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.



Thursday, September 13, 2012

NO JOBS? GET AN INTERNSHIP FOR TEENS

We all know how hard it is to get a job right now. While the national unemployment rate is above 8%, it is MUCH higher than that for teenagers. More than double. So, if you are having trouble finding jobs that are open that hire teens, perhaps it is time for a new strategy.

The problem is though, this new strategy would be getting an internship and they rarely pay any money. That is why they might be easier to get.

If you are a 17 year old that absolutely has to find a job that pays, then internships might not be for you.  However, if you are looking to the future and realize that something on a resume is better than nothing, applying to internships might be a good idea. If you have given up on finding a job, don't give up on working altogether because even if you work for free at an internship, you are at least getting valuable experience that you can put on your resume. ANY work experience is much better than a blank space for your work history on a resume!

How do you go about finding internships in your area? Use Google's search engine to type in things like "internships for teens", "internships for teenagers","Internships for 17 year olds", and other variations of exactly what you are looking for. You can add your city name in that search to find something in your area.

There is no doubt that it is a difficult financial time for many people and unfortunately, teens are really in a bad spot as they have the least work history of anyone. That is why getting an internship is so much better than totally giving up and finding nothing. Maybe you have to work for free this year but next year you will then be ahead of everyone else who has nothing to show for their time.

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