What is wrong with me? I cant get a job.

       I am a 27 yr old male looking for a job.   If I only knew why I just cant seem to get a job.   I was told to apply for every job out there, why would someone do this,  ive never gone to school to be a dentist why would someone hire me to do that.  It would seem like a waste of time for the employers of all the jobs that i have no training for or experience in doing, to look at my application,  they would just through it out anyways.     Theres been times in my life where I got the job on the spot, it was so easy that i couldnt believe it.   I feel that because im shy, have long hair, and dont dress flashy, and I dont really know how to handle myself in a job interview like most people, that im looked at like im some person who doesnt really care about the job.      

 

     I did go to one job where it sounded promising,   It was for a vacume sales man that would go door to door.  Sounds good, but the add seemed miss leading to me, i thought they need people to assemble the vaccums as well as sales man, but it was all roled into one.   I am no person to be going door to door trying to sell a vacum cleaner.    I am certainly not able to talk up a storm and try and get someone to buy this.

 

       I am Concerned about my very well being at this moment.  If I cant find a job,  What do I do?  where do  I go?   Do I go back to Yellowstone National  Park?   I dont want to do that for personel reasons.

Permalink
tags: Jobs + add tags
savecancel
posted on Fri, Feb 12, 2010 04:30 PM
last updated on Fri, Feb 12, 2010 04:30 PM
CommentsRSS Feed
Want to leave a comment? Log In to your account
first things first byindependent5 months ago (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
You should cut your hair. I know you probably love your long locks, but let's be real. It's a very tough job market out there. Lots of competition. Prospective employers always judge a book by its cover. And since we're being real, most employers look at a 27yr old with long hair and not much experience as a slacker, who doesn't really take himself seriously. (Before you get offended, i have nothing against long hair, i used to have it myself.) But it's time for a reality check. Very few jobs. Lots of applicants. You have to make yourself desirable to the employers. They have to pick you out of many (sometimes hundreds) of applicants. What do you mean by "don't dress flashy"? You don't have to wear a thousand dollar suit, but torn jeans and a t-shirt probably isn't the best route either. Wear some decent pants and a button up shirt. Shave.
Have some confidence. You have to go into an interview (or even just to drop off an application) acting like you are the one they NEED to hire.
Times are definitely tough for the unemployed, but there are jobs out there. Even a dishwashing job would help to get a little bit of money coming in until something better comes along. It will also help your resume if a future employer sees that you were willing to do whatever it took to have a job, even one that sucks. That shows personal responsibility, which employers love.
None of these things will guarantee that you will get a job, but they certainly won't hurt. If all else fails, you may indeed need to relocate to a better job market until you can find something local. Good luck.
RE: first things first byEd.5 months ago (1 votes) (report abuse)
Outstanding advice, Indy. While hair and clothes may not say anything about what kind of a worker or employee you will be, they say a lot about what kind of an impression you want to make. Whatever you are doing, you are representing your employer...he/she will be seeing the name of their business on your back when they are considering hiring you.
Not so many jobs out there bycwrite5 months ago (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Your spelling and grammar are not
up to snuff. Why is that?
This is noticed by an
employer, especially if it
matters to the business.
It often does. Some jobs
it doesn't.
RE: Not so many jobs out there bysproutslilsis5 months ago (2 votes) (report abuse)
CWRITE - I have to agree with you! Saw this post last night and it took all of my strength not to comment on the OBVIOUS spelling/grammar problem! It's called spell-check and every computer has it! Thank you.
do a little R and D bybozemantalker5 months ago (5 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I always try to get some information about the company to which I am applying and mention it in the cover letter or interview, if I get that far. It also give an opportunity to be specific about the areas of the business that you can benefit.

Some of the time this practice has landed me the job. But every time the interviewer has complimented me on doing a little research to see what I am getting myself into rather than blindly applying everywhere. And even if I didn't get the job, the compliments build confidence for the next interview.

Agreed on cutting your hair. I love long hair too but perception is that you are a stoner slacker. Sucks but it's true.

One more point, have someone read over your resume. It's easy to miss your own mistakes.

