Resume for a basic job with no relevant experience?

pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) said:

Think in terms of "I was given instructions, I carried them out by myself, the results were always good".

I show up.

"Currently doing administrative and varied business support work at a small tech startup".  
 

It's not a surprise to a business that a small tech startup doesn't have the resources to provide a steady job. If they ask, don't lie. Tell them it's your company but that you are not seeing a path moving forward that you can rely on steadily, so you are exploring options. 

So discussing the issue of listing my own business on my resume with my parents some more, the reason they think I should either remove it or try to hide my ownership of the company and pretend to be an employee looking to switch jobs is because they think employers might see it as a conflict of interest or a distraction. I don't think a conflict of interest would be an issue, it's not a tech company and the only job in a related industry I've ever applied to is the gig work I'm also doing right now. A distraction, maybe, but it's pretty clear from the company's website that the work is on weekends. Trying to hide my ownership of the company wouldn't stand up to a cursory search of a public online database of corporate registry information.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Consistent employment history still matters. As someone who spent a lot of time in hiring, it was super easy to glance at a resume rapidly and eliminate someone just because of a gap in their employment history. 
 

Your folks are right- it will be viewed as a distraction or conflict. Unless you completely close the business it will be viewed as a reason you will jump ship at the first opportunity (when it does well).  But the employment gap will be a bigger red flag (employers assume you are damaged goods and unemployable. They will assume there is a reason you can't hold a job).

I still think my above suggestion is your best approach. Don't intentionally hide it, but don't announce it either. If someone asks, answer honesty. 

SV reX said:

In reply to GameboyRMH :

 it was super easy to glance at a resume rapidly and eliminate someone just because of a gap in their employment history.

Which is probably why you did it.

Without further information it's a meaningless metric. And I can assure you, in this country for entry level positions like he's talking about it's not even a consideration

In reply to Peabody :

Correct. 
 

There were always PLENTY of resumes. There was no reason for me to consider any that had red flags (per the company guidelines). 

Why take the chance?  It's easy to fix. 
 

I'm sure your country is better than ours, but I doubt it. It's still populated by humans (and humans working for companies still make judgment calls based on stupid things like employment gaps).  Life ain't perfect. 
 

The man is trying to get hired. It's part of what happens. 

SV reX said:

In reply to Peabody :

I'm sure your country is better than ours, but I doubt it. It's still populated by humans (and humans working for companies still make judgment calls based on stupid things like employment gaps).  Life ain't perfect. 
 

The man is trying to get hired. It's part of what happens. 

I told you, it doesn't.

Better? Not sure why you would say that, then contradict yourself by saying you doubt it. I guess you're trying to make some kind of point.

There are gaps on my resumé. It's never been mentioned, and I'm definitely not entry level. It's not a thing, and certainly not for a job in a body, or tire shop.  And shops like that are still having a difficult time finding people. Things are done differently south of the border, and your job market is different. I hear U.S. companies will check your credit score as part of the application process. Is that still a thing? That's also not a thing here, and I think if you tried that with trades people, you'd get laughed it.

In reply to Peabody :

Then why do you think Gameboy is concerned about it?

You are a tradesman. Your skills are what you have to offer. Gaps don't matter if you've got the skill they are asking for.  That's not what the OP is asking about. He is asking how to make his resume attractive for a basic entry level job with no relevant skills.  What are YOUR suggestions?  How would you manage the issue of his business on his resume?
 

It wasn't a contradiction. You are coming across like the hiring process in Canada is better than the US. You've said the things you don't like don't happen there (like employment gaps and credit checks).  I'm saying I doubt it. Your companies are made up of humans too.  I could be wrong... Why don't you offer the OP some tips on how he can improve his resume to work better in Canada for an entry level job?

I've never spent any time in a machine shop.  I did spend a lot of time in companies as part of  the hiring process. 
 

Gameboy, I'm sorry you are struggling finding good employment. I wish I could offer more help. 

 I forgot.  Never mind 

I applied for another job that's not super basic but has fairly low requirements, an office admin assistant at a nearby electronics repair shop. I'm very well-qualified not just for that job but could just as easily be a repair tech at the same company too. It might be a mistake but they listed the pay as being about the same as my last tech job, for something that they list as requiring only a high school diploma and maybe a couple years of experience! I've seen repair tech jobs at similar shops that pay about minimum wage, so again, maybe a mistake.

But, would it be a good idea to go over in person to talk with them?

I did this for a couple of jobs I applied to recently, one was another mechanic's assistant job at an auto shop one town over, I asked at the front desk and they looked at me like I ordered a live octopus, they had no idea about the job that was posted. It's only a small chain but maybe corporate HQ posts the job openings and they have no idea what's happening. Another was at a shop in the same town that could best be described as a brodozer outfitter. The manager said she hadn't seen any applications recently and that they were going to regional HQ, I got her email and sent it directly. So either regional HQ decided to filter me out, or she's really good at making up stories on the spot to seem polite.

