A young adult looking for a job

[adrian]

I don't know where else to put this, so I just post it here.

I want to work part time and go to school. Problem is, that there's too few Hawaii based career search sites.

I know a lot about computers (mostly windows-based stuff, but learning Linux and know some Mac stuff) and is willing to work with hardware and software.

Unfortunately, I don't have reliable transportation, so I take TheBus everywhere I go.

Here's my resume, and if you have any questions about me, just email me.

Sorry if this board isn't made to be a help wanted board, but I'm desperate for a job, and I want it to be within the IT field.

[easTTriver]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

adri,

you need to improve your resume. your current resume is basic and not very appealing to employers, IMO. i am not an employer, but i was doing some serious job hunting a few years ago and completely overhauled my resume. just remember this, if an employer likes your resume then you look good on paper. if you look good on paper, then they will call you in for an interview.

[adrian]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

adri,

you need to improve your resume. your current resume is basic and not very appealing to employers, IMO. i am not an employer, but i was doing some serious job hunting a few years ago and completely overhauled my resume. just remember this, if an employer likes your resume then you look good on paper. if you look good on paper, then they will call you in for an interview.

What could I improve upon? and any tips?

[easTTriver]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

What could I improve upon? and any tips?

disclaimer: i am not a resume expert.

education part doesn't need the high school stuff. under education. you can list relevant coursework that you took such as web technology, linux, database, etc.

you need to improve your volunteer section. don't just list employer and date. highlight your experience & skills learned/refined at each stop.

delete the references section. you don't find that section in resumes nowadays.

probably the best thing is to check monster.com and read their resume section.

[adrian]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

I edited my resume based on what easTTriver said.

Take a look here

[Miulang]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

I edited my resume based on what easTTriver said.

Take a look here

Hui Adrian:
This looks much much better! Still, though, I think you need to let potential employers know that you know all the MS suite of products (if you do) and are learning Linux, unless all you really want to do is put together and pull apart PCs, for which you won't get as much money.

If I were interviewing you, I would ask you what you think your strengths and weaknesses are. And if you tell me you have weaknesses, how you think you could overcome those (I'm trying to prepare you for your interview! )

And then I would ask you what you "really" want to be after you've put in your time as a tech. If you told me you had a definite goal (beyond being a PC repair person) and that you were looking around for ways to achieve that goal, that would merit additional consideration from me.

Then I would throw a hypothetical problem at you: say a customer walked in with a "broken" computer. They didn't know what the problem was, only that when they hit the power button, the screen was blank. What steps would you take to diagnose the problem? What would you tell your customer? One of the things that employers look for is people who know how to handle other people, especially if they get all huhu. In business schools and in the business world, we have a buzzword for this: "Customer relationship management"--how you handle your customer will determine whether that person ever does business with your company again and if they tell their friends about the company. And all it takes is one huhu customer to tell 5 of his friends about his pilau experience and before you know it, no moa business!

Above all, like EasTriver says, you gotta make yourself stand out when you're applying for a job. Most potential employers have hundreds of resumes to scan. You can be creative with what you put in your resume, as long as it's the truth (nowadays, because there's so much competition, a lot of potential employers DO check on what you put down, including references!)

Does Heald also have classes in how to write resumes, or can you go ask a counselor there for some additional assistance? You're soooo close to having a good resume!

Malama pono.
Miulang

P.S. If you like know how much you can expect foa make as one computer tech in Hawaii, go to dis link:http://www.payscale.com. What I wen go find out is dat da median (50% make more, 50% make less) for one computer tech is $40,000. If you become one network administrator, da median go up by $10,000 a year!

[adrian]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

Hui Adrian:
This looks much much better! Still, though, I think you need to let potential employers know that you know all the MS suite of products (if you do) and are learning Linux, unless all you really want to do is put together and pull apart PCs, for which you won't get as much money.

If I were interviewing you, I would ask you what you think your strengths and weaknesses are. And if you tell me you have weaknesses, how you think you could overcome those (I'm trying to prepare you for your interview! )

And then I would ask you what you "really" want to be after you've put in your time as a tech. If you told me you had a definite goal (beyond being a PC repair person) and that you were looking around for ways to achieve that goal, that would merit additional consideration from me.

Then I would throw a hypothetical problem at you: say a customer walked in with a "broken" computer. They didn't know what the problem was, only that when they hit the power button, the screen was blank. What steps would you take to diagnose the problem? What would you tell your customer? One of the things that employers look for is people who know how to handle other people, especially if they get all huhu. In business schools and in the business world, we have a buzzword for this: "Customer relationship management"--how you handle your customer will determine whether that person ever does business with your company again and if they tell their friends about the company. And all it takes is one huhu customer to tell 5 of his friends about his pilau experience and before you know it, no moa business!

Above all, like EasTriver says, you gotta make yourself stand out when you're applying for a job. Most potential employers have hundreds of resumes to scan. You can be creative with what you put in your resume, as long as it's the truth (nowadays, because there's so much competition, a lot of potential employers DO check on what you put down, including references!)

Does Heald also have classes in how to write resumes, or can you go ask a counselor there for some additional assistance? You're soooo close to having a good resume!

Malama pono.
Miulang

1) Heald offers the resume writing classes towards the end of your program (probably in the 5th or 6th quarter), and since I'm in my 3rd quarter, its a long way off.

