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.



Sunday, June 19, 2011

TEEN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AT 24%

Are you wondering why you can't find a job?

Last month in May (according to the Labor Department) the unemployment rate for teenagers 16 to 19 years old was more than 24%! That's way up from last year at this time when the rate was about 13%. Things have gotten worse with the economy and teenagers are really being affected.

A 24% unemployment rate means that 1 person out of every 4 people can't find work. It is actually probably even higher than that though, as many teens aren't bothering to look because they don't think they can find anything. If they aren't looking then they are not being counted in the statistics.

If you are out looking for any kind of jobs for 17 year olds, you have probably heard this standard line from employers: we aren't hiring, just taking applications. You give them your application but in your heart you know that you will never be called.

Going from shop to shop, business to business, employer to employer, handing out your resume has to be one of the worst feelings ever! It is one of hopelessness, especially now when you know that your chances are so slim.

Make sure you are taking advantage of online job sites like Snagajob where you can find employers that are hiring in your city or town and in many cases apply online. With an unemployment rate this high for teenagers, you have to take advantage of every resource you have both online and offline to find a job. Make sure you also ask your parents for any help and advice they can give you because sometimes they will have connections through friends at their work who know of opportunities.