When it’s holidays, and you’re looking to get your teenager out the house, then it might be time to encourage them to land a part-time job. Having a job can teach many valuable lessons, including responsibility, people skills, and how to manage money. It also allows your teenager to have a bit more freedom, and something extra to do over the summer holiday. Then if the job continues into term time, it can be another responsibility for your teenager to manage.
Having a job means that your teen can have something for work towards. If they really want to purchase something, they can work to pay for it themselves. For example, if your 17-year-old wants a car, maybe they should get a holiday job so they can work to buy one themselves. If your teen is looking to get into the work force these holidays here are 5 top tips for job seekers.
- Go beyond Seek and online applications
- While most organisations want you to apply online, and online applications are worth filling out, also encourage your teenager to take their CV direct to the store. Open their networks and get them to meet new people by taking them to a shopping centre, then having them take their CV around, speak to shop managers, and fill out applications in store. Of course, your teenager might not know how to start writing a decent CV that will gain the attention of potential employers. For this reason, you might want to help them write it, or even show them services they’re able to use such as this company over at https://www.arcresumes.com/ for example, that can professionally write one of the most important documents to being accepted for a job interview.
- Don’t be too picky
- Part-time jobs with little to no experience can be hard to come by, and young teenagers are being beaten out for jobs by older teenagers and young adults. So, don’t be too picky when you’re starting out. Yes, it may be cool to land a job at the local cafe, but if you have to settle for McDonald’s, then it is still a job that pays.
- Be prepared
- Help your teenager practise their interview skills. These include arriving on time, being prepared to answer and ask questions, being polite and respectful, making eye contact, no chewing gum, and turning off their phone during the interview.
- Be Professional
- Remind your teenager that first impressions matter. Make sure they are dressed appropriately for when they go to job interviews or when applying for work, and remind them how important it is to be pleasant and polite. Employers want to train workers to do the job, but they can’t train them to be nice – that’s your job.
- Understand it’s not about you
- An employer is not waiting to provide a terrific summer experience for your teenager. Rather, the employer is seeking an employee. Help your teenager brainstorm what she can offer the employer, rather than the other way around. Employers hire to fix a need or a problem. Give them a reason to hire your teenager.
- Encourage them to just get out there
- Even if they end up hating the job that they get, just having the experience of working will put them in a better position for the next job. Having the experience of working will make them a richer person(not just financially!) . But it will also make your teen more aware of what you do when you’re at work all day, even if they work in retail and you work in an office.
