Why is it so hard for a new-grad to get a freaking job?

[james t kirk]

I personally had a few PT job as barista (bartender) thought out my high school and first year of university life, but my career center took me to take it off since it may make me look like unprofessional, since most people think it is related to alcohol. Do you think is a good idea to put it back in?

Your call. For me, it counts. I'm not HR, I don't work for a massive corporation anymore (I did.) I was involved in hiring people when I worked for Massive Corporation (then we were looking for specific job experience) and now (in my current role in a smaller much more interesting company) If I was looking for a senior guy I wouldn't care where he worked in HS - hell, I probably wouldn't even care where he went to University or when, long as he had is degree and it was recognized. No, I'd be looking at what projects he worked on in the past, who he was working for etc.. But when I'm hiring a co-op placement or a new grad - I want to see the Mcjob in HS.

As I said, I learned my lesson in the past hiring lazy University Students (very lazy). I hired 2 University Students this summer - I interviewed 6 through their co-op service. I asked each and everyone of them where they worked previous summers, then where they worked in HS. There were 2 that did not work in HS. I immediately dropped them from contention. I asked each of them why they didn't work in HS. (Probably should not have asked, but what the hell.) They both stumbled and fumbled around the question. In my experience hiring University Students - I've had them turn out great and turn out shit. No inbetween. On paper they all looked the same. Good University, professional faculty, similar work term experience. Yet some work out terrible. I asked myself why and I came up with the fact that the ones who worked out well had worked in High School since they were 15 or 16 after school and weekends, and the others had not. I think it goes to show a work ethic. I subsequently adjusted my hiring methodology to reflect my theory.

Several posters on here have commented on young people's sense of entitlement being more so than ever. Perhaps that's true. I don't know. (Maybe thinking of my own feeling as to kids working in HS after school to make a few bucks means that they didn't have to rely on Mommy and Daddy to give them an allowance and as such don't have that same sense of entitlement. Who knows.) When I finished University, I don't think I had ever heard the word entitlement. I expected to start at the bottom of the heap, and I did.

Through all of this, I do like hiring Univesity Students. I find that their in-experience brings a strength sometimes. They want to learn and it comes naturally. You see in them things you don't see in a guy who's been working for 10 years. There's also youth and energy on their side and life hasn't worn them down.

 

[someone]

I personally had a few PT job as barista (bartender) thought out my high school and first year of university life, but my career center took me to take it off since it may make me look like unprofessional, since most people think it is related to alcohol.

A long time ago, I got very similar advice. Personally, I think with things like that, it depends on who picks up your resume. People who have been through the school of hard knocks likely like to see that type of thing. Those who have had a more pampered life may see it as unprofessional. I have always found that a job search (at any level) involves a lot of random chance. I have always found that a lot really depends on who happens to pick up you c.v. and their personal bias. At times I got more positive responses from places I almost did not apply for because I seemed a poor fit to the advertisement than places that I seemed a perfect fit for. Now that I am on hiring committees (for jobs unrelated to the type you would be applying or), I can really see how the biases of who happens to be on the committee affects the outcome. Given the randomness, it is likely a very hard call but I would think that more people hiring university graduates are in the pampered category and even some of the others may not care about things like MacDonald’s.

 

[GotGusto]

Some bosses actually think that bartending is unprofessional?

 

[red]

It's never been easy to find a job when graduating, but this is a particularly hard time right now for any new grad.

To the OP, you have a decent degree from a good University. Your grades are fine. I hire students from University and I've hired recent grads before. Whether you have a B or an A average is / was irrelevant to me. All I cared about was that graduated AND most of all - I am looking for a kid witha work ethic. (I've been stung hiring LAZY university Grads in the past.) I'll take a hard working C average over a lazy A average any day any time. I need someone who can think on his feet, and get things done and work damn hard. No crying about how he or she can't work a few extra hours on a weekend because they want to go to a friend's cottage. To me, all else in your life is secondary to your job (short of having a baby or a family emergency.)

So me, I'm looking for the work ethic and frankly you can't tell that when you're hiring. (But the one thing I do look for with students or recent grads is shitty jobs when in High School.) As dumb as it may sound, I'm more impressed with a recent grad who worked at McDonalds in High School after school and on weekends for years than I am with a recent grad who had a good work term report (from Waterloo). No-one survives being lazy at McDonalds. (I've learned that the hard way.)

I will never hire a recent grad or a co-op university student who has never worked a part-time job when he or she was in High School. (Same goes for Charity Work - Charity work is not Work Work.)

To me, if you have the degree and you have some experience in your field when at University AND you have the shitty McJob when you were in HS, I'm willing to take a chance on you.

and whether she has nice tits.

 

[Cruzer22]

rc2021 I was in a coop program when I went to school and after I finished I applied for employment insurance (depending of what stream you were on will determine your eligiblity). I think you have to work 420hrs to 700hrs in the last 52 weeks. If you worked 2 coop terms in the last 52 weeks you should get some sweet party money!

There's two things I have learned working:

1. Its not what you know its who you blow.
The smartest guy in my class got the shittiest job while the dumbest guy got the best. Why, because the dumbest guy didn't waste his time studying he worked his social skills at the bar and understood that networking mattered most.

2. You only live once.
Not working for 6 months and living on EI was great! It was refreshing being able to have that much free time and to enjoy myself. I wasn't living like a king but to not have the pressures and committment of a job was amazing. I was able in that 6 month period to develop a pretty good network that landed me my first job. I say enjoy yourself and the job will come.