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Last month I wrote about how teenagers view their first summer
jobs. If you're going to help your child find that important first
job, here are some things you can do that take into account his
or her normal emotional and developmental needs.
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Start looking early. The best time to look for a summer job
is in the winter or early spring. That's also when you should
begin helping your child clarify what she'd like to get out
of a summer job. Talk about the people you know who might provide
job leads. This may include school guidance counselors, parents'
friends and coworkers, and social service organizations. Remember
that the best summer jobs are seldom advertised.
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Talk about the important parameters of a job well in advance.
Many teenagers will judge a prospective job solely in terms
of the hourly wage. Set guidelines about hours, location, and
types of work ahead of time. If you try to do it after your
child gets a job, you'll have much more difficulty setting limits.
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Don't assume that a summer job has to be full-time. Forty hours
a week may be overwhelming to a beginning worker. If your (and
your child's) goal is to have a positive experience, working
only a few days a week may go a long way in a first job.
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Expect your child to be nervous about the job search and the
job interview. The amount of anxiety that your teenager shows,
especially if you've discussed looking for a job well in advance,
will often let you know if she is ready. A certain amount of
nervousness is normal. But if she appears paralyzed by anxiety,
she's probably not emotionally ready for the experience and
the responsibilities.
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Review with your child what to expect during a job interview.
This phase of the job search causes teenagers a great deal of
anxiety. They are often extremely sensitive about how they come
across to adults, and worry that the slightest flaw will prevent
their obtaining a job. But doing "pretend" or mock
job interviews with your child may do more harm than good. The
problem isn't the interview, but the established parent-child
relationship. In fact, your teenager may well be more nervous
doing a mock interview with you than doing the real thing.
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One good alternative, especially if your child has classmates
who are in the same situation, is to arrange with other parents
to do mock interviews with each other's children. Remember that
you're interviewing for an entry-level job. Concentrate on the
basics. ("Why do you want this job?" "What experience
do you have?" "Why should I hire you over the other
applicants?") Don't forget the request that many teenagers
(and adults, too) find very difficult: "Tell me about yourself."
Also, ask them what questions they'd ask if they were the employer
instead of the applicant.
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Make sure your child considers the possibility that she may
not get the job. Job rejections can be quite upsetting to teenagers.
Children this age—especially those who have been very
successful at school—sometimes view being rejected for
a job as a general statement about their worth. They may show
this directly or indirectly, perhaps by describing the prospective
employer as stupid or incompetent. Help your child understand
that everyone is turned down for jobs and that other employers
won't know that someone else has rejected her.
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Encourage your child to start building a resume. Have your
child tell her employers that one goal she has is to get a good
letter of recommendation for future work. That sets the stage
for a discussion about what's expected of her performance. And
because the turnover of adults who supervise adolescents is
very high, your child should request that letter of recommendation
at the end of the summer, instead of waiting until the next
year's job search.
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