i tell friend its stupid idea but he does not realize. whats your opinion?

Question

A friend of mine is having hard time finding an hourly job at some store or shop. He has been applying for several weeks but doesn't get hired anywhere. I think its because he staples a 3 page resume on top of job application.

I told him resume isn't needed for hourly store or fastfood position. I mean for like $6.15 an hour position, is there any need of stapling a 3 to 4 page computer typed resume? There is work experience section on the application already. Is this the reason why he can't find work?

He says he can't find work, because too many people are looking for work but he cannot stop stapling his resume to job applications. Do you think this is stupid? I think so.

The bad thing is that he is drowning in heavy credit card debt and is now in position that he can't even make minimum payments. With zero income he continues using credit cards heavily, but isn't able to find job.

someone here asked me if i ever had job before. All the hourly jobs that i applied for in the past -- i never turned in any resume at all and was still hired.

Answer 1

Tell him to toss the resume and just use the job application. Usually, if the job site wants a resume, they will let you know it. So he's kind of appearing too eager. Also, has he got any experience? That will make a difference. There is definitely a job out there for him; but he needs to be real serious and ambitious about finding it. Then he has to get past the interview. From what you said about your friend using those c.cards... It sounds like he'd better find something quick. EVEN if it's a Burger King or something like that. Tell him to lay off of the credit..... those are nothing but loans and right now he's borrowing more than money. He's borrowing trouble for his future....

PS Tell him that it's good thing that he has a resume prepared; some employers love those things and rely on them. Of course, I don't know how thrilled they'd be about one that is 3 pages long. I'd like to recommend he reduce it to 1 or 2 pages only. That might help him some. I wish him luck.... Thanks for being a good friend to him. Granny B.

Answer 2

i'm a hiring manager at a retail store. The problem is that your friend does not realize that time is precious. We receive 100's and 100's of job applications almost every day for hourly position. When you have a stack of 350+ job applications, and then there are few of them who are stapling 3 to 4 paged resumes -- they are automatically disqualifed!

If we are to spend so much time reviewing and studying 1 single application only, the pending work of reviewing other applications will become a huge mountain.

So we have no other choice left but to toss such resume stapled applications. It may not sound fair, but we simply do not have so much time and resources for 1 single application, when there are 100's of them.

The maximum time limit to be spent on 1 application is no more than 2 to 3 minutes only.

Resume is good for professional jobs and college graduates, but not for hourly positions in store, especially since not too much skill or high level of education is needed.

Answer 3

here's how his resume CAN hurt him.. (1) to many jobs over a short period of time tell an employer that he has issues and will most likely be a problem, so they'll avoid hiring him. or (2) he has vast experience and knowledge and the person doing the interviewing could see him as a possible future threat in competing job openings in the company, so they'll avoid hiring him.
Keep the resume down to a minimum, you don't have to include everything you've ever done especially if he's applying for a job that only pays $6.15 an hour. If the job he's applying for is offering 30k or more a year, then yes include all the bells and whistles.

Answer 4

I never thought to turn in a resume when I was looking for a minimum wage job. I think a rule of thumb is that if they already have an application for you to fill out, no resume is necessary. Most, if not all, jobs that require a resume, will not have an application to fill out. Therefore, the resume would be necessary.
On the other hand, it probably doesn't hurt his chances of getting the job by handing in a resume. At any rate, it is good practice to have a resume available, in case that job does come along where a resume is necessary.

Answer 5

A resume that is 3-4 pages long is TOO long. I'm sure it's filled with several jobs, and employers want to see that he can hold a job for a while. A lot of jobs on a resume is not a good thing. No employer is going to say, "Wow, he has had 20 jobs in the past 2 years, neat!"..they'll toss it in the trash! It shows he jumps around too much and isn't capable of dedicating himself to his employers. When I was a manager at a pizza joint, I got some apps with resumes attached, and I didn't care to look at them. It was pizza for goodness sake, just about anyone is capable of making pizza part-time. I just looked to see if they were old enough to work, and old enough to operate mixers and other kitchen equipment and to see if they were available for the hours I needed them to work. The "past employment" part of the app is good enough...no resume necessary.

He should request the manager when he goes in to submit his apps. Giving it to the right person would be a good start. And don't just say "here you go!" and drop it off. He should introduce himself to the manager and show his interest by saying something like "Hi, it's nice to meet you. (shake hands) My name is Joe Schmoe and I am very interested in working for KMart as a customer service representative. I would like to leave you with my application and resume and ask that you could consider me for any openings you may have...Thank you ManagerName. I look forward to hearing from you!" He should dress appropriately, too. No one wants to hire a greasy haired kid in dirty jeans and a wrinkled Dragonball Z t-shirt...

I don't know how old your friend is, but there ARE options other than retail and fast food. Consider factory/warehouse positons, banks, construction, roofing, working for the town/utilities...he shouldn't have gotten the credit cards if he doesn't have the income to make payments. He should stick with credit cards that have low limits, like $1500 or less.

Answer 6

A 3 or 4 page resume for a fast food position is ridiculous. A one page resume would be fine. 2 pages is ok for technical position that require a lot of job experience and education. My guess is the content of his resume is hurting him. Fast food jobs have such a high turnover rate they really dont put a lot of effort into hiring. Also, I would recommend paperclipping the resume to the back of the application instead of stapling it to the front.

Answer 7

No dear, your friend is not stupid but just ignorant. for if he had real knowlege of what you know he would have done it a long time a go and it could be that he has adream of getting a high paid job so dear don't give up on your friend please.
1.make him see why it is not wise to send long resumes to stores or shops and make him know that by doing so he will be seen as over qualified and furthermore stores and shops are are there to sell not to do office work.
2.it is normally annoying and time wasting for the employers who are only looking for people who can assure them that they can be able to do the job they will be emoloyed for that is selling instead having to find themselves reading long resumes[one thing maybe the employer does not have the time to read or might not like reading and even might have had a long education] .
3..in order to make him see what you are saying as true go and pick a form at the stores he will want to work .
fill it and make a photo copy for him then submit the forms to the stores and make sure you give the photo copy to him[please disregard whatever hateful words he tells you for inthe end he will appologise and thank you and even trust in your wise counsel.

Answer 8

Yes, that is definitely a stupid idea! Employers don't have time to read a 3-4 page resume! Especially for the jobs he is applying for. As soon as the person doing the hiring sees all that paperwork, I can guarantee you the whole thing goes directly into the circular file. Tell him to just fill out the application they give him honestly, neatly, and completely and he'll have a much better chance of getting hired. They are not looking for a rocket scientist, just someone who can stock shelves and operate a cash register, for cryin' out loud!

Answer 9

No, giving your resume to a potential employer is just part of finding a job. He is increasing his chances of getting the job especially with lower wage jobs, because many people that apply for those jobs don't have resumes. I'm sorry but I can't really see how this would be a bad idea. Have you ever had a job before?

Answer 10

not stupid to attach resume...it makes him look more serious about getting a job and it makes him stand out more than other applicants. However, resumes should NEVER be over 1 page long. Only refrences and cover letters should make it longer.