20, unemployed, feel worthless.

[LinkTheCosplayer]

I honestly need some words of guidance/wisdom right now im 20 years old and for the past year and a half i have been applying for so many jobs and have only managed to hear back from 2 people which i failed at interviews with. Alot of places wont hire me because i have no retail experience and all i really need is a chance. This is starting to make me really stressed out, depressed and even ruins my self worth as a young adult whos supposed to be independent by now but still relays on mum and dad for pocket money which i hate so much because i feel like a leech or free loader off them hence why i don't ask for alot of money and as a result i cant really do things i enjoy or do on many dates with the person im seeing right now.

any body else in similar position or have been?
I just want advice..i almost feel like posting my resume up on a wall in the city for people to take lol agh but really this is getting to me.

[blondguy]

Hello Link

Welcome to the forums and good on you for posting!

You are a pro-active person by having the courage to reach out ....Excellent

The biggest issue I can see here (please correct me if I am wrong) is that the big retailers want casuals at a young age not an adult. I find it difficult to understand how these companies can knock back a person like yourself. Your attitude is excellent and you are an intelligent and well spoken person too

I am an ex relieving manager for one of the two biggest supermarket chains in Oz. Can I ask you if you have been applying for anything specific in retail? Food or fashion or a chain like Bunnings?

Your biggest hurdle right now is the HR department.....they will really make your search difficult.

Grab a clipboard with a few basic A4's and be relentless (yet polite of course) and walk into these branches and ask for the store manager. I dont know what you are applying for but if its supermarkets and you can grab the boss, he/she may be willing to fast track you to a job thus avoiding Human Resources.

I know it sounds like a pain Link, but this will work as these store managers will be mega impressed that you have come in and offered your enthusiasm to work for them.

Just a little tip....HR or managers dont like reading a lot so if possible try to keep your resume at one page..or two maximum...One A4 is perfect....

Anyhow, you have a great attitude by posting on here...that takes courage....Use the same no nonsense approach with these retailers....Phone calls.....Face to face asking for a job. You will be respected as you havent just applied by email and waited.

Ive had over 30 years in business....You do have a lot to offer Link......Be different and make some noise 🙂

If you have any questions please feel free to ask....there are many other people here on the forums that can be here for you too 🙂

My Best

Paul

[blondguy]

Hi Link

Sorry to double post you....I did miss something important..

There is nothing worthless about you. I think you are an incredibly strong person

I hope your Friday is good to you

Best. Paul

[h12]

Hey Link! I'm 22 and completely understand the situation you're in!

In my case, I didn't apply for any job until I was 20 like yourself because of extreme anxiety. You've said your search is making you depressed - totally understandable - but can I ask did you have mental health issues even before you started to apply for jobs? It took me many many months - I don't even want to remember how many! - until I got a reply from all the applications I was putting in, and yeah they were mainly for retail jobs. What was really crazy was that I was so close to giving up hope completely and then bam - within the space of one week I got 3 replies! You just never know how suddenly your fortunes can change Link. I've been through a lot of messed up stuff and I still like to keep that in mind.

Some tips from me/questions: It matters so much exactly what type of job/store you are applying to. The mega stores like the big supermarkets etc. do only tend to want to take on younger people to start (stupid I know), or more specifically I'd say businesses that don't really have too much of a specific focus in terms of the staff needing specialised knowledge (big clothes stores, supermarkets, fast food places) will tend to go for the younger staff.

Essentially as an 'older' guy I had better luck with smaller stores, including family businesses, and stores/jobs that had a bit more of a focus. I enjoy gardening so I applied for a job in a nursery business (and made my interest and enthusiasm for the gardening/plants clear in my cover letter. No I didn't have prior job experience but if you show you're enthusiastic in your writing that's a great step). What about getting a small qualification like doing a barista course, then applying for a barista job in a small, local cafe? Is it food related stuff you want, clothes, anything else or anything at all? Sometimes a small business puts a lot of value on mature, reliable staff in contrast to a massive store that seems for some reason to preference having a high turnover of teenagers.

Also, you have to make sure your cover letters and resume are perfectly formatted etc and your letters put forward your best qualities (enthusiastic, reliable, organised) without you actually saying you're desperate for a job etc.

Last but definitely not least: what about volunteering in a retail setting (pp shops are always my pick!!) even for a couple of months - that way you'll have undeniable, legit retail experience to put down/talk about!

[LinkTheCosplayer]

appreciate your response, reason im applying for jobs so much now is yes i had sever social anxiety up till my 19th birthday, it literally crippled me but iv come far and gotten much stronger now. and to answer your questions i been applying for mostly those big super stores around my area online like kmart, target and super markets. because its all done online its hell competitive, but also applied to work at gaming stores and comic book stores as im pretty passionate about those things but im yet to be blessed with a spell of good fortune..prehaps il take your advice and attach a cover letter to them next wave of resumes i put out. and hell i might even do some volinteer work while im waiting.

thankyou so much for your response i really appreciate it 🙂