naturally to you and all that. And you have to look the part.

Oh, and while we're on clothes, the general rule is the more flesh you have covered, the more professional you look. I wore this cool gray sweater with inset vertical lines with some nice jeans/khakis (I don't remember exactly). That is some awesome clothing there though.

[Morningstar]

An amazingly awesome tactic which I have found to be quite useful in a job search is this: Talk nice. Like, really nice.

"Pardon me, I was wondering if you might be hiring at this time, and if you were, would you perhaps have an application that I could fill out?"

I said that to a lady at Waldenbooks, and she was like "Erghhh... no, I'm sorry, but that was just the cutest way you asked! Well, here, here's an application for you to fill out if we do get an opening then!"

Talk like you're an old man (or woman), it's amazing the effect you'll have on people. You have to be able to do it comfortably though, like niceness comes naturally to you and all that. And you have to look the part.

Oh, and while we're on clothes, the general rule is the more flesh you have covered, the more professional you look. I wore this cool gray sweater with inset vertical lines with some nice jeans/khakis (I don't remember exactly). That is some awesome clothing there though.

Best to go with the khakis and nix the jeans. Even if every worker in the store is wearing jeans at the time. You need to look as professional as you can. What is the phrase: Walk the walk and talk the talk. Something like that. Be conservative, neutral, polite, understanding, etc, etc. You want to be the person that they just have to hire.

[Twinkle]

The babysitting idea is a good one. I've just got a job (today in fact) with my local council for mentoring young children. Maybe there's a youth group you could get in contact with in your area.

[Anoohilator]

Since you are 15, may I suggest babysitting? If you can stand children (some people cannot), you can make quite a bit in the summer taking care of kids who are out of school for the summer. Because a lot of moms have to work in the summer, even though their kids are out of school. I paid babysitters $8-10 an hour to watch my daughter during those hours between the end of summer camp and the time I got home from work each day. Which is a lot more than the fast food places pay.

And, if you are liked by the kids and the parents, it will lead to a nice part-time job during the school year. The parents will think of you when they need a babysitter and will tell their friends with kids about you, as well.

It is quite a lucrative business if you are good with kids.

How is it possible to get into this line of work? I don't mean that in a rude way but I was just wondering how it would be done...