They asked for an application after having me fill out the new hire paperwork and getting the certification...?

Question

The manager (i guess he's not the owner..?) told me several weeks back that I had the job. It wasn't official or anything. He said all I needed was the certification and a CPR/AED cert. I had been in and out of there several times the last couple of months. I went to the $250 class they told me to go to to get the certification (lasted one weekend) and passed the exam. I got my cert in the mail the other day. And when I showed up today, the guy who hires handed me a thick wad of new-hire papers to sign. And when I finished, he went and got an application for me to fill out. I was so confused. Does this mean I'm not "hired"? Do they just need to have an application filled out by me on file?

Also, I need to find two references now and am not sure what to do about those....I'm working my first job at Starbucks and just recently started. My manager wouldn't be great to go to; I have hardly worked with her and she doesn't like me...I would ask one of my shift leaders but I've made mistakes (spilled once or twice/wrong drinks/have been late a couple times) and don't feel confident asking him for it -though he does like me. Plus, I believe the higher ups(shift leaders and manager) wouldn't be too happy to hear I'm getting another job. They'll probably think I'm readying to leave and will just boot me before I can. There's also a guy I'm studying with(20 yrs old as well) for a certification I could ask but they did say "no friends, just people you've worked with/under"... I thought I had this in the bag, but now I'm stressing. I guess I'm merely an applicant. (And seriously, it has been maybe 3 months of me going in frequently for various things and them acting as though I was about to work there...)

Answer 1

Most employers need to have an application on file, so you must have the job if they asked you to file out new-hire paperwork.



As for the references, are there any co-workers, not managers, you could ask for a reference? What about people you know and deal with who are small business owners? Know anybody from a hair salon, tanning salon, pet groomer? Sometimes people will give references even if they don't know you really well if you do business with them a lot. If you can't come up with anybody, simply say that you are working your first job, and are unable to provide any business references. If you are already hired, they probably aren't too concerned with checking your references now. Since you were uncertain as to your status, you should have asked if you got the job. And try not to be late on your new job. You said you only recently started at Starbucks and had already been late a couple of times. Your new employer won't be impressed if you do the same thing to him.

Answer 2

If there is someone above you that likes you and wouldn't care that you're looking for another job, he might be a good reference. Unless you're worried that he's going to rat you out to the higher ups, he'd probably give you a good reference. If he felt he couldn't give you a good reference, he'd probably tell you rather than say anything bad. Otherwise, do you have any relatives (preferably with different last names) you can use, or a father or mother of a good friend where you've known the family for awhile - maybe someone who works in the same industry or something related.



I may be totally wrong about this, but I don't think it's the same as a computer programmer like me, where if the bosses know you want to leave, they might want to replace you first so they aren't shorthanded, or because they don't want to keep people who aren't happy. With Starbucks, they expect a lot of turnover, and looking for a job may not be so bad because they probably expect that you want to move onto bigger and better things. If they know you're going to school, it should be obvious that you'll eventually find a better job at some point and leave. There's no reason for them to think you're disgruntled and have a need to fire you, because you're probably not leaving because you hate them, but because you are getting an education and getting a higher paying job in your field of expertise. They don't have to worry about replacing you, they can get anyone. (But I suspect it's never a good thing to let people know you're looking, so if you can keep quiet about it it's probably better. I would give the customary 2 weeks notice though as a professional courtesy, and to leave on good terms and get a reference from them for the job after your next one.)

Answer 3

They probably just need to have an official application on file. For references why don't you use former teachers?

Answer 4

The application form is probably just for the file.

A company doesn't need referees to say they like you. They just want to know that you are who you say you are and are are not dishonest.