WHERE TO FIND JOBS FOR 17 YEAR OLDS

Updated 8/11/2014 - The great thing about jobs for 17 year olds is that you are now old enough to do most types of jobs. Only work that is deemed hazardous is off limits. Unlike the limitations on hours and other things for younger teenage workers, there are few jobs that seventeen year olds are now allowed to do. Listed below are some of the steps you can take to give yourself the best chance of getting hired:

Step #1
The first thing you can do is to go online and see what is available. The two websites listed below are all free to join and they can be used to find employers who are hiring in your area. If you have a resume (see step #2), you can submit it and then employers can see it and may contact you. Many employers now find all or most of their new employees online so you need to be actively searching at these three job search sites:

Snagajob – 100% free to sign up and they specialize in part time and hourly jobs. These are often exactly what a 17 year old is looking for.

Monster.com – 100% free to sign up and they have one of the biggest online job databases.

Step #2
At age seventeen, you should start to put together a resume even if you don't have too much job experience. If you have a resume to give prospective employers and submit online to the job sites, you will be a step ahead of many of your peers who are also looking for work. You can put down all the jobs you have had as well as any awards you might have won and any volunteer work you do. Even though you might not have much on your resume, just having one tells an employer that you are thinking towards the future and that is a good thing.

Step #3
If you have friends who have jobs, you should try to find out from them whether they like their jobs and whether there are any job openings. You should get all the information they can give you and perhaps even have them put in a good word for you. Use any friends and contacts you have to the best of your ability to give yourself the best chance of landing a job.

Step #4
Lastly, you should take your job search out on foot and scour your area for openings. You might stop in at all the places you might like to work and inquire about the possibility of getting hired. If you personally go in an introduce yourself, you will have the chance to make a good impression and let someone actually see who you are. If you don't have too high expectations and understand that you will face rejection, you will at least be able to find out first hand what jobs are available and what their requirements are. Managers and employers also like teens who take the initiative to come in and introduce themselves. If you have a resume you should drop it off at this time. You never know, if you make a good impression, when a job opening does come up the employer might just remember you and give you a call.



Monday, April 26, 2010

JOB REFERENCES FOR 17 YEAR OLDS

While you are looking for summer jobs for 17 year olds, one of the things that could help you is a good reference. When you apply online or in person, you might be asked for one or more references that can vouch for you and say that you are a hard worker, honest, show up on time, etc.

Important---> It is very important to note that before you use anyone as a reference, no matter who they are, you should ask them first if it is alright. That includes your teachers, parents, other family members, and past managers. You have to make sure they know that they could be getting a call from someone who will be asking about you so that they are not caught off guard.

Since you will be trying to get a job, the absolute best kind of reference is from a manager you have had in the past from another job. If you did well at that job and the manager is willing to speak highly of you, that will be the strongest kind of recommendation you can get.

If you have never had a job before, you will obviously not have a reference from a past employer so you will have to use someone else that can speak highly of you. This includes teachers, parents, Aunts or Uncles, and adult friends of the family. You should not use your personal friends as a reference and instead try to find the most important adult in your life.

Employers are looking for ways to figure out who you are and whether you will be a good match for the job. They want 17 year olds that are going to show up on time, take the job seriously, and add value to their company in exchange for the paycheck they will be giving you. Unless they know you personally, calling on references may be the only way a manager has of determining whether they should hire you or someone else. Getting a summer job can be quite competitive now and those teens that have the best credentials will have the best chance of scoring that job.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

WHERE TO FIND GOOD JOBS FOR 17 YEAR OLDS

The summer job hunt is beginning to heat up for teens now and many are wondering where to get the good jobs. Another question might simply be: what is a good job?

Right now, with the economy being so awful, any job might qualify as a "good job". If you can get any type of job at all, you might seriously think twice before turning it down.

Take a look at the poll in the right column of this blog. As of 4/14/10, it shows that over 50% of you have been looking for a job for MORE THAN 6 months! Now that is an unscientific poll but judging from all the bad news about jobs you hear, the poll is probably pretty accurate.

Snagajob remains the #1 online site for teenagers to find jobs for 17 year olds and other ages. They have the best selection of companies that have historically hired teens and have the types of jobs that teenagers can do and like doing.

Looking online together with searching offline is your best bet to find a job this summer. But if you wait too long you will end up with nothing as demand for jobs is high. Even though it is only April, many 17 year olds are already out there looking and trying to nail down summer work. You need to start right now too, if you are really serious about finding a job!