Have you tried a temp service? I use them for staffing because the onus is on them for drug screening etc. If someone is a good fit I hire them full time, if not they are out the door and I get another one. A temp service will put you somewhere.

In reply to TRoglodyte :

That's a good idea. My brother was a full time temp worker many years ago. It eventually led to his career position that lasted 20 years. 

I'm going to work every angle to fight for this electronics repair shop job, at this point I've decided I'm going to try meeting them IRL and I'm trying to decide on when.

I sent in my application late Thursday/early Friday so they had all of Friday and Monday to look at it so far, possibly the weekend if they do that sort of thing. The job was posted in early July and was originally set to expire before the end of July. I was thinking I'd at least give them 3-4 days to respond (it's a small company so if anything I should expect a quicker response with less bureaucracy) or possibly wait until the expiry date. But sometime between Saturday and just now the expiry date was extended to mid-August, so it seems they looked at my resume and decided not to call, and to find more candidates instead. So I'm thinking I should head over there basically as soon as possible at this point.

General points of the pitch will be:

1. It may not have been clear from my resume which was aimed at the posted opening, but I'm well-qualified for not only the admin assistant position but also all other work the company does and could even expand the software work the company can do.
2. They should not be worried that I'll jump ship to the next tech industry job I can get, because if they pay what's on the ad I'll have no incentive to look for one, plus there's little chance of a relatively aged rando like myself getting a tech job interview in the middle of this AI-powered job applications arms race stuffed inside history's worst wave of tech layoffs wrapped in a dystopian glut of unemployed knowledge workers (NOTE: Need to find a good way to word this )
3. They should not be worried that my own company will be a distraction, it's a small amount of weekend work and I'll be wrapping it up over the next few months anyway.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

My uninformed guess would be what you seem to be suspecting, they may think you are overqualified.  Which would mean they are either worried you will bail quickly or be entirely unsatisfied with the position.  As you are saying, address those potential worries.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

That's a good approach. 
 

I think you can edit it down to basically say "I'm here to help you make money".

When you show up, just try to be someone that they might like to work with. It matters to a small company. 

That electronics repair shop job isn't going to be easy to get, I scouted it out on a bike ride yesterday, a very small shop with no opening hours posted on the storefront. I figured there must be 2-3 people working there already based on the work they do but it looks like it would get pretty crowded with 3 people working in there. The lack of hours posted matches what I could find online, only one 3rd-party site listed its hours, showing opening and closing times that were a bit later than usual.

So today I headed to the shop just after lunch at a time they should be open according to what info I could find. It was oddly dark inside, only saw 1 woman at the counter, I asked if she was the manager. She said she wasn't, I explained that I wanted to talk to someone about the admin assistant job opening, she said that there would be no management in today and gave me the "apply online, don't call us, we'll call you" line. So I think I need to catch them when the manager is in and ideally standing in the storefront somehow. I don't think I'll get too many more tries before they get wise and I have to start wearing a Groucho Marx mask to sneak in.

Found an opening advertised that looks really good not only as a basic job but overall. Pays about the same as my last tech job, repainting/refinishing industrial components (clearly stuff I can do), fairly normal weekday hours except early opening and closing (upside: you can reach businesses with normal hours without taking a day off!), ABOVE MINIMUM LEGAL VACATION TIME

It's at a large shop nearby, I know they build trailers. I'm going to send in an application tonight, should I stop by Monday or Tuesday?

In reply to GameboyRMH :

If they're nearby I'd absolutely stop by in person.  Go for it.  Monday morning and be dressed for the work you expect to do. Good luck!

Yesterday was a holiday over here so I stopped by earlier today and...found that they're closed for 2 weeks. So it looks like they posted the job just before closing up. This also shows that the extra vacation comes with the caveat that you have no control over when at least a majority of it happens, I'll have to get details because if all the vacation time happens when the company chooses that would be a problem.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Don't assume anything.  The fact that the business is closed for two weeks shows absolutely nothing. 

Update: Went back there today, got a quick meeting with a manager. He politely told me not to get my hopes up because they're looking for someone with experience painting large structures in a paint booth with an air gun (which I figured would be part of the job).

At least it would feel better to know I'm getting turned down due to a lack of experience, rather than due to a fear that I'd quickly leave for a job in the tech industry that wants nothing to do with someone as old or unconnected as myself.

Got a slightly different one this time, a robotics field service tech job. I'm well-qualified for the software side of it, but on the hardware side they want a degree in something electrical or mechanical-related, or 3 years' experience in a relevant role. Think they might settle for me trying to play up my automotive hobby to let them know I can wrench & wire my way out of a paper bag, or would it be a lost cause?

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Always worth a try. 
 

I once got a job because I mentioned I raced a Yugo.