With the start of summer, most of us have a lot of free time on our hands.
You can stay up super-late and sleep in without worrying about class the next day, go to the beach,
movies, etc! But even then you might still have extra time.
and such because I hadn't done one before, much less filled out a legitimate job application.
This post will be partly about my application process at SeaWorld, for anyone in SD
who's interested in trying to get a job there. c:
As far as I know they're still hiring for certain job positions,
though I'm not sure if they're still looking for sales clerks.
I'll also put some tips for job hunting, resume writing, and interviewing
that I picked up at the job fair that just happened at my university.
SEAWORLD
The first thing I did was go onto their hiring site
here.
On the left sidebar there's a bunch of boxes where you can pick what
park, state, city, etc. you want to search in.
Then it goes to a page showing all the jobs they have available at that park.
The site updates a few times a week - they usually have a huge
list of jobs up at the start of summer/seasonal periods.
All the applications are online, so you just fill it out through the computer.
You have to actually type out each job location of any previous experience,
so it's a good idea to have all the workplace addresses / employer names & numbers close
at hand, since the application will timeout if you go inactive for too long. (It happened
to me while I was trying to google some of the addresses from my work expy!)
I got an option to pick an interview time after I'd finished putting all my application info in!
Interviews for non-performer jobs are usually within a week of you filling out the application.
(Performers include dancers, show hosts, and costume characters - for
those, you have to go to one of the audition days instead of having an interview.)
First Interview
For the first interview, I showed up almost 40 minutes early (I left home early
because I was really worried about being late). The general rule is 10-15 minutes early,
but make sure you're early so you can leave a good impression!
The first interview is a pre-screening, where they ask you "behavioural questions".
This basically means they ask you to give a very detailed description of a time in your life
when you were in a situation, how you handled it & what you did, and then
what the results were. It's usually things like "tell me about a time when
you had to comfort someone, and what did you do to help them get through it", or
"what was one time in your life when you had to work with someone you didn't like, and how
did you resolve the issues". Just be honest!
They really just want to predict how you're going to act when you work for THEM, based on
how you've behaved before. If you haven't had the experience, it's OK to say so. c:
You could say instead how you *would* deal with such a situation if it occurred. Or they
may just ask you a different question. Either way, don't make up a story! They screen you
for behaviour for a reason, and your interviewer might actually be trained to pick out
when you're making something up. ;c
At the start of the first interview they'll tell you that after they're done,
they'll review your answers and call you back/contact you in 3-5 days if they
want to give you a second interview.
If they like your answers, they'll ask you back for your second interview
in the same day/the next day!
Second Interview
The second interview is actually done by one of the supervisors
for the area of the park you applied for (merchandise / rides / etc.).
He/she's basically who's going to be your boss!
The supervisor will ask you 4 more behavioural questions, pretty much
the same idea as the ones from the first interview.
Then for the last question, they'll give you a piece of merchandise
and ask you to roleplay a situation, where they're a customer and
you're trying to convince them why they should buy this particular item.
I had a Seaworld Trainer Barbie that I was trying to sell to a mother and daughter.
Just remember to smile, and be personable and engaging! Also make sure you point
out some details about the toy/etc. that make it unique/desirable. I told a little story
about when I was really little and had a "dolphin trainer" Barbie (but tbh she looked
MUCH different from the one they sell at SeaWorld).
So after I finished my second interview the supervisor offered me the job right there,
and asked me where in the park I'd like to work. c:
I believe you can choose which giftshop you want to be placed at, assuming
there's still spots left there. I picked Currents by the exit - she told me
it was very busy and an interesting place during the summer, what with
the larger crowds.
After this you get a little folder of paperwork to fill out, and they email
you a link for the electronic paperwork site - this is all stuff you need to finish
filling out in order to finalize your "onboarding" (which is what they call the
hiring process once you've accepted a job there).
It's mostly the usual forms for work (taxes, medical and such), as well as
uniform specifics and employee guidelines. You must also have a saliva sample taken
onsite for a drug test!
