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Job Placement > VBTC Job Seeking Guide > Job Application > Stumbling BlocksMost applications ask if you have any friends or relatives who work for the company. Choose your friends carefully. If your friend is a hard worker, mention his or her name. The manager will assume that you, like your friend, are a hard worker; however, if your friend is lazy, don't mention his or her name--the manager will assume that you, like your friend, are lazy and looking for a cushy job. In some states it's illegal to ask about your convictions or arrests. However, most employers are willing to give ex-offenders a new chance. If there is a ghost in your past, insist on discussing it rather than writing about it. In the space where is asks about your convictions, write, "Please see me." Later, during the interview, you can explain what happened, what you have learned from it, and how you have tried to make amends for your mistake. If you have no formal work history, don't panic. There are over a million people looking for their very first job, too. In the Work History section of the application, list any job shadowing, production jobs during your training, or volunteer work you have had--anything to show that you know what's expected in the workplace. Employers will contact your references. Don't let the employer catch your reference off guard. You may end up getting only a mediocre recommendation because your reference had to stop and try to remember whom you were and what you did. Ask for permission to list them as a reference and they will be prepared for the call. Select people who will be complimentary about you, and never use relatives! Suppose you know for certain that your current boss, or your old boss, won't give you a decent recommendation. What should you do? On the job application, don't give the boss's name. Instead, give the name of someone else in the chain-of-command that would give you an impartial recommendation. This might be your boss's boss, another manager, or a supervisor who is familiar with your work. Be sure to get permission to offer his or her name. When the application asks what salary you expect, write "Open." If you specify a dollar amount, you may price yourself out of the job if it's too high. For each of your former employers, you will be asked to give the wages you earned. Tell the truth. Don't exaggerate. |
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