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When is no answer is the answer? Teen job aplication


housemouse
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Just seeing what is the general consensus on this. Ds (16) applied for summer apprenticeship last Monday  ( for which he received acknowledgement of receipt) and sent in an inquiry Monday this week for an update (for which he did not get any acknowledgement of receipt or any update). Question is when would you consider a "no answers" as "the answer"? As you can see we are all new at this teen job thing as no one in this house had to job hunt for at least 20 years if not more so we are out of tune with the current norms. Would it be ok for ds to pop into the business office either end of this week on even on Monday to see if he can maybe catch whoever is in charge, chat and see if he even has a chance or would that be overdoing? Ds really wants to try this over the summer. 

Thank you so very much.

 

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Based on my experiences and friends- it can be seen as he is a excited and wants this job and they will remember that. Or he is seen as pushy and put his resume on the no list.  Honestly, it could go either way.  Did he get a feel by any chance if they are a more relaxed environment?  If so,  they might not make even interview appointments until mid-month.  

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Gotta go with your gut on this.  My first job application after high school was for a clerk with county government.  I got called in to take a typing test.  Then nothing for nearly 2 years. Received a letter telling me where to report for work and starting pay.  By then, I wasn't even in the state. 

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I don't think there is one answer to this. Some places are just disorganized and oblivious of kids' need to know these things so they can arrange their plans. They may just be on their own pokey timetable. And like someone else said, it could make him look too pushy or it could make him look interested and positive. I think you have to go with your gut. In my experience, smaller nonprofits are especially likely to be disorganized and unresponsive when they might still be considering someone.

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How big is this local company, as in how many staff? Today is May 2nd, month end closing for April was on Tuesday. My self employed cousins in manufacturing have about thirty staff excluding family members so someone (in the family) would be free to interview. My FIL’s former employer (family business) does all the interviews so if the boss is busy, no one is able/authorize to do the interview instead.

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Is it a competitive apprenticeship? Is the process just like applying for the job or is there more entailed? For a typical job held by a teen, follow up in a week is reasonable & I wouldn't hesitate to have him go in and check on the progress. If it's more competitive or career-like position, they may be waiting to schedule interviews until they have  sufficient pool of applicants to get an idea of their experience/qualifications before they schedule interviews. From that perspective, follow up in two weeks to inquire about the application process with the company would be appropriate, but I wouldn't expect interviews any earlier than two-three weeks after the job is first posted.  While it is true that unemployment is low and some employers are having difficulty filling jobs and are making quick hiring decisions, it is also true that an employer is going to do what they can to get the most qualified candidate to accept the job - which means waiting to see what qualifications people have. An apprenticeship doesn't sound like it's an urgent hire - so it is probably worth it to them to take their time and widen the applicant pool if they see a need to.

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I'd pop in.  I seriously doubt it will hurt. It helped me get every job I had in high school. One business manager even said he didn't hire anyone unless they'd applied at least twice and stopped by to ask for the job.  He said anything else was a sign they weren't that interested in work. Then he hired me at a place where I worked two years, gave me fantastic college application references and even a summer job reference a few years later.

I had the letter I'd been hired after I moved out of the state thing for a job once too.  Also government.

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for a teen job, I would assume a week.  in any case, I would always advise a teen to keep looking and don't stop until you have an actual offer from something he likes.

 

(for higher levels - it can be weeks.  dsil never heard from one place he interviewed.  then took a new job at his employer - THEN he got an offer at the place he'd previously interviewed.)

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