Above all, don’t be late. Try to be at least five minutes early.
Wear something sensible and comfortable – and dress the part.
It is all right to dress up like a clown if you are applying for a job in the circus, but not for a job in an office.
A suit and a tie may make a good impression, but not necessarily the right one for a labouring job.
Relax and think of the interview as a conversation. The employer has to find out enough to decide whether to offer you the job.
You have to find out enough to accept if he offers.
Don’t leave home to find work unless you are desperate. And only do so if you have either friends or relatives to stay with. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something or there is something you want to know.
It shows you are alert and interested.
Find out something about the company beforehand. If you know the name of the interviewer – and you should – use it.
Do not smoke unless you absolutely cannot do without and then ask before you light up.
If you feel nervous (most people do) try not to let it show.
With too many people chasing too few jobs employers can afford to pick and choose.
Don’t feel too disappointed if you don’t get the first job you apply for.
Often teenagers who arrive alone in big cities to look for work just find trouble.
Finding somewhere to live at a reasonable cost is virtually impossible and it can be hard to make friends in a big city.
A survey last year on sixty young people who left their homes in the North of England to work in London showed that within six months they had all returned.
But this doesn’t mean you should consider work only in your own hometown. Decide how far you are prepared to travel and how much it will cost. Then look around within the area.
All you need to take along with you for your first job is your National Insurance card.
The first few days in a new job are always difficult. Some firms run introduction courses for new employees. They are shown round, introduced and helped generally.
Mostly, newcomers have to look after themselves.
In many firms it is almost a tradition to play jokes on new arrivals.
A favourite trick is to send you off for a piece of equipment that doesn’t exist.
When you ask for it you will be sent to another part of the firm again until you realize that a joke has been played on you.
PART III
DIRECTIONS:
3.4 CAREER-TEST
1. Which of these statements most applies to you?
I love writing letters.
I read all the time.
I read when I’m not writing.
You are helpful, intelligent, easy to talk to, objective, philosophical.
The job for you:writer, TV producer, philosopher, poet.
You are clever, imaginative, a thinker, like to be alone.
The job for you:lawyer, librarian, English teacher, interpreter, museum curator.
You are lovely, thoughtful, observant, a quick-thinker, efficient.
The job for you: journalist, editor, script writer.
2. Which of these statements most applies you?
a) People’s problems fascinate me.
b) I like helping people.
c) I enjoy solving people’s problems.
A) You are helpful, intelligent, tough, practical.
The job for you: doctor, teacher, vet, nursery nurse.
B) You are calm, optimistic, friendly, hard-working, trustworthy.
The job for you: social worker, counsellor,
C) You are patient, wise, perceptive, expressive.
The job for you: personnel officer, hypnotherapist, nanny, writer for magazine problem page.
3. Which of these statements most applies you?
a) I really love a challenging job.
b) I love to see a job right through to the end result.
c) I love to work with others.
You are clever, inquisitive, ambitious, hard-working.
The job for you: architect, customs officer, marketing, buyer, publisher, journalist.
You are creative, practical, well-organized, helpful, reliable.