Anyone quit jobs as much as I have?

[warpaint]

sorry just need to rant... i'm 20 and i graduated high school 2 years ago. since then i've been living with my boyfriend and just working. i havent ruled out school but i rather be certain of what id like to pursue instead of wasting money on something i think i'll be interested in.

i worked at my boyfriend's family's restaurant since i graduated high school, up until a maybe 4-5 months ago when it went out of business. at their restaurant, i had the hours i need and the job overall wasn't bad. ever since they closed, i've been through about 4-5 jobs, and only lasted a little over the month at most of them. the common problem was not being given the hours i was promised (i always ask for f/t, 30 hrs or so), i always ended up with 16-18 hrs a week. and it's really frustrating to be scheduled for many days, but only 3 hours per shift. its a waste of money for commute. other problems with some of those jobs was the fact that some were paying under the table (and below min wage, plus they would be late on pay), really rude and impatient bosses who berated me for things i wasnt properly trained for. i kinda had high hopes for my current job because most of my coworkers are around the same age and they're easy to get along with. or so i thought... ive noticed that my coworkers even my manager steals tips or $ from the till for bus fare or whatever. it's so corrupt there. my manager doesnt care about much and again, despite ahving been promised 30 hrs from day 1, ive only been working 18 hrs max. i already want to quit this place, but i don't know if i should. i'm just really frustrated with these jobs... i feel like businesses are keeping their staff only at part time which makes them more expendable. yet they all want you to have no commitments or another job? people tell me to find a second job but it never works out because employers never like the fact that i'm working at another place.

 

[miscbrahh]

I think it really depends on the kind of jobs you're applying for
Restaurants hardly ever give out full time hours unless you're on prep / line cook

Try finding something a little bit more steady, like office work? Those are more along the lines of 9-to-5... instead of the usual fri-sat-sun night shifts that restuarants would like you to be available for.

If you are applying for a position that is full-time, I wouldn't tell them during the interview that you're working at another job. I know it's a bit of a jerk move to bail on your part-time employer, but you have to look out for yourself. They've dealt with people quitting on the spot, and they'll have to deal with it again. It's all part of the industry.

Also, Starbucks (in Canada) gives you the opportunity to pick up shifts at other locations, once you're trained up to a certain standard. I know someone who's technically part-time at their normal location, but always ends up picking up other peoples' shifts at nearby locations... basically ends up working 32-40 hours / week. It's probably not a place where you want to work at forever, but it'll do until you figure out what you want to do with your life. You also get a 1lb bag of coffee to take home per week! Pretty sure you get unlimited coffee while working too.

 

[Pretty_Diamonds]

You can either keep doing what you're doing or suck it up. The people who get the hours are the ones willing to work for it. Why would they give you hours when they just hired? You obviously need to prove yourself first. Quitting and your 1 month jobs don't make you look very well. I've been working at a place for 6 months and guess how many hours I work? 8 hours. How many days? 4 days a week. So yes, I work 2 hour shifts. Now, GUESS HOW LONG IT TAKES ME TO GET TO WORK. 2 hours round trip.

 

[miscbrahh]

^ lol wtf unless this job looks good on your resume, or has really really really high potential, i'd ditch that asap. < once i found another job. no offense

I bet gas or bus $ takes up like 1/4 of your pay

 

[Pretty_Diamonds]

It looks good on my resume. I'm trying to build my "career".

The point is, you have to suck it up longer than 1 month. You can't put those jobs down as references...

