[rms13]

Same here bud. After being basically jobless for a year, I'm now a Sushi chef! Not really boring or tiering at all. Plus you get to meet lots of people. The time goes by fast. I can't see myself working at a desk or doing some other repetitive laborious jobs. Pay is great compared to my last job.

I was just wondering what are the steps to become a sushi chef. Do I have to get certificates and stuff?? heelllppp

As far as I go, I don't have any of that. The managers at my restaurant are close relatives, and are teaching me how to make rolls and stuff. As far as I Know, the same goes for them. They have years of experience working at a popular Japanese restaurant here in Iowa.

[vinylswing]

after 23 years of bumming around, i finally got a job... now i just need a girlfriend...

Sounds like me. I got my first job at 22 but took a couple months after graduation to find it. The position is not what I expected but the pay is good for what I have to do.

[sasuke-kun]

Sounds like me. I got my first job at 22 but took a couple months after graduation to find it. The position is not what I expected but the pay is good for what I have to do.

im just getting an hourly job i dont even have a college degree or anything... yet...

[hosuklover]

Hello,
I have a interview soon, and I was wondering what kind of questions will i expect to get?

What kind of things can i say if they ask me why I want to work there?

[i am sam]

How many resumes did you send out after graduating college? How many companies actually replied to you and how long did it take?

[Xarthan]

1 and 1 week, but i only applied to one job.

[Xarthan]

Hello,
I have a interview soon, and I was wondering what kind of questions will i expect to get?

What kind of things can i say if they ask me why I want to work there?

Tell me about yourself?

Why do you want to work for us?

What were some of your failures?

Sucesses?

What do you hope to accomplish here?

etc...... standard stuff.

[watcher]

too many to count... just send out as much as possible. usually, response time was within a week.

[SouthernBelle82]

I was going to start this thread too so I guess great minds think a like. Did your college help you with your jobs or did you have to do everything yourself? I'm a good ways away from getting a job with my degree but it's never too early to start thinking about it.

[watcher]

I was going to start this thread too so I guess great minds think a like. Did your college help you with your jobs or did you have to do everything yourself? I'm a good ways away from getting a job with my degree but it's never too early to start thinking about it.

school helped a lot, but i eventually took a job that didn't require any help from school. still, it's nice knowing that i could leave my current job, and even consider switching fields with the help of our alumni network. (GO TROJANS )

[tontamoo]

Anyone have tips on salary negotiations?

I've been offered a promotion within my company, and it seems they really want me to accept the offer. Given so, I believe I am in a position to negotiate for a slightly better salary than what I was offered. I work in social services, so I know I'm truly limited in how much I can negotiate. They offered me 3% above the entry-level salary range for that position (but essentially they offered me entry-level pay because there was a 3% raise for everyone within the company). I was thinking of asking for 10% above (difference of 7%) or maybe 15% above entry-level. Working it out, it ranges between $2000-4000 more a year. It's not a whole lot, but it's social work. What can I expect, yeah?

[Bellatrix]

So how long did it take you to find your first real job, especially coming out of college? I don't mean the part-time jobs, I mean the job that you wanted and related to your career plans.

So it's my senior year in college, my last year before I step out into the real world and try not to trip all over myself in real life. I'm considering graduate school in the future, but I want to start on my career and figure out exactly which direction I want to head towards. Going for some advice at my university career center, the advisor there told me that it takes about 6-9 months to find a job. She subtly hinted that I'm starting things late. So now I feel like I'm really behind on my career plans and just feel lost. I'm also a double major in business management (with background in economics and accounting) and psychology. So this makes things even more broad for me in terms of choosing a career path.

Right now, I'm working part-time for a financial advisor as an assistant. On my own, I have a stock portfolio doing about 35% increase... I still have lots and lots to learn. I don't think that's much to impress employers.

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot about the jobs thread we already have here. Feel free to close this.

[watcher]

Anyone have tips on salary negotiations?

I've been offered a promotion within my company, and it seems they really want me to accept the offer. Given so, I believe I am in a position to negotiate for a slightly better salary than what I was offered. I work in social services, so I know I'm truly limited in how much I can negotiate. They offered me 3% above the entry-level salary range for that position (but essentially they offered me entry-level pay because there was a 3% raise for everyone within the company). I was thinking of asking for 10% above (difference of 7%) or maybe 15% above entry-level. Working it out, it ranges between $2000-4000 more a year. It's not a whole lot, but it's social work. What can I expect, yeah?

is this a raise, or a promotion? have you changed titles? how have your responsibilities changed? what have you done to prove to your company that you've went far and beyond what they have hired you for?

also, asking beyond 10% is really asking any company too much unless your promotion consists of both title/role change. unless you're a superstar in the company, i wouldn't expect it. 5% would be a much more reasonable argument. otherwise, you'll be asking a whole lot from your company. if possible, do some research on your companies needs and what positions they are hiring, along with their budget. perhaps you can diversify/change your role a little to meet other needs of the company while increasing your salary.

if you get too greedy and the negotiation fails... what are you going to do? if you don't have another job waiting for you, you better think about the consequences of a failed negotiation. many times, negotiations end up with damaged relationships and lack of trust in the workplace.

