A guide for a traveling sixteen year old: How to get a job

So, hello all you other young people out there who are in need of jobs! You may be wondering “How did she get a job that quickly, especially when she’s traveling, and when she’s just sixteen, with no experience?” Well, I’m here to give you guys some good tips to get you on the right track to getting a great job quickly. This may seem a little cheesy, but if you know me, I’m naturally cheesy, so get comfortable, and get a notebook, and a pen, pencil, whatever kids right with these days, and get ready to write down some tips!

Monday Morning: Application day

So, Monday morning, I woke up a little later than usual, but so what right? It’s summer, I like to sleep in, and when I have no school, there’s no reason I really need to wake up early right? NO! I got a text, from my beloved mother, at seven o’clock, and she sent me an instructional video, that she had made, that morning, on how to apply for jobs. Not only that, I came down stairs, phone in hand to show her what she sent me, and she handed me a stack of application forms, telling me we should practice, as a school project. Welcome to the life of a new sixteen year old, right?

I spent my breakfast and early morning, filling out fake applications, with her hovering over my shoulder, watching me fill out my tax forms, and giving me addresses, my social security number, which I barely even knew I had one, and helping me reset my bank account password, because as a sixteen year old, I forget all those minor details, but anyhow, back to those forms.

After I finally finished filling out all those forms, and after I ate my meager breakfast, she sent me up the stairs, notes and addresses in hand, to go get my bag. I run upstairs, grab my bag, make a list of places to apply at, and then she sent me out the door, with a farewell kiss, wishing me luck. So there I was, with my bag in hand, my list of notes and addresses in the bag, and the bike I was going to have to ride miles that day. Yay, what fun I was going to have! (as you can tell, I was being sarcastic, I was scared to death, I mean, who wouldn’t be when it’s their first time applying for a job, and they are by themselves?)

But anyhow, I got on my trusty rusty bucket of a bike, and started on my long, hot, treacherous journey to the first place on my list , the Tropical Cafe, because, I mean, who wouldn’t want to work at a smoothie shop right?

I get to the shop, and I’m sweaty, and nervous, not really a great combination for asking to be hired, but hey, I’m a newbie at this, just bear with me! I walk in, telling myself that I’m confident in myself, and I couldn’t stop singing the song from the sound of music, “I have confidence in me”. A good song to get stuck in your head when your going in for applying for a job. Here’s a great tip that I learned from my first try, you need to be confident in yourself, and when you tell yourself your confident, even when your not, it really does help!

So I walked in, and I asked the person at the cash register if I could get an application, and I asked if they were hiring. Turns out, they were in desperate need of help, and they would absolutely give me an application to fill out! I sat down, and I filled out my application. A tip for trying to get a job guys, you want to practice filling one out before hand, and write down notes before hand as well, so that you will know what to do, and know what to write down, so that you can get it right the first time. Another tip, be open to anything, and be willing to work. If your maybe future employer sees that you have a good attitude, and are willing to work, they will more likely give you a job then if you came in, dragging your bad attitude behind you, and slamming the door on your way out. You need to smile, show your happy to be there, and be open and helpful. This will give you a great first impression, and will show them that you are a willing and hard worker!

Another tip, when you go and apply at different jobs, what I learned is to apply at a few different jobs at once, even if you find one that you think will work, or who hired you on the spot. You want to apply to as many jobs as possible, to give you more choices, so that your not stuck with a job you don’t end up liking. I did this, and I’m really glad I did, because only one of the three to four places I tried applying at actually accepted my application.

So after getting my application filled out, I tried a few other places, and I put in applications there as well. I didn’t end up getting calls from any of the places, which is expected. Tip: When you are applying for a job, you should call them, not have them call you, because most likely they will forget, or lose your application, or just not have the time in general. You need to make the time to talk with them, and get yourself the job, you can’t wait on others to remember. They lost my application the first time, so if I wouldn’t have come in again or called them, they would have forgotten and would not have contacted me. I went in again, and I asked again when I could start, and asked about my hours, and they said they would call me back today, which they have said many times. Best thing to do is call them and remind them, it isn’t rude, they should expect to be reminded if someone wants the job. Don’t be afraid of being rude, just go for it, it will show them you really want the job, and that you have perseverance.

For all those teens or people who are looking for jobs right now, my main tip to everyone is to go out, and try! You need to work hard for what you want. If you want a job badly enough, you will go out, and show that you want one. Go ask people if they are hiring, go in person, online isn’t efficient. Going in-person will show them that you are willing to go places and make things happen to get a job, and they like to meet you in-person first as well, because a first impression is everything!

Thanks so much for reading this blog post guys, and I hope this helps you all on your ‘finding-a-job’ journey!