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Millions of teens will spend the summer punching a
timecard.
They're the lucky ones, since there usually is more
competition than jobs. This summer won't be much different, although
hiring for summer recreation and hospitality-related jobs is generally
looking up this year, says Renee Ward, founder of Teens4Hire.org,
an online job site.
According to a March 2006 survey
conducted by SnagAJob.com, a Web site for part-time and full-time
hourly jobs, 84 percent of the nearly 50 national companies surveyed
will offer the same number of summer jobs or more this year as compared
to last year.
While the survey also found that
pay generally won't increase for teens, most teens will make around
$7 to $10 an hour, says SnagAJob CEO Shawn Boyer.
Landing a job
Teens who want a summer job need to dispel the stereotypes that
they are not as professional or responsible as older workers, says
Boyer.
This means carefully checking over job applications
and resumes for errors and making sure not to use Web-communication
habits, such as writing in all capital or lowercase letters. Boyer
suggests including all extracurricular activities in the employment
section and to overdress for job interviews. Follow up each interview
by mailing a handwritten thank-you note. Doing so will show that
you are a responsible person who approaches work opportunities seriously.
Get a business e-mail address to put on resumes, suggests
Ward. "Hotchica06" might sound like a cute username to
friends, but the human resources manager might disagree. Teens should
grasp basic math, reading and problem-solving skills before taking
on a first job. "If the computer goes down and you can't do
math, you're not ready to work," Ward says.
Teen job-seekers must be able to follow directions
and get along with others. If teens don't get hired this summer,
Ward recommends taking conflict-resolution classes and putting the
experience on their resumes. Showing that you can get along with
others and resolve conflicts further proves that you have the maturity
to take on a job.
Where the jobs are
Job availability depends on the region, but generally the big employment
areas for teens tend to be in the service industry. Working in fast
food restaurants, retail stores, movie theaters, amusement parks
or as a life guard are the bulk of most teen job opportunities.
Age also affects job availability. Younger teens have
to contend with older teens who have more work experience, as well
as with the pension-deprived retirees who take "kids' jobs"
at fast food places and retail stores, says Neale Godfrey, author
of "Money
Still Doesn't Grow on Trees" and chairman of Children's
Financial Network, a consulting company focused on financial education.
If you're old enough to drive, you might want to look
online and in the newspapers for two new nontraditional jobs.
These positions aren't listed with the retail or grocery
stores themselves. Product demonstrators, who travel to different
retail stores and demonstrate a company's product, can make around
$8 to $12 an hour, says Boyer. Merchandisers also drive to retail
locations and verify that their company's products are displayed
and stocked appropriately. These jobs also pay $8 to $12 an hour.
Where do teens look for jobs?
"Typically, it's the places where teens want to go," says
Ward of Teens4Hire.org.
That doesn't mean limiting your choices to a handful
of places. Boyer cautions that teens who only want to work at Sam
Goody or Abercrombie & Fitch should still apply with other places.
Chances are, these stores top the job wish lists of other teens.
Once you have opportunities offered to you, then you can get picky,
he says.
Younger teens especially can't get too selective.
Retail store hiring "is still skewing 18- and 19-year-olds,"
says Ward. "Fourteen- and 15-year-olds are out of luck. And
16- and 17-year-olds have to be enterprising."
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