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What is with people applying for jobs?(RANT ALERT)

R

Reuben

New member
I have had a want ad posted for a while now. I really have to wonder about the inteligence of people that are out of work. I have an application form that clearly states in bold italics at the top of the page. Please answer all questions. If you do not, you will not be considered for a position.

I have 15 applications on my desk that have at least 1/2 of the questions unanswered. These questions are not hard questions and are all legal to ask on an application. There is one person that put in the space for references “References available upon request”
ummmm is that not why there is a place for references?

Another thing, what are people thinking with their email addresses? ie: 69sexy69@whatever Why would they think that was a good thing to put on an application?

Then there are the ones that list their last three jobs as week long jobs and the reason for leaving “dismissed” OK I really want to hire you 😛

The ones that really crack me up are the ones who are applying for full time evenings and list their hours of availability as 8:00AM to 4:00PM.

Call me crazy but it is no wonder these people are not working
 
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With you 100%. I have been trying to hire two decent people for months. Every application I get is kind of a joke. My apps aren’t even that elaborate, just basic stuff and people still can’t completely fill it out. If you aren’t ambitious enough to follow direction on the application, how ambitious enough will you be at the job. I understand this is not a “career” for people that apply at my shop, but it is a job that pays. If you don’t want the job bad enough, why waste my time or yours. I definitely have seen my fair share of people apply that can’t work weekends, I mean seriously?? It is a pizza shop. Some of my favorites on applications are horrible grammar, and I am not talking about incorrect spelling of chemical elements, I am talking about one z in pizza kind of stuff. Then, job history will have like 7 year wholes between jobs and none of the jobs listed are relevant to the position. For the younger applicants, it even states if no job history please list traits or skills that might qualify for this position, 9 out of 10 answers…“Great people skills and customer service”. But the worst of the worst of the worst are the online applicants. I always post on craigslist when we have an opening and despite the fact that the ad will clearly state, must apply in person, please do not email resumes. I still get them. Now I am not necessarily concerned about the lack of a formal cover letter or a properly formatted resume. Perhaps just a "Dear Hiring Manager, Dear Sir or Madam, To whom it may concern, or perhaps even a Hey A@@hole, please hire me. If I receive a resume that I can even open at all, it will usually just be the resume with an objective to obtain a job in any field, but food or pizza. As I said before, don’t waste my time or yours…That is my ranting two cents.
 
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anselmospizza:
… and I am not talking about incorrect spelling of chemical elements, I am talking about one z in pizza kind of stuff. Then, job history will have like 7 year wholes between jobs…
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:lol: :lol:

Sorry, could resist… 😃
 
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Try a nice page out of a coloring book…give them a crayon and see who can stay in the lines! 😛
 
My wife and I are in the same boat. Western NY. New York State makes it to easy to go on the system instead of working. The coloring page made me laugh. That was funny!
 
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Try it here. If you are unemployment benefits you are required to apply for so many jobs a week so these long term unemployed come in and ask if we have any jobs available (no resume etc).
When we say no they ask for our name and the business name - hey can’t you read the sign when you come in - and then ask us to sign a form stating they have applied for a job. If I’m busy I just tell them to … off but if I’m in one of my rare good moods I say sure give it to me to sign and I write on the form (may have other signatures) they only wanted a signature and weren’t really looking for work.

Dave
 
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Yes, I caught the wrong spelling of “holes” on the re-read. Thank you for your astute observation… I guess I am guilty too! But I swear I can spell pizza.
 
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Except for a three week lapse, we have had a hiring sign up since right after the holidays straight. It absolutely amazes me how people present themselves when applying for work – assuming they really are looking for work. Maybe you meet one you are interested in but its not immediately convenient for them to come down for an interview.

Problem is we are in direct competition with a government check. Unless you want to get ahead in life, what is the incentive to work entry level jobs???

Even people who would not normally go on the dole wind up there. A lot of people are loosing hours, or their jobs period, and once they start getting that government check they loose all incentive to find new work. I can’t tell you the number of people who come in looking for a job who are very qualified but haven’t worked in a few months. They have just been content getting their checks.