 

[miscbrahh]

then that's fine. lousy hours but hopefully you can get more soon.

oh yeah OP keep checking craigslist for jobs. stick it out at your current job until you can get another part time one to go along with it / get more hours / find a different full-time job entirely

 

[warpaint]

You can either keep doing what you're doing or suck it up. The people who get the hours are the ones willing to work for it. Why would they give you hours when they just hired? You obviously need to prove yourself first. Quitting and your 1 month jobs don't make you look very well. I've been working at a place for 6 months and guess how many hours I work? 8 hours. How many days? 4 days a week. So yes, I work 2 hour shifts. Now, GUESS HOW LONG IT TAKES ME TO GET TO WORK. 2 hours round trip.

i wish that were true... i spoke with my manager recently and he told me i wouldnt get full time because "other staff need hours too". like why tell me in the first place that a full time position is available? honestly, i look at the schedule sometimes and think about how they didn't even need to hire me 2 months ago. they're overstaffed and yet, the older staff tell me that they have been asking for more hours (which they deserve) and they've been there for over a year. they all get the shitty hours that i do, 15-20 hrs max.

 

[warpaint]

I think it really depends on the kind of jobs you're applying for
Restaurants hardly ever give out full time hours unless you're on prep / line cook

Try finding something a little bit more steady, like office work? Those are more along the lines of 9-to-5... instead of the usual fri-sat-sun night shifts that restuarants would like you to be available for.

If you are applying for a position that is full-time, I wouldn't tell them during the interview that you're working at another job. I know it's a bit of a jerk move to bail on your part-time employer, but you have to look out for yourself. They've dealt with people quitting on the spot, and they'll have to deal with it again. It's all part of the industry.

Also, Starbucks (in Canada) gives you the opportunity to pick up shifts at other locations, once you're trained up to a certain standard. I know someone who's technically part-time at their normal location, but always ends up picking up other peoples' shifts at nearby locations... basically ends up working 32-40 hours / week. It's probably not a place where you want to work at forever, but it'll do until you figure out what you want to do with your life. You also get a 1lb bag of coffee to take home per week! Pretty sure you get unlimited coffee while working too.

yeah ive been working restaurants because that's where i'm more experienced. i find that it's hard to get into retail because they always ask for experience. i'll try applying for starbucks (again) and maybe some entry level office jobs

 

[Jerry Atrick]

Warpaint, how are you quitting? Do you give a written two-week notice and quit on good terms OR do you give them the finger storm out? Believe me, it matters.

IMO your job prospects may be stalling because you have quit a lot of jobs recently, which means you don't have any solid recent references either.

Before I finished my education, I worked in a lot of restaurants and after enough experience easily made a transition to retail. If you work for tips (serving, bartending, etc), then busting your ass and being friendly can make you decent money even with part time hours.

My advice is to stick it out at one of these restaurants if you can afford it. Try to stay there at least 6 months to a year and then begin applying for retail jobs. Most of the skills are transferable anyways. It's all customer service and sales. But instead of selling food to people who will stiff you, you will be selling *insert product* and be making a steadier paycheck. I'm not saying full-time retail pays more than full-time serving, but it is nice to be able to predict your checking account balance every week. YMMV.

 

[Pretty_Diamonds]

i wish that were true... i spoke with my manager recently and he told me i wouldnt get full time because "other staff need hours too". like why tell me in the first place that a full time position is available? honestly, i look at the schedule sometimes and think about how they didn't even need to hire me 2 months ago. they're overstaffed and yet, the older staff tell me that they have been asking for more hours (which they deserve) and they've been there for over a year. they all get the shitty hours that i do, 15-20 hrs max.

Maybe it's an insurance benefits thing? Over here, 20hrs per week for 4 weeks automatically requires employers to provide medical insurance. I got into retail working at kiosks. Do you have them over there? Like little shack looking things that usually only sell one product? They are usually willing to train. Also, little boutiques...

 

[alasdairm]

warpaint, jerry atrick has a lot of good advice for you. i know this sucks but you need to consider sticking with something, even if it's not ideal to you, for a while to demonstrate to your next employer that you're not going to just disappear after 3 months. put yourself in their shoes? they don't know you. all they have is your past history and they're not going to risk hiring you, training you and otherwise investing time and money in you, just to watch you disappear.

also, work your network. you know people and they know people. you need to market yourself and hustle.

alasdair