You’ve officially decided you want to get a part-time job, yay!
You begin the process of job searching and find a few places you would like to apply to, creating a cover letter and resume. Within minutes of putting your first request in, you immediately receive your first rejection email. It only takes a few weeks before you realize that every single place you have applied to has followed this trend. What could you be doing wrong?
The truth is, not much. Applying for jobs is typically a very difficult and lengthy process, especially for teenagers who have no work experience. Some failure is unavoidable. Having experienced these challenges themselves, Oak Park High School students offer some of their tips to make the process easier, or at the very least, understandable and manageable.
- Do not limit yourself to one type of job.
From retail to food service to childcare, there are a plethora fit for teens. The more places you apply and the more interest you show, the greater chance you have of getting an interview and being accepted.
Senior Nikki Cheng works at a local bagel shop in between her busy schedule of academics and athletics. Her tasks can be anything from cleaning the stores and doing the dishes to preparing and serving the customers their food.
“Don’t be discouraged if you can’t find a job!” Cheng wrote to the Talon. “Just keep applying—even if this means you have to apply for 100 jobs at once. And do not just apply online, try to walk in the store, or wherever, to demonstrate interest!”
- Use the resources that are available to you.
The OPHS College and Career Center website has lots of information to help get individuals started on their resume, places that are known for or looking for teenagers and so much more. Alternatively, one of the best ways to find jobs is through people you know.
“I started working here right before the beginning of senior year,” Cheng wrote. “It was a pretty easy hiring process—with the help of an already employed friend, I walked in the store, filled out some forms, had an interview and got the job.”
Senior Adelyne Vandenhengel’s job experience began with babysitting over the weekend and soon expanded into house-sitting and even pet-sitting.
“It started as more of a favor to some of my mom’s friends, then I realized it was a stable and fun way to earn some income as a teen, even before I started driving,” Vandenhengel wrote to the Talon “From there, I garnered a few clients which branched out into a parent-network all throughout the city. Word spreads pretty quickly concerning child care!”
- Trust the process.
The interview portion is the time to show them why they should pick you. This part does not have to be stressful–nowadays, you can look up many of the generic questions that they will ask you and tailor each of your answers.
This being said, everyone’s experience varies and each company is looking for something different based on their own needs. Some people will tell you that the best time to apply is during the summer or holidays since they are looking for seasonal hires while others will say the beginning of the year is the best because businesses are returning to a regular schedule.
“In my opinion, this [before the new school year starts] is the best time to search for part-time jobs for high school, as this is generally when graduated seniors have to leave for college,” Cheng wrote.
Just remember to give yourself as much time and opportunities as possible, do your best, don’t give up and it will be worth it in the end.
“I think it’s important for high schoolers to be able to experience working, even if it is a small job like putting cream cheese on bagels,” Cheng wrote. “It teaches you how to properly value your time, builds your work ethic and forces you to be independent.”