You should see all the “homeless” people around my place. Some of them are pretty regular customers who we are friendly with. When I run into them in the parking lot, after not see them for a few, they will say “hey boss, I get my check Friday and I’ll be in”.
 
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About a month ago, I had a high school kid come in with 0 work experience.(that’s fine, I can teach you how to assemble a pizza) He’s entering his senior year and just wants to pick up a few shifts each week. His application didn’t wow me at all because he didn’t say anything or sell himself at all. Luckily (for him), I was at the register when he came in, and had a few minutes to talk to him. I found out that he already has his food handling card and he is bi-lingual in Spanish. I just stared at him and told him, “you do realize the point of these things is to sell yourself and your skills, right?” I then told him to never fill out another application without including that he speaks fluently in two languages as it will automatically give him a leg up on everyone else who turns in an ap.

I get a lot of applications from people who just don’t take the time to put themselves in my shoes and say, “Why should I hire you?” If I have time, I try to tell the young ones how they can improve their application skills but who knows how long that will stick with them.

Oh, and 2 weeks into this kids employment, he’s doing really well.
 
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26.2MilesforPizza:
Luckily (for him), I was at the register when he came in, and had a few minutes to talk to him. I found out that he already has his food handling card and he is bi-lingual in Spanish.
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Obviously the reverse can be true as well – knows how to fill out an application but is just the opposite in person. For this reason, only a manager or myself can hand out applications and they are informally interviewed on the spot. There is nothing worse than spending a great amount of time trying to interpret applications and going through appointed interviews that would have been disqualified otherwise.
 
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Dave we have the same crap here. I have done many interviews that even end in a job offer only too have the worthless POS hand me a form and ask me too sign off on his “attempt” for employment so they may continue to get their unemployment checks. I always refuse to sign and then call the unemployment office and pass on the info about where their benefits…oh… I mean my tax dollars… are going! :x
 
If the applicants could properly answer written questions, they wouldn’t be applying to restaurants.

Restaurant employees, ARE for the most part either students or PEOPLE WHO HAVE FAILED IN ALL OTHER EMPLOYMENT SITUATIONS…not all but a great majority.

Otherwise how could you explain whey ANYONE would want to work for

little money
long hours
heat

Been in the business for 35 years, owner since 89 and there is no doubt in what I just wrote. The only difference is NOW, the same people who failed elsewhere are going to a ricky dink local “culinary school” where they are being told that they can make wages NO WHERE NEAR WHAT STARTING WAGES ARE IN THE REAL WORLD.

Help is atrocious nowadays. THATS why the illegals are here.
 
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gabagool:
If the applicants could properly answer written questions, they wouldn’t be applying to restaurants.

Restaurant employees, ARE for the most part either students or PEOPLE WHO HAVE FAILED IN ALL OTHER EMPLOYMENT SITUATIONS…not all but a great majority.
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I am talking about questions like:
  • When can you work?
    When can’t you work?
    What is your phone number?
    What position are you applying for?
 
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Reuben:
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gabagool:
If the applicants could properly answer written questions, they wouldn’t be applying to restaurants.

Restaurant employees, ARE for the most part either students or PEOPLE WHO HAVE FAILED IN ALL OTHER EMPLOYMENT SITUATIONS…not all but a great majority.
Click to expand...
I am talking about questions like:
  • When can you work?
    When can’t you work?
    What is your phone number?
    What position are you applying for?
Click to expand...
We get answers to these questions such as
Code: 
When can you work?   [i]any day except weekends, public holidays up to 5pm[/i]    -    [b]We only open from 5pm daily  !!!![/b]
When can't you work?  [i]weekends, public holidays or when I am at school or after 5pm[/i]    - [b]so that makes it anytime we are open ????[/b]
What is your phone number?  [i]haven't got one at the moment as I lost my mobile[/i]   -   [b]so there is no phone at home ???[/b]
What position are you applying for?  [i]Don't know.  What's available ??[/i]   [b]thanks Einstein but all positions filled !!![/b]
dave
 
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Teen workers are a real problem right now. Ive owned my own places since 89, and its MUCH worse than it was back then. Simply because being lazy, unproductive isn’t the stigma it was. Now its all about SELF WORTH and being too good to do certain jobs.

