Daily Archive

When I was a hiring manager, one of the funniest things I would see was young people coming to fill out applications for work. I couldn’t believe that nobody would teach them better.

Now, I don’t want to sound like some nattering old man, but here’s a little advice if you decide to join the working class.

1. Dress to impress. When I say this, I mean impress the manager, not impress your other friends who have the same fashion sense that you have.
2. If you refuse to cut your hair, at least make sure it is combed, and that you are otherwise appropriately groomed.
3. Mr. T. never came to apply for a job with my company, but several of his disciples have. Limit your jewelry so that it is unobtrusive, and if you have any potentially offensive stuff, don’t bring it to pick up an application (ie: Don’t wear your marijuana belt-buckle to my office). I don’t care how you dress normally, I’m only concerned with the time you have to be in my general presence.
4. Bring two pens. Both black or blue ink (not gel, not crayon, not anything else).

Overall, if you look at yourself in the mirror, and you can identify which clique you belong to at school based on how you look, that is a bad thing. You shouldn’t be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “Slacker”, or “Emo”, or anything else, but person. The working world is all about conforming. If you need further motivation, consider how much more stuff you can buy that will annoy “The Man” if you had a job.