Don't get discouraged, friend! Tough times out there. Just be glad you're not 55 and trying to find a job.
re: bycowgirlmedic5 months ago (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Everyone here has given you some great advice. I agree with everything. Don't become a "spell check baby" and assume everything is correct on your resume. Have someone look over your resume, cover sheets and follow up letters...most of the time, the resume is the first impression employers get (especially if you're just dropping it off and not handing it to a manager directly). The job service center has people who specialize in this and will be more than happy to help you. Don't cut yourself short, something will pan out. It's a really rough job market out there. Even those dish washing jobs are hard to come by. Also, take a peek at this website. It has a lot of great information. http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/
to the point bycreel5 months ago (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
There's no beating about here......cut your hair, buy some neat casual clothes and do a refresher course in english!
It is tough out there and you've go to get your act together to have any chance of being hired.
No good pussy footing around or treating you with gloved hands here.........take all the good advise given above and you might have a good chance of landing a job, oh, and don't be too fussy about the kind of work you may be offered, take it!
Getting a job, longhair byArt5 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
On your hair. When you indicated you couldn't get a job you stated some potential barriers and you seem to think long hair is one of them. I really don't know if it's a barrier but if you perceive it as an issue it's probably affecting your confidence. So maybe for that reason you should consider a cut.
I don't think a failure to dress flashy should hurt you. And if you are shy there's not much you can do about it except be comfortable in your skin with that and maybe even mention that at the interview. Shy people can be good hires in the eyes of employers. On interviewing skills, the Job Service can help with that a lot. And in fact they can help with a lot of employability issues. Good luck. It's an employer's market out there right now.
Don't want to sound like an old geezer... byalamator5 months ago (1 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
but...

The hair is a turn off for employers, as well as face piercings and overtly conspicuous tattoos. Do you sport any of these?

Confidence, along with looking a man/woman in the eye while you shake their hand is key motivator to getting hired.

You don't have to know everything, how could you? You're only 27.! Doors open if you knock on them enough and in an appropriate manner.

What did you do for work in Yellowstone? There is no shame doing any kind of work...IMHO....just as long as you WORK.

Chin up and good luck young man!
I hope that you're kidding... byMontana0075 months ago (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
It sounds like you are literally sabotaging your future. You don't need to have perfect hair, perfect grammar, perfect language, perfect clothing, the perfect resume, or anything that is "perfect" to be a good candidate for a job that you'd like to land. No one is the perfect candidate because they are perfectly qualified, looking, or acting. However, if you intentionally put yourself into the bottom of every single category being reviewed you shouldn't expect much response.

Long hair is fine for some jobs, but there is no job that I know of that will find short hair a reason to be skeptical of a person's hygiene, motivation, or lifestyle. Long hair doesn't mean that you don't take care of yourself, but short hair says that you are aware of social norms and expectations. If you are going to dig your heels in and fight the system over something silly like hair length, you'd better have a resume and experience that blow everyone else out of the water. Even then you may find that combination is a turn off to an employer because it may represent an attitude that could cause issues and may make an employer skeptical that you can meld with existing employees in a system that they're using to operate the business. The employer may feel that the "society just doesn't understand my long hair" attitude may be coupled with a "employers don't understand how smart I am they are doing everything wrong" attitude.

Work experience isn't the only reason that people get hired. People get hired because of their desire to gain experience and do the best work for themselves and their employer. They get hired because the people interviewing them get a good feeling about them and feel happy about giving them an opportunity to achieve something that they can help provide.

I'm not sure what you mean when you talk about not wearing "flashy" clothing, but if that means wearing old, ratty, dirty clothing then you should understand that may be a problem. You don't have to be wearing a three-piece suit or look like James Bond to make a good impression. However, if you show up to an interview looking like Cheech, Chong, Kurt Cobain, or a homeless guy you shouldn't expect a job. You're more likely to get a pamphlet that directs you to charities and government services.

You don't have to be able to sell vacuums, but you do need to be able to sell yourself or find a potential employer that can see beyond the long hair, poor grammar, inexperience, potentially inappropriate clothing, lack of self-confidence, and poor interviewing skills. Each of these things by itself is probably not going to be a glaring reason to not be hired, but you are virtually sabotaging yourself by presenting yourself in a manner that reveals all of your shortcomings.

