Thursday, October 25, 2012

Teens Searching for Jobs

Cover of "Interviewing Skills (Essential ...
High schools are getting better at preparing teens for their first job search. I'm becoming more and more impressed with the way high schools are engaging in job and career preparation classes and seminars, which often include a few weeks of training with an actual video interview. It's great also when students are required to dress professionally and are questioned in a mock job interview.

Every high school should have not only career days, but programs that teach the value of job interviewing skills and the proper steps to finding not only that first job, but each successive job during their working careers. They should emphasize to the high school job seeker that building a network of contacts, even in high school can be critical to their future job search success.

I would encourage any teen searching for that first job to store a list of contacts, on paper in your smart phone, or on your computer. Make a note of the person's name, address and phone number and what they do or what their current role in the organization is. Keep adding to this list as you meet new people or even other kids parents. Then, when you are looking for a new job, whether it is secretary jobs or doctor jobs from leapdoctor.com, you will have your list of contacts that you can use in your job search. Be sure to ask for business cards too if they have them. Although high school aged students aren't expected to carry business cards, you can easily find templates online that you can print out and make yourself. You never know when this information may help you find your next job so keep adding to it and keep it up to date.