Written by: Michelle Schafer, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What can a 14-year-old learn from looking for a summer job? A lot. And it's never too early in life to learn about the job market.
Last week, I took my youngest son out to drop off resumes at places he's interested in working for the summer. This was his first time looking for work at a company, and he will be building on the community-based jobs he's had over the years. On the surface, it appeared that he was just "dropping off resumes". But he realized fast there is so much more to it. Here are the lessons he learned, which can be applied at any age or career stage:
You need to have a target. He was not interested in working for a large chain, so he focused his approach on smaller, community organizations.
You need to be prepared to talk about yourself. He realized there was a good chance he would get to talk to someone, perhaps the manager. So in the car, we reviewed how he would answer some key questions, like "Tell me about your experience", "why do you want to work here?", and even "What questions do you have?"
Your resume needs to clearly articulate not just what you have done, but your transferrable skills as well. He was surprised to learn why looking after the neighbour's cat could be important when he's looking for work – it shows he's reliable, can follow instructions well, and is responsible for opening and closing the house.
You need to ask your network for help. I have a friend who knows the management at a restaurant my son was interested in working for. I asked him if it would be okay if I approached this friend to have her put in a good word for him – and was delighted when I told him that she agreed to do this. Asking for someone to get your resume into the right hands can be the single most impactful action to get you an interview.
You need to line up your references. He realized he would need to be prepared if a hiring manager called this week, and has reached out to people he did work for who could comment positively on his work ethic and output.
You will likely experience rejection. He got an early taste of this, with some places telling him right away they can't hire him until he was 15 or 16 (and some places not calling him at all).
My son learned a lot about the job market –- and I think was happy his mom is a career coach. A lot of life lessons packed into an afternoon! What job search lessons would you love our youth and young adults to know – to support them as they develop their careers? I’d love to hear below.
Michelle Schafer, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Michelle Schafer is an International Coaching Federation Certified Coach and Facilitator specializing in career transition and leadership. She is the owner and founder of Michelle Schafer Coaching, empowering people to achieve career fulfillment. Michelle has personally experienced two significant career transitions through restructuring and has reinvented herself for new careers both times. She deeply understands the physical, emotional and mental impact associated with a job search. Michelle is passionate about people and inspired by their progress, working with clients at all levels of an organization and across sectors including federal and municipal government, high tech, not-for-profit and financial services. Michelle offers coaching 1:1 in groups and recently was certified in the foundations of team coaching with the Global Team Coaching Institute.