The reason I feel comfortable being very critical of you and your situation is that it is something that you've created, are using as an excuse, and can change nearly instantaneously. Cutting your hair and dressing appropriately can be done in a few hours and doesn't have to be costly. The next changes take a little more effort, but get easier and easier as time goes on.

Begin proof-reading what you write and have others take a look at what you are trying to do. If you write a resume like you wrote on here don't expect an interview. There isn't an excuse for misspellings in a resume. I wouldn't worry about it when posting on Bozeman Talks, but given the content of your post you should expect criticism regarding grammar and proper english.

You may always be shy and have low self esteem, but that isn't something that will prevent you from getting a job. Though I suspect that you'll find that you aren't really as shy as you think after you start getting a positive response in your job hunting.

Making those changes will put you in a position to begin to get the experience that you need to achieve more in a career. You are 27 and should be well on your way to getting some type of career path or goals in life. Best of luck and you can always try these things and see how it works even if you don't agree. You can always grow your hair out again, dress down, and speak inefectually if you don't think that the changes are doing any good.
First impressions and the lasting ones. byLiberal Doses5 months ago (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Dude,

All the above is good advice.

The look you bear is at least 40 years old! Can you imagine a person dressed as a pilgrim applying for work?

Take a personal inventory of yourself. Consider your educational background and experience. What are your interests? What do you know the most about? What are your greatest motivators? If you target those jobs which more closely align with these factors then you will stand a better chance of being hired.

In the mean time, while you are unemployed look for things you can do voluntarily. No job search, especially in this town requires a full eight hours a day to do. If you volunteer then at least you are showing that you are being productive no matter the circumstance. In addition, you may acquire knowledge, experience and skills that are new to you and transferable to another occupation. Occasionally, volunteer jobs can develop into a paid position. For example when a paid person in the organization quits you might have the opportunity to take their place provided that you have learned all you can, not only about the job you're doing but the jobs the others around you are doing. Do not be afraid to ask questions, offer help or take on extra tasks for no additional pay. There is a value to doing something regardless of the pay.

Educate yourself. Read all that you can. There is an ample amount of material that one can get their hands on for free to help them learn most anything.

I had a friend who was pursuing a 2 year degree in becoming a paralegal. I asked him where he worked. He said that he didn't. I told him to go ask for work at a legal firm. Tell them what you are studying. I told him if you have to, tell them you are willing to do anything and do it for free.

He found a law firm that was willing to intern him. He started out doing photocopying and filing. But he learned all he could. After he graduated, the law firm hired him as a paralegal. Two years following that he called me and told me that the law firm saw great promise in him and said they were going to pay the entire cost for him to attend law school! He is now an attorney with paralegals working for him.

Never discount the potential benefits and outcomes that can come from being active in the workplace even if you are volunteering or interning. If you think you are working hard, work harder. Good humor and a great attitude will take you very far. Good luck!

Peace
RE: First impressions and the lasting ones. byK-Bell5 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse)
Kay...if you take the advise this guy identified...you are bound to get a job...and feel better about yourself by making yourself useful in the mean time.

Your self confidence is the difference between the potential employer selecting you over the next guy.
Just a Question for Anyone in the Know . . . byAlphaBeagle5 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
This person sounds like he needs help from someone before he even starts to look for a job! Career Transitions helps women who are displaced homemakers, or are older and maybe have never held a job, to gain training and skills, including interviewing skills. Does anyone know if they will do the same for men? Or is there someplace men can go? The only other thing I might suggest is to go to the Job Service, be frank with them and tell them exactly what you've said here, and that you'd like some help with how to dress appropriately and handle interviews. I think they used to have classes in this sort of thing - don't know if they do now or not. Your shyness absolutely has to be overcome, or you will be run over by more assertive people who are also out there looking for work. The bottom line is that you need help and training in social and job skills.
CT byArt5 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Just FYI, AB. Career Transitions used to be called Women in Transition (or close to that), and they changed their name so as not to exclude men. I do think that most of the people they work with are women, but it's not an exclusive organization.