What is a good first job?

Question

I am 19 years old and want to get a job. I've never had a job before. I'm in college and I would need a job that has flexible hours. Where could I apply where they would have flexible schedules and where they would hire someone with no previous work experience? I've applied at stores and fast food places before and never got a call back. Why would that be? Should I keep trying? I feel like I'll never get a job.

Answer 1

First, I'd say any service related job (restaurants, stores, etc.) is a good place to start looking. They are minimum wage jobs because they don't require experience, special skills, or education to do the work.

Second, you can't just drop off your application and wait for a call back. Employers want persistence. You need to try to turn in your application during a slow period when a hiring manager is present to have the best chance of getting an on the spot interview. If you can't do that then you need to call and or go in and check to see if they have looked at your application. Chances are if all you did was hand it to them it was put in a filing cabinet and never looked at.

Third, it helps to be as open as possible. Don't be too picky about the position you are started in. Employers like flexibility and chances are at most jobs you will have opportunities to do other things later. Also the more hours you say you are available to work part time the more they will be interested.

Most important if you do get an interview, be up front with the interviewer about your school obligations and activities and they will be more willing to work with you later.

Good Luck.

Answer 2

I started out cutting lawns for apartments at the age of 13, and now that I'm 15, I do residential lawns. Great pay, if you can afford the equipment. Flexible hours, but you can only work during the summer. last summer I was making, on average, 22$/H, and that includes travel time (making something like 28$/h while cutting, it's just towing your equipment around on a bike takes a while). I charge about 100$ a lawn per month (the "pros" charge 125 - 150$ per month for a poorer quality job), one cut a week. Takes... maybe an hour? an hour and a half? a lawn. Of course, you move fast when you're not paid by the hour.

Sometimes fast food joints don't respond because they don't need extra help. Try aiming before summer, and just after summer. My buddies applied during the summer and they told 'em to wait till september when they'd start looking at applications again.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Video rental store. Avoid fast food if you can, it's a thankless job. And you always smell like whatever they cook. Gas stations are bad (they get robbed alot), really anyplace that sells beer is not the best. The campus sounds very promising, esp. because they would be understanding about your schedule.

Don't worry much about them not calling back. They probably get a bunch of applicatios for just few jobs. Stay clean and neat, smile when it's appropriate, but don't be overly cheerful. That can come across as artificial, even if you are a naturally cheerful person. Good luck.

Answer 4

Since you tried fast food places, I'd suggest that you move up to a waitress job. See if some places hire part time. Pizzaria Uno, used to. After that try for a weekend position at a hospital, or a laboratory.

Answer 5

If you can type well, you know your way around a PC, and can take a little customer abuse, go apply at your nearest Call Center.

It beats food service, it's good experience for office environment, and the working conditions are usually good, benefits are good, and the hours are flexible.

Check it out !!!

Answer 6

A good first job is one that makes you want to better yourself. Fast food, supermarkets and retail stores are good places. As far as not getting calls back I used the stalker approach. What I mean is you sometimes have to harass the manager until he or she literally tells you to either start tomorrow or to stay away or they will call the cops. That is how I got my first job.

Answer 7

Keep trying. Apply or inquire once or twice a week. Someone will give you a break if they see you are truly interested. Retail or fast food are probably the easiest to get your foot in the door without experience. Good Luck!! :)

Answer 8

You could apply at a local grocery store. They will usually schedule your work around school. They understand how difficult student life is because most of their employees are in school. Try there first.
Hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 9

do you have a waffle house around you? if so i would try there. it is a good company to work for and they train you. if it is a corprate store then they will offer you insurance starting the first day you work. if you don't want to be a waitress then try a grocery store to be a cashier

Answer 10

fast food is usually best option for 1st job