look_ma

I am in a bit of a bind. I am a young college aged person currently off until the fall. I pay for everything myself and my current job is not cutting it. I was hired on as part time but was getting 40 hours a week. Recently I (and everyone else) was dropped to 15 hours a week, not nearly enough to make the bills. I have only worked there for a little under 6 months. I decided to try and find a job that co-exist with it, i.e. take a 40 hours job and then work my current 15-hour. After much trying I may have found something that is 40 hours a week, but it requires me to drop my other job. My brother was telling me that he doesn’t hire people that only have 6 months here and there, of course for good reasons (I am not working for brother). MY question is; how important is it to build up time at jobs? The main reason I have left other job in the past is lack of hours. I really need the money that 40 hours a week has (scraping up cash to make bills this month, next month will be interesting at this rate). I was hoping to keep both jobs and just work like 50-60 hours a week, but the new employer situation will not allow that to happen. The main thing is that this new job is retail sales COMMISSION oriented, the base pay is just a little less than what I am making now if I worked a full 40. What has your experience been with this type of thing? The thing with not taking this new 40 hour opportunity is that it is more promising (pay wise) than any technical job that I will get that will co exist with my current. The new company is nation wide and known to be good, and once you are in you are set. I called and talked to my brother, he was not much help but he did say for my 15-hour job that I should stay there a month after I get this new job if I get this new job and just request all the days off. That way if the new job obviously does not pan out I am not jobless.

Once again, I need true, fully thought out opinions.

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mcs328

Do you see any career growth in either job situation? I don't really see a point in staying with a 15 hour a week job that can't pay the bills. Unless those hours change so you can support yourself in the near future I would jump ship. If another company sees that you lasted less than whatever time frame say, then just tell the truth. You were part time, your hours were cut, I couldn't pay the bills so I had to get a job that could. It's not a reflection on your work ethic, just the economics. You can't get by with the current situation and the it doesn't seem like it's changing any time soon to ride it out.

That's my two cents worth.

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whitak24

if i understand your description of the situation correctly, you're still in college but right now you're taking a year or so off to work?

if so, then i wouln't worry about the amount of time you spend at any one job. employers don't really expect long-term employment in college. especially because in an interview you can easily explain that the old job wasn't providing enough hours and career development for you.

as far as the commission aspect, i think you mostly have to think about whether you have the personality of a salesperson and even if you do if you want your income to be based on your sales performance. some people enjoy this, others find it incredibly stressful. and some people just don't have the disposition for sales, which makes it really tough.

however, financially, it sounds like it's a fairly good deal, especially if you don't anticipate going back up to 40 hrs/wk at your current job. in the worst case (no sales) you would still be making almost as much money as you would working full-time at the current job, and much more than you're making on the reduced-hour schedule you're in right now.

good luck deciding.

look_ma

The main thing is, does it look that bad to have multiple jobs on your resume that only have like 6 months apiece? On your resume you don’t really get a chance to explain the economic trends of the time. In an interview, yes you do, but only if you get that far. The base pay is strait hourly wage, which does not count commission, and the base pay is only slightly lower than my current IF I was full time at my current. Bottom line, have you been screwed out of a job because of your lack of time at one job.

Jeffbx

Yes, it does look bad to have many short term stints on your resume. One thing that people look for is longevity - they don't want to hire someone who will quit in a year to go somplace else.

However, this mostly applies to jobs in your area of concentration. So if, for example, you're working on an engineering degree & you have several different jobs at different fast food joints, that won't look at bad as if you had already graduated & worked at 3 different manufacturing companies within 4 years.

look_ma

My roommate also suggested that I put on my resume that my other 2 previous jobs I just put them as part time, because people go through part time jobs like candy.

cheapie

when you graduate, i wouldn't even bother putting all of the jobs you've had. just the ones relevant to your new position. professional employers don't care that you were a lifeguard for a summer when you were 17, they want to know what have you done that makes you right for their company. i absolutely wouldn't worry about switching jobs when you are in college. many college kids don't even have a job.

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Jeffbx

I agree with one caveat - make sure you can account for all of your time! Up until you graduate from college, it doesn't matter much whether or not you list your part time jobs, unless they happen to be in the same field as your degree.

However, after you graduate, you're better off listing a job rather than an employer thinking you were unemployed. If you get laid off & end up working part time for 6 months repairing PCs, it's better to include that than have a potential employer think you've been unemployed for that time.