I opened a place once where a teen dishwasher thought that it was time to leave (it was 10:30). We had just opened and the place was still not organized. Well he just up and left. So I called him at home. He answered. He told me that it was late and he had worked enough. I told him don’t come back, he was fired and that when he died, NOONE would attend his funeral…

Well, his parents came down and decided they were gonna yell at me…like I cared less. Actually the mom did all the “talking”. How can we fire their son, he was working till 10:30 and wanted to go out with his friends…that I hired him for washing dishes and yet he told them that he was cleaning out a toilet, thats not what he signed up for…Well, I asked them…"Did he tell you WHO ELSE was cleaning toilets WITH HIM??? That person would be ME, the owner. Well, then she made comments along the lines that I think Im a big shot cause I own a restaurant, and that she was gonna call the police…CALL THE POLICE?? Go ahead, I told her, “use my phone” Im sure you know the officers by name, seeing as to what they had raised as a “son”. After she didn’t take the phone that I had in front of her face, I told them to get out, stay out and take their sorry excuse for a son with them. Im sure they bad mouthed me and the place, but I didn’t care one bit.

If that had been MY parents, and I DID what that kid did…OMG…MY BUTT would have been hurting for weeks. And thats the problem. Work ethic. Its just not there anymore. And people wonder WHY we have so many ILLEGALS in this country, working. Its NOT about paying them less, its ABOUT HAVING PEOPLE WITH WORK ETHIC. Plain and simple.
 
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this is high school kids making minimum wage basically? high school kids are extremely unreliable and i could see a high school kid willing to lose their job over going to some party on a friday night. when i went to quit my job at a pizza place, and gave the guy 2 weeks notice, he was surprised because he said most people just stop showing up.
 
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I wouldn’t worry too much about an potential employee’s application unless it is clear that the person is illiterate and/or trying to fulfill the UC benefits requirements.

When I was hiring for DP, I invited each applicant into the store for an interview (if we were hiring). The only thing I looked for on the application was that the “position applied for” matched what we needed. If “any” appeared I told the person on the phone what we had available and asked the person if that would suit their needs before inviting him or her in for the interview.

I had employees from 18 to 56 years old. As always, some were better than others. Some were scary looking, and some looked like they belonged on the cover of GQ. The point is that we cannot judge a book by its cover, nor can we judge the value of a potential employee simply by the application.
 
PPG2270:
The point is that we cannot judge a book by its cover, nor can we judge the value of a potential employee simply by the application.
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Sure we can.

Its not difficult to get a job in the food business. Walk in with clean clothes on, don’t drag your feet, smile, look people in the eye, don’t walk in with 5 of your friends and hand out while you fill out the application, speak loud and clearly, fill out the entire application, print clearly, etc. . .
 
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pizzapirate:
PPG2270:
The point is that we cannot judge a book by its cover, nor can we judge the value of a potential employee simply by the application.
Click to expand...
Sure we can.

Its not difficult to get a job in the food business. Walk in with clean clothes on, don’t drag your feet, smile, look people in the eye, don’t walk in with 5 of your friends and hand out while you fill out the application, speak loud and clearly, fill out the entire application, print clearly, etc. . .
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That just goes to show that there are other ways of eyeing a potential employee than the application itself. (If an obvious dirtball comes in and completely fills in the application with great penmanship, then what do you do?)
 
I was in a session at Pizza Expo where the difference between a resume and an application form was explained. Both of these documents have a useful purpose, the resume is the applicants chance to sell themselves and the application form is for the employer to find out specific things relevant to the position. If an applicant is only available when the shop is closed the applicant, no matter how good an employee they may be, is not who you want. When the documents are vague about the applicant, most employers will not be bothered to go any farther.

I recently hired a person who came in as a customer and saw my help wanted sign. She seemed nervous about asking for an application but presented herself very well. The next day she returned with her resume and a fully completed application form. I interviewed her right when she came in, then called her former employer in a different city as soon as I stated the purpose for the call the voice on the other end said “You would be losing out on one of the best people I have ever had if you don’t hire her.” I hired her and after her second shift my employee who has been with me the longest came to me and said the new girl is a keeper.

I have a stack of incomplete application forms that are from people who may have been good employees but they lost out to the one who followed the instructions.
 
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