<p>I have started to look for jobs and I have work study as part of my financial aid. The problem is that I don't have any job experience and the only volunteering experience I had is putting back books in the library. Because I'm going to be a freshman, I don't have any refrences or clubs yet. How can I boost my chances of getting a job without experience?</p>
<p>If you have work study I think the student employment office will help you find a job. Have you contacted them? Also, if you have library experience, then by all means, apply to your college library. At my son’s school, it’s the biggest student employer on campus.</p>
<p>Are you good with computers? The help desk is always looking for people at my Ds college?</p>
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<li>Unis are often looking for lifeguards.</li>
<li>Maintain at least a 3.0 in your first semester and you might have a shot at a tutoring job.</li>
<li>My son’s school usually has a couple of computer lab monitor positions offered before classes start - it entails keeping the printers supplied with toner, keeping an eye on students using the computers, etc.</li>
<li>Check out local off-campus eateries if you can cook</li>
<li>Get on your department’s email list server; jobs are often circulated there</li>
</ul>
<p>Look at your ECs and volunteer work and you will find you have plenty of unpaid experience. Also google online for ideas of how to make a resume…actually I think if you look around this website you might find some info. Also look at your college website and see if they have any resume help. </p>
<p>Use your college application and it will probably show a lot of your experiences. </p>
<p>Good luck! Remember that a lot of the jobs on work study don’t require paid experience. A willingness to learn, flexability, and a good attitude can go a long way.</p>
<p>I know people feel strongly on this subject and there are going to be plenty of complaints about my observation, but how does someone get to college age without ever having held a job?</p>
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It’s easy if the Great Recession occurs while you’re in high school. The typical teenage jobs have been filled by under- or unemployed adults.</p>
<p>3bm103 - I do think it’s a valid curiosity. My DS has had jobs but just little part-time ones that he got due to knowing someone who needed help, or working at a scout camp. His classes, involvement in sports, and scouts kept him to busy for a “conventional” job, even if he could find one. </p>
<p>There can be a lot of reasons including living in a small town (no jobs), no transportation, parents don’t want student to work, taking care of siblings, no time, doing a lot of volunteer/church activities, etc. I’m sure there are more.</p>
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<p>And that^^^^^^.:p</p>
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I’m a rising HS senior and haven’t had a “real” job, mainly because I haven’t had reliable transportation until a few months ago when my dad was able to buy me a car with inheritance money. There’s no public transit where I live and other than my HS, a grocery store, gas station, and a few shops, civilization is no less than a 15-20 minute drive away, thus nixing biking or walking as options.</p>
<p>So there certainly are scenarios that make it hard (or impossible) to have a job. I’d LOVE to have a job and cannot wait until I do.</p>
<p>As a current college student, I can say it was pretty easy to make it to college without work experience. My family had no car and the job opportunities within walking distance were pretty limited. Even then, my parents weren’t comfortable with me walking 30-45 minutes each way by myself in an area where my brother and father (much bigger than I) have both been mugged when walking somewhere. </p>
<p>Then, once I was older and walking to work, potentially late at night, became more acceptable, I couldn’t find a job. I have searched for a job every summer since senior year and did not find one until this year, when I finally had work experience from school. My friends who had jobs either had connections or had been working for their employers since before the recession hit, and stayed on. Not to mention, most places weren’t interested in hiring a kid with no experience to work just for the summer over an out-of-work adult who would commit to working more long-term. </p>
<p>The good news is the job that I finally DID get with no experience was my work-study job at the dining hall. The trick is to be willing to work crappy shifts. I had to work Saturday and Sunday from 6-10PM every weekend, and it sucked. But the work experience got my foot in the door, I got another administrative job through res life and housing, and finally a summer job this year at Walmart.</p>
<p>collegenoobie, my son was actually assigned a work study job. He did not need to apply for it all. Find out if your college does something similar. Also, you can contact financial aid office and ask them for suggestions as to how to secure a work study job at the college you will attend.</p>
<p>Your college’s website might have a list of on campus jobs, both work study and non-work study. However, check early because the “good” jobs and hours often go first. My D wound up working at the tutoring center from midnight to 3 AM 2 days a week and on weekends because the first places she went to were places everyone else wanted to work as well. She got stuck with those hours because nobody else wanted them. She became an RA after that and lost her work study.</p>
<p>I need to have a resume to apply to any work study jobs. What should I put on my resume if I don’t have any job and clubs/volunteer experiences yet? Should I put my high school stuff?</p>
<p>Yes, noobie, put high school volunteers things. It is still valid at this point. Also, think about other little volunteer activities. My DS also volunteered at the hsconcession stand, sold items at school, craft fairs, etc for chiarity. Those things show a sales/customer service aptitude. When writing duties for activities like this, mention money handling, customer service, etc.</p>
<p>Wow, they really require resumes for work-study jobs? When I was in college, one ws job I had was in the bowling alley handing out shoes, another was checking that any fliers posted on campus had the student activity center’s stamp of approval, and a third was packing book orders from the university press. Having work study as part of my package and showing up was sufficient to be hired.</p>