first job interview

jaythejester · 06-12-2023, 04:38 AM

recently I was finally allowed to start applying for jobs, and I have two interviews coming up! One is in person for Staples, and one is over the phone for Burlington. the phone interview is in the middle of the school day, so I will probably just hide in a quiet room. I've never done any kind of interview other than small ones for school newspapers, so I'm really nervous. if anyone has tips or anything I'd really appreciate it!

Auror. · 06-12-2023, 05:56 AM

job interviews are always a stressful thing. best of luck!

customer service interviews in general tend to all be pretty similar. it might be a good idea to look up questions and think about your answers in advance. if you google customer service interview questions you should find some good examples. usually things about how to handle customers good/bad, how you get along with peers good/bad, etc.. it's definitely okay to take a minute to think about your answer to questions, or ask them to rephrase or repeat the question if you need! silence may feel long and awkward but it is totally fine. if you don't know the answer, you can say something like you don't know, but if there is a specific company policy you would make sure to follow it. you may not have been in specific job type situations before, but you can always talk about other situations you have been in where similar things occurred. or worst case scenario say how you would try to handle the situation if you've never been in similar. just always try to keep it relevant to the question asked and the job as much as you can.

always a good idea to go to the specific store you are applying for in advance, have a look around, and come up with some questions of your own to ask that show you have in fact been there before. bare minimum you want to be able to ask at least one or two questions of your own. it is one way to show you are interested in the job.

it's okay to say you are nervous because it shows you want the job and you care. you also will want to ask to make sure they can work around your school schedule, especially if these aren't specifically jobs geared towards students. some states also have labor laws about the amount of hours you can work when you are under 18 and the type of work you can do. if you don't know them, you may just want to double check what they are so you can confirm that the business is also going to work within those conditions.

lastly, and I say this as someone who is also trans, do NOT out yourself. just use the name and pronouns you go by, regardless of if they are your current legal ones. yes technically most states have some job protections these days, but in an interview all bets are off. yes technically they can't discriminate but they can just decide not to hire you for literally any other reason. there's other stuff in general you should not mention in an interview - example being if they ask if you have transportation to and from the job, just say yes. don't be specific. might be a good idea to google the types of questions that are illegal to be asked in a job interview and what to do if they come up. chances are the big box employers won't do this, but in case they do you do want to be prepared for things you can say and how to circle it back to the specific job you are interviewing for instead. basically you don't want to provide a ton of personal information about yourself. you want to tell them about your ability to do the job.

not trying to say the last thing to scare you, more just because it is your first interviews you want to be prepared for the potential bad as well as the good.

hope this is not too much info to throw at you at once.

jaythejester · 07-12-2023, 03:14 PM

update, it went well I think! he said their system glitched so it didn't tell him I was coming in (luckily I printed my resume), but he made sure he had a phone number to update me on anything. there's a bit of extra paperwork for him to figure out because I'm under 18 and he's never hired under 18 before.

he said I was the only person he interviewed with decent availability (anything that isn't already taken by school or theatre or appointments) and he said he would keep me updated on things!

he said pay would start at the corporate minimum (which isn't that bad already) but that he always tries to bump it up to something more livable in my area as soon as he can. also, it would be 15-20 hrs a week, so I would be able to get by on corporate minimum if I had to, which is good for me.

Auror. · 07-12-2023, 05:01 PM

glad it went well! that said, 15-20 hours a week is a LOT when you're in school. would definitely suggest you think about whether or not you are actually capable of working that much. you also definitely need to double check the labor laws for your state to see if you even legally can work that many hours, and to double check the timing. there's usually limits to the amount of hours you can work plus the times you can also work.

also just thinking about it - you may need a work release note from your school or a work permit in general. different states do things differently so another thing to check on.

jaythejester · 07-12-2023, 06:06 PM

I have checked the laws and everything with the school, and I'm prepared to work as much as I can, I need the money pretty badly, I have like 6 months to move out of my house. if it's too much I think I can cut hours, but I'd probably pick up a second job as soon as I turn 18 anyway.

Auror. · 07-12-2023, 06:43 PM

it's good you can cut back your hours if you need. glad you double checked everything as well. money is definitely important, but so is your well being. if you're too tired or too burnt out you can very easily make yourself sick, and your school work and ability to do your job would then both suffer. hope it goes well for you.