On a busy morning in early summer I had a 15 year old kid come in the front door of my business and ask, "Who owns this place?" It kinda annoyed me. I replied, I do, why?" He asked, "Have you looked out back lately?" Thinking something was seriously wrong, I started outside around the building. As we walked he said, "The place is a real mess." Now I was really annoyed but he quickly followed that up with, "I'll clean it up for you for twenty bucks." He was right, it was a mess so I said OK.
About two PM, he came back in the door looking like he had been dragged through the dirt and said, "Come out here and take a look." He had done a flawless job, it looked like a city park. Back inside I gave him his money and thanked him. As I walked away, he asked, "What do you want me to do next?" I was too busy to think about it so I replied, "Come back in the morning."
Every morning he was standing at the door. I would give him something to do to get him out of my hair. He painted, nailed, stacked, whatever I could think of that day. This went on for a couple months before I realized I'd officially hired him. After school started, he worked afternoons and stayed there after he graduated from H.S. Years later, I financed the business for him and he owns it now.
My point is that education and resumes are great but the go-getter will always nail down the job. Act like you expect to be hired. Take the time to learn what they do and think about how you can make their business more efficient, more profitable or less hassle for the owner/manager. And, like the young man that followed me in the driver's seat, always ask, "When do I start?"
Answered Jan 02, 2012
Edited Jan 02, 2012