[Jewelry making - Article 00235] - Re: [Orchid] Graduating from a hands on program

[John Donivan]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

Holly,

>     What can I expect from a typical bench test? 

    I can't tell you about the Houston part, though I lived there long
    ago (lousy weather, great seafood). Your typical (typical!) bench
    test is usually nothing more than work. I wrote a while back when
    this came up that I had heard of a shop that gave you these wierd,
    useless projects to do - literally a test. But most shops will just
    throw an assortment of jobs at you that are related to what they do -
    generally related to what you do, too - wax, fabrication, platinum,
    setting, what have you. It sounds to me like you have a lot of
    experience, for a relative novice - if you have a good personality,
    work ethic, etc., you should do just fine. If you get to that point,
    you need to realize that it's not adversarial - you want a job, they
    want a worker. The work may be beyond you, but they're not out to get
    you unless they're not worth working for anyway. I will contradict
    what some others said in reply, though (not right-or-wrong, I just
    disagree). Don't go to retailers unless it's to ask them where the
    shops are - retailers don't make jewelry, they sell it. There are
    some exceptions, of course. If you work in a manufacturing shop
    you'll have real work and lots of it - most retail bench people do
    sizings and setting - again, there are exceptions, but if you're
    looking for work start with the manufacturers first. You could go to
    10 stores before you hit one with a shop that means anything.
    Personally I wouldn't say that it's OK to just knock on the door, I'd
    say that it's the very best way to do it. Just introduce yourself and
    say you're looking for a job - they are open for business, if they
    say it's inconvenient then you can set another time. Most importantly
    you will have shown them yourself as a serious person, not just a
    letter or phone call. Go-getters go and get....... Shops that are
    larger and more serious are looking for talent all the time, even if
    they might not have "an opening". Likely they will take a look at
    what you have in any case, if you're good at it. 

http://www.donivanandmaggiora.com
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________