How to Find a Job: Teen Edition
Working in the grocery store or the pizzeria is a time-honored rite of passage for teenagers. But in this economy, finding employment as a teenager is at least as difficult as it is for everyone else. According to NewJersey.com, fewer teenagers had jobs in 2010 than in any year since 1948. Here are some tips to make landing that summer job a little easier.
No experience? No problem.
If you're looking for your first job ever, you won't have much of anything to list in the "Work Experience" section of your resume. However, you should still put a written resume together, because it shows you are serious about entering the world of work. Include any work you can, such as babysitting or even helping your parents with yard work, as well as extracurriculars, sports and hobbies. Emphasize how these activities taught you to be punctual, dependable and ethical, qualities that any employer should be looking for. Quint Careers has a useful worksheet for putting together a teen resume.
Nail the interview.
When preparing for a job interview, make sure that you are dressed at least as formally, if not more formally, than the position requires. A suit won't hurt, but at least wear a collared shirt. Confidently hand the manager your resume, and try to be both confident and relaxed throughout the interview. If it's a customer service job, the manager will want to know that you can interact positively with customers, and any job will require good rapport wih your coworkers.
Follow up on the interview.
If you're applying for a retail position, especially around the holidays or at the beginning of the summer, the hiring manager has probably seen a lot of teenagers come through the door. He might have thought you gave a great interview, but with all the other pressures of running a store, you could easily slip his mind. According to About.com, a week is the perfect time to wait before calling back to check whether you got the job. This last burst of enthusiasm might just be what it takes.
Be an entrepreneur.
If the job market for teens in your area is just too tough, come up with your own job. Start a lawnmowing service. Offer to help your elderly neighbors fix their computers, or run small errands for them. The website Young Entrepreneur has other great ideas, like garage organizing or hauling away old furniture. Whatever your skills and interests are, there is bound to be an entrepreneurial opportunity for you.