Searching for Perfect Teen Jobs

Just because you are a teen doesn’t mean you can’t find a good job that could either help you through school or get a few extra bucks for your various hobbies and needs. So keeping that in mind, we have shared a few tips in the following paragraphs on landing a great teen job.

Labor Laws

First and foremost, you have to follow the law in all its various forms, including those that govern teen employment across the different states. Teens who are hired to do non-farm work will have to be at least fourteen years of age before they are allowed to work. But you will have to do a little research in your state of residence in order to obtain updated information on the latest laws and regulations.

Generally, teens who are 14 to 15 years of age are allowed to work only three hours per day, and eighteen hours a week. When there are no classes and during summer breaks, the number of hours may be increased to eight hours per day (40 hours per week). Something else to keep in mind is that any job done by teenagers in this age bracket is must end no later than 7:00 PM during school days and 9:00 PM during summer breaks.

Employment documents

In several states, when an individual has not attained the age of eighteen, it is necessary for him/her to obtain working documents which are known, officially, as Certificate of Employment or Age to be allowed to work legally. Schools are good venues for a student to acquire these important papers.

The Department of Labor offers such a service also but it is necessary to browse the certification list for Age or Employment to know which rules apply to you. Your school’s Guidance Office can be of great help in this area.

Also your state office will assist greatly if you are directed to the Department of Labor. Some states such as New York, for instance, have special web site sections on Youth Jobs, which will provide the information and documents a student is required to have.

Fantasy jobs

Make sure you take a job you can maintain interest in. For example, you might want to consider after-school programs and working with kids; or you may want to work part time on the beach, at recreational facilities, zoos or other areas.

The important thing is that you choose a job that you enjoy and can perform to the best of your abilities. It is very important that you do your best in your job and pick one you truly enjoy, as your experience with this job could be instrumental in your future career.

Job search

Another excellent resource is your high school guidance counselor who may be able to assist you with finding a part-time job that is just right for you. Aside from having contacts among local businesses, s/he may also be able to help you evaluate which jobs you will enjoy and excel at.

It is also a good idea to tell everyone you know that you are looking for work. Don’t underestimate your network of family, friends and acquaintances because they may very well have other networks of acquaintances that can help students find good or great teen jobs.

Matching Your Skills to Appropriate Jobs


Know your skills

Skills refer to the things you do well or the tasks you perform well; so for example, someone who writes well can be described as having good writing skills. It follows then, that a key to finding the most appropriate job in a given industry is to recognize and understand your own skills and communicating their significance – written as well as verbally – to a probable employer.

A majority of the most viable skills are those that are most used in various types of work settings. What are these skills? Would you be successful matching your skills with the job being offered in order to find the right job?

Determine your skills. This will help you in becoming the lead candidate for landing your ideal job. A skill does not necessarily have to be something that was adapted in a work environment. If this would be your first job hunt and you have no job experience to date, you still have a chance in the industry.

Hobby skills help

In more cases than not, skills – including knowledge-based and transferable – could be absorbed and developed as a volunteer, a student, a homemaker, or in many of your other personal activities. The skills you have used for these activities can still be applied to your desired job.

Organizing and listing your personal skills could help you easily fill out job applications, provide useful information for job interviews, and prepare quality resumes. First, you should categorize these skills by separating your interests and aptitudes from your work experience.

Aptitudes & interests

Aptitudes and interest include all of your hobbies, activities in which you have been involved in the past, and all the things that interest you. By making a list of these qualities, you could examine the skills it takes to achieve each item.

Skills from aptitude and interest may be homemaking, playing basketball, fixing cars and others. All of these items could determine if you are capable of working with a team; able to handle multiple tasks; have viable knowledge of human development; have knowledge of electronics and the ability to diagnose mechanical and numerical problems. The list goes on, but make sure to consider the skills that would be most appropriate for a working environment.

Work history

Work history includes volunteer, part-time, freelance, summer and full time jobs. Once you have listed all your past employment and the duties carried out in those positions, examine the skills you utilized to perform those duties and how they will relate to the new job.

Ask for help. As soon as you have your list ready, you could now go to job services that could help you acquire your desired job. You could also search the job yourself. However, always remember to match the skills and abilities in your list to the needed skills and abilities of various jobs.

In most cases, people who seek jobs are threatened with job titles. This should not be the case because as long as your skills and abilities are adequate enough to meet requirements of the workload and job title, the possibility of acquiring your desired job increases.