How to get a job and keep it

Whether you need one for the money or experience, here are some of my tips, from my own experience of how to get a job.

we've all been here

You need to want it. Bad.

I didn't get any of my jobs, and I'm on my fourth, by casually flicking through sites like indeed.co.uk or gumtree then doing nothing about it. I spent day in day out, scouring all sorts of job sites, and a few questionable ones too, which have most likely sold my details on to third party websites (so be careful and stick to well known ones). Moving on, I also spent some time crafting up a 2 page c.v, whilst spending what felt like weeks chasing up references to back up my character.
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Filling in pages of a company's on-line application may sound boring because it is, ranging from the simple likert type personality scales "in this situation what would you most likely do?", to the "in a maximum of 1,000 characters, tell us why you'd be suited to this role". Job seeking is boring, and hard and takes quite a lot of effort and if you aren't even willing to search for one, then you've already proved that you lack the work ethic that is demanding of any job, because there are always jobs and tasks that you need to that are basically crap but need to be done.

You need to be in charge.

Complaining about how finding a job is tricky and not bothering to go look for one because of this is NOT the way to get you a job. Waiting for something to fall into your lap is just going to waste time. I printed out a few dozen copies of my c.v and travelled to my two local towns and around my village, littering the local shops and cafe's (the only places I was old enough to work in) with my two page essay on why they should hire me. I filled in dozens upon dozens of on-line applications, emailing my c.v to a few billion managers too.

The point I'm really trying to highlight (albeit rather poorly), is that you are the one who wants the job so you are the one who needs to be proactive, taking charge of the changes you are trying to make in your life.

You need to be okay with rejection.

R-E-J-E-CTED, REJECTED. If you get that reference oh dear, or congratulations late 90's kid, but yes, being able to receive and take the bitter taste of rejection will put you in good stead for the journey that is job-hunting, plus if you are intending to go to university , you'll get to experience it on a whole new level. In one of my ,what I coined, application seasons, I must've applied to about 30 jobs and only got 2 replies, and overall probably 200+ on-line applications alone. So be prepared for the old "we regret to inform you theyou aren't suitable because reasons", with the the important concept being not to hold onto the negativity of  rejection, but going straight back to searching. With anything competition based such as applying to university,  to even a drawing competition, you'll always be up against people who are just as talented and experienced as you are.

Do some work. 

If you're just starting out at job it's vital to make some work friends in order for the harder times at work to seem less dreary and annoying, just as it is to actually put your nose to the grindstone and actually get on with your job. It'll make a good impression, particularly if you're new to the whole job thing and will ensure you have a new employer reference, which will make looking for a new job  heck of a lot easier if you want to apply to other jobs.

Being a work-bitch doesn't work. 

Particularly a passive aggressive one. It just draws unnecessary attention to yourself and gives you a bad name.Trust me, from experience this never works. If you have a problem with someone or something, just go straight to your manager, nipping it straight in the bud. However, if even the managers aren't willing to fix the problem then chances are it won't be sorted, and if this bothers you, it's time for you to get the heck out of there. Being just an outright bitch doesn't work either, as again, everybody will hear about it, and if you don't have work friends to back you up, you'll find yourself in a sticky situation.


So there you have it, a few of my work experiences/ mistakes, craftily turned into advice to help you guys get your foot in the door or on the first rung of your job ladder etc.