[watcher]

my first permanent position came about half a year after graduation. i was freelancing starting my senior year of college, and lived off of that until i found my first gig doing website development for Viacom. Nowadays, it seems students need to start getting experience as soon as they decide on their major. But as I progress through my field, and see my friends progress in their field, I think it all boils down to whether or not you can get the job done well. Opportunities will come. Just make sure you take those that come by and you should be fine. I think there are few people out in the working world that cannot move up because they never had opportunities. If you're smart and skilled enough, you'll make your way up the food chain. The opportunities are there as long as you keep trying. (and it's not a horrible thing to take up 'bad' opportunities when starting off)

[vinylswing]

Took me 9 months to get my job, thats because I started my job hunting late. My friends got there job about 3-6 months after graduation. Most companies don't expect new graduates to have a lot of experience. They are hiring based on potential and how well they can interview. Another factor is your major. It's eaiser to find a job if you have a degree in like a field such as business or medical.

[k1D3Ck]

So how long did it take you to find your first real job, especially coming out of college? I don't mean the part-time jobs, I mean the job that you wanted and related to your career plans.

So it's my senior year in college, my last year before I step out into the real world and try not to trip all over myself in real life. I'm considering graduate school in the future, but I want to start on my career and figure out exactly which direction I want to head towards. Going for some advice at my university career center, the advisor there told me that it takes about 6-9 months to find a job. She subtly hinted that I'm starting things late. So now I feel like I'm really behind on my career plans and just feel lost. I'm also a double major in business management (with background in economics and accounting) and psychology. So this makes things even more broad for me in terms of choosing a career path.

Right now, I'm working part-time for a financial advisor as an assistant. On my own, I have a stock portfolio doing about 35% increase... I still have lots and lots to learn. I don't think that's much to impress employers.

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot about the jobs thread we already have here. Feel free to close this.

I am still in school with offers pending.
I think 35% is impressive. Mind you helping me get 35% increase with my portfolio.
I think you have plenty of time. Just network, and express your experience and technical skills.

[my_love_shy]

my first real job that relates to my career? i would say a long time. just got it like last march, and i'm 22 yrs. old

[tontamoo]

is this a raise, or a promotion? have you changed titles? how have your responsibilities changed? what have you done to prove to your company that you've went far and beyond what they have hired you for?

also, asking beyond 10% is really asking any company too much unless your promotion consists of both title/role change. unless you're a superstar in the company, i wouldn't expect it. 5% would be a much more reasonable argument. otherwise, you'll be asking a whole lot from your company. if possible, do some research on your companies needs and what positions they are hiring, along with their budget. perhaps you can diversify/change your role a little to meet other needs of the company while increasing your salary.

if you get too greedy and the negotiation fails... what are you going to do? if you don't have another job waiting for you, you better think about the consequences of a failed negotiation. many times, negotiations end up with damaged relationships and lack of trust in the workplace.

I don't want to go into too much more detail just because it's the Internet and who knows who might find it. So very generally....

Yeah, it's a promotion with job title and role change. The responsibilities shift from supervising just a team to supervising all the team leaders and team members within the division directly. There are a whole slew of tasks that go along with that, 3 pages worth in the job description, which I won't list. I'd be doing a lot of administrative stuff as well like billing, scheduling, promotions, recruiting and hiring, promotions/disciplinary actions/etc.

The promotion is performance based, and I was told that the upper management have had me in mind for this position quite early on. It was a matter of moving me up step by step to see how I do in the different positions.

With all that said, I've already tried about the negotiations and it went no where. I wasn't forceful, I just asked if we would discuss the salary. Very succinctly, the company isn't in a financial position at this point to make a higher offer. Heh.... I'm really looking forward to the more regular and sane hours though.

To answer another person's question, yeah, it took me just about 9 months to find my job. Also, yes, I did start late. I wasn't too good at juggling job hunting with school. Good luck.

[SouthernBelle82]

That's definitley nice to know when I'm ready to get to that step. I'm hoping to be finished by the spring of 2009 unless I decide to go to summer school. Does anybody here do teaching? I'm thinking of teaching American government and I was wondering if there were any teachers on Soompi who could give me any advice, experiences etc.

school helped a lot, but i eventually took a job that didn't require any help from school. still, it's nice knowing that i could leave my current job, and even consider switching fields with the help of our alumni network. (GO TROJANS )

[Bellatrix]

I am still in school with offers pending.
I think 35% is impressive. Mind you helping me get 35% increase with my portfolio.
I think you have plenty of time. Just network, and express your experience and technical skills.

well, it's 35% over the course of a year and 3 months. I'm still new to this stuff, but if you'd like, I can try to help.

Did you find offers on your own or did you find it through school connections? And what is your major? If you don't mind me asking.

I guess I'm looking to have a job waiting for me by the time I graduate. Or at least make enough money so that I can live on my own until I find my job.

Best of luck to everyone graduating.