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Thread: How did you land your first job?

  1. #16
    First Time Caller SunDeck's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    My dad said- "Hey, what's your name? I need someone to clean all the metal shavings and cutting oil up from the shop floor every other day. See you tomorrow morning at 5:30."

    I was clearly the best candidate in the room.
    Next Reds manager, second shooter. --Confirmed on Redszone.


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  3. #17
    SERP Emeritus paintmered's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    College career fair. My current employer had a booth in the very back corner. I don't think too many other students saw them back there. I stopped and made a comment about how interesting the place looked. 45 minutes of conversation later, I found out I had a relative in the guy's office and a high recommendation for an interview.

    I've since gotten five of my college classmates and a co-op jobs at the same place. Now I'm part of the recruiting team there in my "spare time".
    All models are wrong. Some of them are useful.

  4. #18
    Member Highlifeman21's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    Well, it involved some things of which I'm not proud....

  5. #19
    MarsArmyGirl RosieRed's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    The first paying job I had in my actual line of work I got by calling up the place and asking if they needed any help. This was a group of community newspapers; I was desperate for a journalism job. I couldn't find anything anywhere that indicated they were hiring, but I figured I'd at least call and ask. I managed to get an editor on the phone, and in 10 minutes I had an interview. I know I just got lucky with timing, but if I hadn't called, I never would've known if they had any job openings at all.

    And by the way, the next job I got by cold-sending a resume to a place I wanted to work. They had no job openings listed anywhere, but I sent a resume and just said something like "if you have any openings in the near future, please keep me in mind." They called very soon after, I interviewed, got the job.

    All this is to say, sometimes you have to just disregard the fact that you can't find a listing for a job you want, and apply anyway.

  6. #20
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    Nice responses.... cool read.

    Nepotism is a great foot in the door, that's for sure.

  7. #21
    Member SteelSD's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    Quote Originally Posted by bthomasiscool View Post
    Curious as to how everybody on here landed there first job. I'm not talking about McDonalds or Burger Kings (unfortunately I worked at both of those), but in the lines of right out of college, or first "career" job.

    I am a recent college graduate with a Business Administration/Marketing degree from Kentucky Christian University. Since December I have been working as a membership sales representative at the Kis Country Club and Golf Academy in Lexington, Kentucky. I work on a straight commission pay structure with no draw whatsoever. It's a dead end job, and I feel worthless everyday I am there.

    I feel like I have tried everything. Careerbuilder, Hotjobs, Monster, Indeed, Company Websites, Newspaper, Dropping off resumes, job fairs, networking etc.

    The only phone calls I get are from place like ADT, First Investors, American Income Life, etc. asking me if I'm interested in taking a straight commission job.

    It seems like I just can't get my first "break". I'm willing to start at the bottom and work my way up, I just can't seem to get that chance. What's the trick guys?
    The trick is to do two things:

    1. Contact every headhunter and employment agency in your area and speak with a consultant. Get someone on your side as an advocate and you'll have a much easier go of things. Basically, if you can sell yourself to a headhunter who has a good reputation with companies, you'll be able to give yourself some networking options.

    2. Do not wait around for the "perfect" or "dream" job right away when you graduate college. I've seen so many people with new degrees who go unemployed for months (or longer) because they're unwilling to take a "foot in the door" job rather than exactly what they want (which rarely, if ever, comes around right after graduation).

    Now, keep in mind one thing- even without a degree, if you have a successful background of any length in sales, you will never be without a job. So that's good. Make sure you track your performance at your current job an can provide metrics that demonstrate how good you were versus the average salesperson. In short, even if you feel that it's a dead-end job, work your tail off to be way better than average. If you can demonstrate that to a prospective employer, that's a point in your favor.

    Then take a look at your area in order to determine which companies are most likely in need of folks in a marketing capacity. Do you have major manufacturing companies located there? Do you have banks around that issue credit cards? Keep in mind that most well-paying marketing job postings will ask for 2 to 3 years experience in addition to a degree. Are you willing to apply for a Business Development Manager with Coca-Cola in Lexington (check out hotjobs.yahoo.com)? Are there internal advancement opportunities available with your next company?

    Your first "break" will likely be after your first job with a company that doesn't feel like a "break" right away. Be willing to get your foot in the door, prove yourself, and then leverage your performance and degree during advancement applications and interviews from within.
    "The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer

    "The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
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  8. #22
    Member 15fan's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    Graduated college. Didn't have a job. Roommate's parents were getting ready to move to Atlanta (pre-Olympics) and said I was more than welcome to move in with them so I didn't have to move back home.

    Answered ads in the newspaper. Lots of them.

    Got a job that I took for about 7 months. It was not good. Then I got contacted by someone with whom I had interviewed 9 months earlier. They had two openings and I was the #3 candidate at the time. Their first 2 choices accepted, but one moved on to something else about 8 months after starting. Gladly took them up on the offer.

  9. #23
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    I applied for a bunch, got all nervous and amp'ed up before each interview, didn't get any of the jobs. On one interview I pretty much said screw it, I was going to go in, be straight forward, if I got the job great, if not, oh well. I got the job. It's important to not overthink things, be prepared, but don't stress over it either.

  10. #24
    Are we not men? Yachtzee's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    I went out on a limb and applied for a programmer job at a career open house for the data center for a large national company. The director who interviewed me was intrigued by my foreign language skills and gave me a shot. I had to teach myself COBOL before I started though.
    Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!

  11. #25
    SERP deep cover ops WebScorpion's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    I volunteered. After completing Basic Training, I was in.

    My second job, I didn't even interview for... A Warrant Officer (retired) I had worked with previously was the manager and he hired me based on his previous knowledge of my abilities and level of effort.

    I once walked into a big organization and asked to see the IT Manager. I didn't have an appointment, but he graciously gave me 15 minutes to plead my case. I told him everything I was capable of doing, why I wanted to work for his organization, and said I would work as a volunteer if he couldn't afford to pay me. In the end, he created a new position for me at half my previous salary and I worked for him for almost 2 years...it was one of the best jobs I've ever had, but it didn't really pay the bills.

    "This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again." -- Terence Mann

  12. #26
    Member TeamCasey's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    Newspaper - it was the right job at the right time and all the moons were in alignment.
    "Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women." - Nora Ephron

  13. #27
    Member TeamCasey's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    We didn't have Mr. Gore's internet back then.
    "Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women." - Nora Ephron

  14. #28
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    I appreciate all of the comments/advice guys. Right now I've got a few options/job leads.

    Assistant Manager at a Gamestop (interview later this week)

    Account Support Representative at Ashland Oil (have a friend who works there and had my resume pulled for me.

    Corporate Membership Sales Consultant at Urban Active (my friend is the best friend of the partner there).

    All three are pretty decent opportunities, although the latter of the three would have much better hours. We'll see though
    We'll win it all next year...

  15. #29
    You're being very UnDude. sonny's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    Assistant Manager at a Gamestop (interview later this week)
    Spend all day talking about and selling Video games. Boy, that seems tough.
    Witty signature.

  16. #30
    Member CrackerJack's Avatar
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    Re: How did you land your first job?

    Quote Originally Posted by sonny View Post
    Spend all day talking about and selling Video games. Boy, that seems tough.
    Not a job I would want to do, have you seen what those people have to deal with on a daily basis? Ugh.


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