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.



Wednesday, May 26, 2010

JOBS FOR 17 YEAR OLDS - DON'T USE A STUPID EMAIL ADDRESS!

One of the big mistakes you can make when applying for jobs is to use an email address that is unprofessional. If you are on the hunt for jobs for 17 year olds, make sure you make an email that you set up especially for employers.

Think about it, does an email address like "Iamhottoday@aol.com" or "sexyrachel@yahoo.com" sound like an email you should use when you apply for a job? Many employers, when they see an email like that, will immediately go on to the next applicant because they don't want to deal with immature children.

Your email address as well as the message you have on your voice mail, speak volumes about who you are and what type of person is applying for the job. You have to remember that if you want a job this summer or anytime in the future, it is adults that are going to be evaluating and hiring you.

Getting a job is a serious step into the real world that is run by adults. Getting jobs for 17 year olds is tough because of all the competition out there but you don't want to knock yourself out of the running for a job before you ever have a chance. Make sure you don't use a silly email or a silly voice mail!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

SUMMER JOBS: IT'S NOT WORTH EVEN TRYING!

So you've heard it from your friends and seen it on the news: jobs for 17 year olds and teens in general are impossible to find. You think that no one is hiring and there are no jobs out there.

Does that sound like you? Have you even tried to get a job? Right now too many teens are giving up before they even get started just because they have heard it's tough. IF YOU NEVER TRY, YOU HAVE A 100% CHANCE OF FAILING!

The way you get a job in this environment is by never giving up. If you have been turned down 50 times then you try another 50 times, if that is what it takes. You have to keep applying for jobs no matter how you feel. Right now, that's the only way: to work harder at getting a job than the next guy and never stop looking.

There are lots of places to get jobs and maybe you haven't thought of them all. You can try camps, lawn care businesses, movie theaters, old folks homes, amusement parks, resorts, restaurants, retail stores, and any other places you can think of. There are companies out their hiring 17 year olds and teenagers of all ages.

One thing that might be keeping you back is if you are not applying to every job that you can do. Maybe you have not applied to any fast food restaurants because you think that working at McDonalds is to low a job for you. You are worried that your friends will laugh at you or make fun of you for flipping burgers. Well, that is the exact attitude that will contribute to your going the whole summer without ever being hired anywhere. Is going jobless cool?

When you are looking for jobs for 17 years olds, you have to start somewhere in the job market and that is usually at the bottom of the heap. You probably have little to no experience so you can't be picky about what kind of job you take, especially not now. Any job you get now will look good on your resume and it will show that you are willing to do hard work.

Employers like to see that and if you take the job flipping burgers this summer, you might be able to get something better next year because you will have more experience. Besides, you can learn a lot of things at a fast food restaurant including how to cashier, customer service, cooking, teamwork, how to deal with a boss and other things that will benefit you later on in life.

So, don't be the one saying that it is not even worth trying to get a job because you know there are none out there. There are jobs available and you have to be prepared to keep looking until you finally find one. Good luck!