2) As for your mock scenerio, I'd ask the customer what kind of computer it is, his/her specifications (if they know it) (the Operating System (OS), processor type, amount of memory, kinds of optical drives (CD, DVD, etc) any periphrial cards, modem type, sound card type, etc), when did the problem happen, was there any physical problems (screen going black before the computer turned off, any noises from the computer, other "out of the norm" things that has to be mentioned, etc) then I'd test it to see if it works (if it does, then I'd suggest to check the connections to the computer and power). If it doesn't, then I'd open it up, and check the wiring and power connections, making sure that everything is connected, then power it up again. Then I'd systematically see if I can boot it by removing all unneccessary components (sound card, modem/NIC, firewire/USB ports, using the onboard sound/graphics if possible). Then I'd use my own components on the ones I think are faulty (replace the graphics card with my own working card, and boot, and repeat). If everything checks out, then I'd boot from a bootdisk I have, and see if that works. If so, then I'll figure out the problem via the bootdisk in DOS, and if possible, rescure the data or get the OS up and running before I have to reformat (if it comes to that).

Of course, it'll vary if the customer calls me to his/her workplace/home or if they carry it into the store/shop.

But if they ask a stupid question (to my standard), such as "Where does the keyboard go?" or "Do I need to spend $3000 to get a good computer that will let me word process and surf the internet?", I'll keep my cool, and politely tell them the correct answers, and gladly help them in their search.

It depends on who's interviewing me, what they're skill level to mine is, and other factors.

[Miulang]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

1) Heald offers the resume writing classes towards the end of your program (probably in the 5th or 6th quarter), and since I'm in my 3rd quarter, its a long way off.

2) As for your mock scenerio, I'd ask the customer what kind of computer it is, his/her specifications (if they know it) (the Operating System (OS), processor type, amount of memory, kinds of optical drives (CD, DVD, etc) any periphrial cards, modem type, sound card type, etc), when did the problem happen, was there any physical problems (screen going black before the computer turned off, any noises from the computer, other "out of the norm" things that has to be mentioned, etc) then I'd test it to see if it works (if it does, then I'd suggest to check the connections to the computer and power). If it doesn't, then I'd open it up, and check the wiring and power connections, making sure that everything is connected, then power it up again. Then I'd systematically see if I can boot it by removing all unneccessary components (sound card, modem/NIC, firewire/USB ports, using the onboard sound/graphics if possible). Then I'd use my own components on the ones I think are faulty (replace the graphics card with my own working card, and boot, and repeat). If everything checks out, then I'd boot from a bootdisk I have, and see if that works. If so, then I'll figure out the problem via the bootdisk in DOS, and if possible, rescure the data or get the OS up and running before I have to reformat (if it comes to that).

Of course, it'll vary if the customer calls me to his/her workplace/home or if they carry it into the store/shop.

But if they ask a stupid question (to my standard), such as "Where does the keyboard go?" or "Do I need to spend $3000 to get a good computer that will let me word process and surf the internet?", I'll keep my cool, and politely tell them the correct answers, and gladly help them in their search.

It depends on who's interviewing me, what they're skill level to mine is, and other factors.

You definitely get one good coconut on top your shoulders, anden! I wen go edit my odda post wit some salary info. Go play wit da link. Your makas going really open up when you see how much more kala you can go make for some other jobs that maybe only require little bit more school!

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

Hui Adrian:
I just went to the Heald College-Honolulu website and discovered that they had all kinds of job-related events earlier this spring. I think you have to wait until next April before the recruiters come back on campus. The list of potential employers is pretty impressive (I even see Intel listed). So maybe you have to just study really hard and wait until the spring.

They had a resume writing workshop this past May and it said it was open to all students. Is this the one you were referring to?

And I don't know if you already went through Heald to try to get a part time job:

"Currently Enrolled Student

If you are a current student who would like part-time job placement assistance, please Sign In and submit the following attachment(s) in MS Word format:
Resume

If you are graduating this quarter, please ALSO include the following:
Cover letter
Thank you letter
Reference sheet

If you have forgotten your login information, please contact your local IT department. "

I used Work=Study jobs to get through both my undergraduate and graduate degree programs. There's lots of federal money and grants around (the kind you don't have to pay back). You just have to go ask about them. If you don't, then somebody else will benefit.

Miulang

[easTTriver]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

i thought you said that you are working as a computer tech right now?

oops nevermind, my bad

[adrian]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

i thought you said that you are working as a computer tech right now?

oops nevermind, my bad

I want to work as one, but I'm currently going to school to become one. I got the skills, but I just need to get certified and learn all of these technical stuff to learn how to fix more than the windows based computers.

[adrian]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

I updated my resume and included a few more skills.

The blacked out parts says Waipahu (I'm posting it on other sites, so I don't want anyone to know my location until its appropriate)


And to keep you updated on my job search, I almost had another interview, but when I saw the requirement file an employeer emailed me, it said that I had to have a license and a car (which I don't have).

[Miulang]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

Adrian: for your job objective, you should say what kind of job you are seeking. And change that objective depending on the job you're applying for.

Just a tip because I'm in the process of updating my resume, too, and I have the help of a professional career counselor. Why don't you want people to know what high school you graduated from, or the church where you volunteered?

Miulang

[adrian]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

Why don't you want people to know what high school you graduated from, or the church where you volunteered?

Miulang

I'm posting this on a few non-Hawaii websites to get it reviewed, so I blacked out the words Waipahu so that no one else would know outside of HawaiiThreads (but whoever knows where I live on the other forums, then I also have my ways of tracking them)

[808_m3]

Re: A young adult looking for a job

You might want to think about getting at least your driver's license. Since you are considering entering the computer technical field, you may find yourself having to visit clients in other towns.

Otherwise, I think you may be limiting your job options. You could apply for a PC computer tech fixing boxes all day, but it may not be as challenging as visiting clients. Also, I would think computer consulting establishments love client visits, since they can charge a lot of money.