Once your last paperwork appointment is done, you're in! All that's left is the company
orientation and your training days - which are coming up this week for me, I'm excited! c:
Here's a little list of what you should prep for the interviews and hopefully the paperwork appt:
- Dress BUSINESS CASUAL - aka no jeans or bootyshorts, nothing too tight/sheer/revealing. But you probably already knew this! A nice office-skirt and blouse always look good, or slacks, with a cardi or blazer and dressy flats/low heels. You want to make the best impression, and dressing properly & neatly reflects well on your business side. c: (There actually were people there in tanktops and ripped jeans, I'm not sure how picky SW is on that but it's better to be safe.)
- Bring YOUR OWN PEN - they'll actually give you a SeaWorld pen, and they have tons around the place and on the receptionist's desk, but you look well prepared if you have your own.
- Bring WATER & MINTS - it's a very long wait, and you don't want to have dragon breath or feel dried up. That being said, you're not allowed to have drunk/eaten anything 10 minutes before your drugtest so for that, put the water and mints away!
- Bring YOUR SSN & 2 FORMS OF ID - you'll need an SSN for some of the paperwork in the folder, and to even schedule your drug test. Plus you need the 2 forms of ID for your paperwork appointment. I believe the options were: (1) SSN card, Passport, or birth certificate, ALONG WITH (2) a driver's license or another government ID.
TIPS
I recently attended a 3-day jobfair workshop series and job fair at my
university - I picked up so much helpful info for interviewing and resumes etc, so
I've put some of the best tips below. c:
- Always dress Business Casual for an interview, as default. Unless they actually tell you you can dress differently, this is the norm and what your interviewer will be wearing. Looking neat and presentable reflects well on you as a person and as a potential employee. c: (Exception: A&F told me to wear "casual" clothes, specifically a white/grey/navy top with skinny jeans/jeans and casual shoes. My recruiter told me she wore skinnies and leather flipflops so I did the same. But this is really a pretty unique interview policy, and definitely not one to go by in the case of other companies.)
- They made a point of telling ladies, no super-high heels! Anything above 4 inches is excessive. Save it for the party. <3
- Resumes
- Edit your resume for each different job you apply for! If you're applying for a lab assistant position, you probably don't need to include your babysitting experience. BUT you should definitely put that you've taken high school/college chemistry! Make sure you add in the most relevant experience you have.
- It should only be ONE PAGE, so make it count. (I was told that if you have a lot of experience, you could maybe have one page PER 10 years experience - I'm nowhere near there yet!)
- Include your volunteer experience, especially if it's relevant or you don't have very much experience.
- Include any classes you've taken that relate to the job - similar to volunteer experience, it can cushion your resume if you haven't worked much.
- Always have a copy of your resume with you when you go in to apply or interview. Actually make that 10 copies (for people going into professional fields, 25 copies is recommended).
- Don't come in carrying a coffee or any sort of food/drink in your hand. (Sometimes interviewers might be having lunch as they interview you, but that doesn't mean you should tuck in as well!) If you need to have water with you, have a water bottle that you can fit in your bag.
- Use professional action verbs - analyzed, calculated, processed, prepared, etc. - when you talk about what your duties were in previous jobs.
- KNOW ABOUT THE COMPANY YOU'RE APPLYING TO! I they ask you "so what do you know about us/what do you know about what we do here?" and you *CAN* give a really indepth answer, it shows that you wanted to work for them enough that you took your time to research deeper than the front page of their website. Take a look at things like press, yearly reports, the products/services they provide, etc.
I also just had an interview at
Abercrombie & Fitch,
which I can hopefully get hired for as well - it starts after summer, so that's great
since it'll pick up right as my job at SeaWorld ends~!
It's a fulltime job and the particular position I applied for requires a bachelor's degree,
but they also have part-time jobs as far as I know, and the work schedule's
extremely flexible I'm told.
(Yes I know the controversy over the company... & tbh I really dislike the CEO and
his rather strange policys. I don't really shop there as a rule, although I do own clothes that fit their "style". But with job availability as it is, a job is a job. Plus I have heard good things from people
I know who work at this A&F - I actually heard it's one of the nicer A&Fs
to work at in San Diego. c: )
UPDATE ON ABF: I did have the interview, and I got to meet the District Manager!
She was really sweet and friendly. The interview was basically very similar to the 2nd one I had
at SeaWorld. It was really informal, and for interview clothes they wanted flipflops + white/grey/navy shirt + skinny jeans.
I got a strong feeling that they were looking for a specific type/look of person,
and sadly I didn't get the job so I don't think I matched who they were looking for. :c
It's okay though, the search goes on!
