Okay so we’re gonna talk about how to ace the interview when you are freshly pressed.
The life of a college student is quite hectic. You get so many part-time jobs that you learn skills on the job, though it may be just working in McDonalds’ as a waiter or nearby theater as office intern but doing editorial work.
And I know that most of you all will feel very intimidated by the very thought of approaching a company with no experience in the specified profile. But I will show you how to bring out the answers to “What are you good at” and “What can you do to improve the company”
Let’s start with juggling different hats. Sometimes you are a library assistant and have to listen carefully to what that impatient caller on phone wants to know and if your library has that book or movie. You develop great listening and judgement skills solely based on tone and pitch. Tele calling might be a good fit for you.
Then you have to go around and help people out with computers and books, give them what they want as fast as possible. So, your face to face interaction with strangers and explain things in a way they understand. And every person is different. Hmmm, teaching and developing good communication skills happens here.
Another part time job cause be running errands. Like cleaning. They might look very bad on the resume, but you can stress upon how you manage multiple clients and make sure you complete the job in a way which doesn’t make your employer go all Where is my shampoo??
Another example can be working as a caregiver to senior citizens. It’s extremely taxing and could even exhaust you out. In jobs like these, you learn how to be patient to a great point and being extremely flexible to your recipient’s needs. You learn to adapt to changing situations and also think on your feet. Very crucial in all kinds of emergency situations.
Or let’s talk about a cashier. You have to count money correctly and often times handling customer’s ire. You also need to be flexible between cash, credit cards and store cards. And remind them of the discounts and do all of this quickly. That’s like the store rests on your fingers. And eyes. You must be able to think quick, fast and act faster.
Now that we are talking about managing money, let’s not ignore the fact that you also mange yourself.
You become the cashier of your own life and keep a stern check on what goes out and what comes in. You learn how to manage your finances and what money goes where at the end of the month. You learn time management skills like no other, patience and reliability in handling angry people and explaining them the solutions. You learn how to think fast on your feet and at high pressure. You learn accountability in ways you never thought of.
You feel the freedom and pride of earning your own money. You learn the importance of skills, time and effort required to earn how much ever you earned in your part time jobs.
And trust me, that’s what makes you feel whether you deserve more or how much effort does one really put in doing your job.
You will be noticing that these part time jobs are almost always soft skills. In shorts, skills which cannot be measured in terms of quantity BUT are the things which make or break any company.
And before you ever think that “Oh my classmate works cool jobs and don’t have to work much”, just ask yourself – is the hardware useful without a software?