Hey! I was hoping that maybe somebody could help me out with this? I'm currently editing my CV to tailor it for a job in a pub or cafe. Once I've fully recovered from my operation I'm going to start applying for the local places. The problem is that I don't have any previous experience - I haven't had a job before because I wanted to concentrate on my A-levels and I don't do well splitting my attention, so I was wondering what I should write in it if I don't have any previous experience? I have done work experience before but that was for primary school teaching so it's hardly relevant to customer service work. So I'm kind of at a loss for what to say. Thanks!
I'd put the teaching job down. When I was applying for my first job I put down unrelated volunteer experience down, cause hey, it's better than nothing. Besides both the cafe and teaching jobs show that you have patience to deal with people.
Hi there! While the teaching job is not all that much related to customer service but you do have a number of 'transferable skills' from the teaching job, including organisation and prioritisation, conflict management and resolution, attention to details, being approachable, and taking initiative (for example). Another thing to think about would be your school work itself. Did you work on a project as part of a class? What would you say are your accomplishments? Did you have other jobs/potential opportunities in mind as well? One that comes to mind would be being a tutor, given your previous experience. How come you are looking for or seem to be concentrating on customer service opportunities?
I work in HR so here's my two cents: I'd leave it on there. It shows you're comfortable being in front of people. And for a job like working in a pub or café, mostly they just want to make sure you're personable and attentive to detail. You don't need a ton of experience on your resume to convince the hiring managers of that. Just be personable in your interview and talk about times you've had to juggle multiple responsibilities.
I would put down the teaching job; as people have said, it has skills that can be applied to the job you want. Another tip would be to look at what the company values and reflect that in your interview.
Thanks for all the advice, everyone! Next time I open the CV document (that I am definitely not putting off) I'll have this page open too so that I can look through everything you've said. Yeah, I was wondering if it was worth even mentioning... I Googled it but the people there were like, "no previous experience but I worked in a shop once!" and obviously that is a lot closer to bar work than teaching is. But you're right, I guess it's worth mentioning! Thanks again!
I agree with everyone else, include it. Not much difference between children and drunks... Seriously though, it does show you can work with people and you can juggle lots of little things at once.
