job application question

[marbel]

My son was disappointed yesterday when he went to a job screening.  The job he applied for was listed as Monday - Friday only, but when he arrived he was specifically told that Sunday availability is required.   (For personal reasons our family has chosen not to have our kids work on Sundays at this time in their lives.)   

 

He's looking at other places for seasonal work, but every job listing says "must be available any day of the week."   This was even on a list for a "weekday associate, Monday through Friday" position at a retailer which is open on weekends, which makes me wonder if this is just boilerplate in some cases.

 

Would you encourage applying anyway, in case it is boilerplate, or just look for places that don't state that requirement, or places that don't do business on Sunday?  (which are hard to find for entry-level, low-skill work)

 

I want to make clear that I understand employers can require whatever they want from their employees.  I'm peeved about the place that said "M-F" and then after he'd applied and showed up, changed it to include Sundays.  They wasted their, his, and my time (since I drove him there). 

 

I'm really just wondering if "must be available any day of the week" is really meaningful on a job listing.  He doesn't want to inconvenience anyone by applying at a place that won't hire him (or get his hopes up for a job).

[MedicMom]

My parents initially had the same rule. Eventually they had to give up, or we weren't able to work anywhere. Even places that had said M-F eventually did a bait and switch after being hired and starting requiring Sundays.

 

I think it's pretty common.

[Southern Ivy]

That's why my first main job was at Chick-fil-A. Closed on Sundays. Eventually, I had jobs that required weekends. I just had it set that I could attend church prior to going to work. It's pretty common now. 

[goldberry]

Every place around here is like that.  Makes it very difficult.

[emzhengjiu]

It is extremely common in my area as well.  Other than Chick_fil-A, Hobby Lobby, and Mardel's bookstore, every place I applied required Sunday availability. 

[bettyandbob]

Besides Chic Fil a, I know of no place where a teen could work that does not require Sunday availability. Once you become an established employee, you may be able to request no work on Sundays in exchange for something undesirable like closing every Friday and Saturday. 

 

It may be that the establishment wants someone who can fill a lot of weekday hours, but they generally require all employees to be available anytime. One side of this issue is this time of year is big for retailers, so they need staff to be able to come whenever.

 

However, the other problem is that many of these lower paying jobs do not set schedules more than two weeks out. This means some people who get started somewhere get stuck. They can never predict what their schedule will be so they can't sign up for college classes or vocational training because they can't miss work. It's a bad practice of some of these places that can keep some people in a poverty cycle. 

[carriede]

I used to work at a credit union in the loan dept - regular 9-5 M-F hours. BUT! Occasionally they would run an auto loan special and have 1-2 of us be there to answer phones for people calling us while car shopping.

 

But that was only for Saturdays. Not Sundays.

[TammyS]

My son wasn't even able to get call-backs from places locally, and I'm sure it was because of not being available Sundays.  I don't really know what to say about it, other than it sucks.

 

Luckily, he recently got a job on an oyster boat.  Really hard work, but better money than he'd make at retail. 

[QueenCat]

Most employees would like Sunday off, at least around here, so it would be difficult for a service industry employer to allow that as something someone could always have if they worked there.

[Tsuga]

My son was disappointed yesterday when he went to a job screening.  The job he applied for was listed as Monday - Friday only, but when he arrived he was specifically told that Sunday availability is required.   (For personal reasons our family has chosen not to have our kids work on Sundays at this time in their lives.)   

 

He's looking at other places for seasonal work, but every job listing says "must be available any day of the week."   This was even on a list for a "weekday associate, Monday through Friday" position at a retailer which is open on weekends, which makes me wonder if this is just boilerplate in some cases.

 

Would you encourage applying anyway, in case it is boilerplate, or just look for places that don't state that requirement, or places that don't do business on Sunday?  (which are hard to find for entry-level, low-skill work)

 

I want to make clear that I understand employers can require whatever they want from their employees.  I'm peeved about the place that said "M-F" and then after he'd applied and showed up, changed it to include Sundays.  They wasted their, his, and my time (since I drove him there). 

 

I'm really just wondering if "must be available any day of the week" is really meaningful on a job listing.  He doesn't want to inconvenience anyone by applying at a place that won't hire him (or get his hopes up for a job).

 

He actually might have an easier time applying and being available only weekdays, since it looks less picky. They might be able to find someone to cover the weekends separately. But expecting only Saturdays... I mean 40 - 60% of the population are Christians, so just taking Sundays off is not a realistic request for a first-time job holder in most cases.

 

Can he start a business, like landscaping or housecleaning or something? That seems more realistic.

[marbel]

Oh, I wasn't expecting anyone to give him Sunday off if Sunday is a required day.   (Though my daughter got a job in a cafe that is open on Sundays but her employer has honored her request not to work that day.  But that is a little mom-and-pop shop.  And they are not hiring right now. :-) )

 

Really, my main point was that the job information stated it was Mon - Fri, but then it turned out Sundays were required too.  He was also perplexed by a job listing at a different place, a job listed as "weekdays, Mon - Fri" also said "must be available to work any day of the week."  I mean, that one makes no sense:  if the job is Mon - Fri, why should workers expect to work other days?  Those basic job requirements should be clear to applicants before they get to the interview. 

 

He is not looking for special consideration if a job requires Sunday hours.  He would just like to know it in advance and not waste his or the hiring person's time.  So, after reading your responses, I'll tell him not to bother applying at places that say "must be available any day of the week" whether the work days listed include Sunday or not. 

 

The plan was for him to work a Christmas season job, with the expectation of being laid off in January but earning a little money over the holidays, getting some work experience, and perhaps an opportunity to return to work after he graduates.  So it's not a huge deal if he doesn't find a job right now.  

 

Thanks for the comments!

 

 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

My sons were able to request Sunday morning off, to attend worship, anywhere they ever worked. After several months of behaving like truly stellar employees, especially in the matter of always being willing to cover for others, they were able to request Sundays off entirely. It's very, very clear to me that the way to bring this about is by making oneself invaluable to the business. It doesn't come by principle but by sweat equity.

 

Some tips to becoming that guy:

 

1. Always arrive 15 minutes before your shift is to start.

2. Finish the job you're doing, even on an hourly job, even if you've clocked out, before leaving. If the next guy is late, stay until he gets there, if possible. (This gets a lot of attention at fast food jobs, because it's how managers behave.)

3. Always be willing to cover for others, even with very little notice and even if it's very inconvenient for you.

4. Never be caught standing still. There's no such thing as a business with down time, as far as the boss is concerned. If your tasks are temporarily done, start cleaning. Vigorously.

5. Be deaf and impervious to small insults and annoyances. Just do the job and let people be stupid.

6. Let your service to customers be the best in the store.

7. Be alert and try to learn the next job above yours, so when the chance comes for you to do more, you'll be ready and seem to be very competent. Learn more even if you don't think you'll get a chance to promote.

 

If a young person has to start a job working hours or conditions he doesn't like, careful attention to these tips make the difference. He or she WILL stand out, and be able to ask for the hours they want in a fairly short amount of time. At least, that's our experience in a location where the fast food type jobs are extremely competitive because that's all there is for teens to do.

 

[bettyandbob]

The plan was for him to work a Christmas season job, with the expectation of being laid off in January but earning a little money over the holidays, getting some work experience, and perhaps an opportunity to return to work after he graduates. So it's not a huge deal if he doesn't find a job right now.

 

Thanks for the comments!

I've never heard of a holiday season job where the short term employees could expect to work not to work some Sundays.

 

I suspect they advertised M-F because most of the shifts will be M-F. However, because it is holiday season, they need employees who can be flexible and work other days as needed .