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, March 26, 2012

SPRING BREAK 2012 IS OVER: ITS TIME TO FIND A JOB!

That's right. Many schools start back today and that means just over two months until the beginning of summer. I know summer seems like a long way away, but now is when many employers start looking for summer help.

Looking for a job right now is a good idea for many reasons:

1) It will impress employers that you are looking this early and they will know you are serious about finding work

2) The early bird gets the worm right? More jobs will be available if you start looking now. The longer you wait, jobs will fill up fast and be taken.

3) You might need to polish up your interviewing skills and that takes time. Beginning the job search early means you have more jobs to interview for and that means more practice talking to hiring managers.

4) Not only are more jobs available now but more kinds of jobs. Getting out there real soon will give you access to a larger variety of jobs that might not be there if you wait until it closer to summer.

So there you have it. 17 year olds all over the country are already thinking and planning their summers and trying to get a job lined up. Are you one of them?

P.S. Snagajob is a great place to start that summer job search. Click the banner below to get started.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

FACEBOOK AND TWITTER CAN COST YOU A JOB

If you are 17 and looking for a job, you need to watch what you do and say on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Even if you think your account is password protected, word now is that some employers, government agencies, and colleges are asking for access to your accounts. You can read the story here.

The fact is that what you say online can put your education and job search in jeopardy. It is just plain stupid to write all sorts of personal information about yourself and get into arguments online in these accounts. Teenagers have to start realizing that when they go online and post things, what they say is there possibly forever. Even if there is a password guarding your account, there is no guarantee that what you say will be safe.

Employers are now VERY AWARE that they can find all sorts of dirt on potential employees by what they post on those sites. More and more of them are trying to find Facebook accounts of job applicants and so you have to realize this is a very real threat to you getting a job, if you are misbehaving online.

When you are young you don't often realize what can happen with the things you post on the Internet. Teenagers don't understand that what they do today REALLY CAN adversely affect what happens to them in the future.

Hunting for a job this summer will be a tough task for all 17 year olds and teens of all ages. The economy continues to be bad which means not enough companies are hiring to meed the demand. Be careful what you do online so that it doesn't come back to hurt you if you get an employer interested in hiring you!