5 Summer Job Hunting Tips for Teens

If you are looking for a summer job or the parent of a student hoping to find a summer job, use these job hunting tips for teens.

Start Looking Early

One of the most important job hunting tips for teens is to start early. If you are still in high school, you might be thinking that now is too early to look for a summer job and you would be wrong. Many employers are already starting to think about what their needs will be for summer employment and are even starting to think about staffing schedules. Water parks and amusement parks which offer great summer outdoor job opportunities for teens, are already posting their jobs.

Look for Seasonal Jobs

Many places like water parks, botanical gardens, amusement parks, music festivals, zoos and even your local YMCA take on additional staff in the summer. Many of these facilities hire teens who are looking for summer jobs. The earlier you start applying the better off you will be.

Write a Resume

You may be thinking that as a teenager looking for a summer job, you do not need a resume. However, in a competitive economy and a tight job market, I would rethink that strategy and get a resume completed as soon as possible. Visit the career or counseling office at your high school or college campus for samples to help you get started. Having a resume can really set you apart as you start to look for summer employment. For example, let's say you visit the local YMCA and they are not quite ready yet to hire, one way to impress the manager is to leave a copy of your resume with your phone number and email. Use our free resume feedback tool.

Network with Friends and Family

If you are looking for job search advice online, you will see the word "network" many times. Some teens don't really know what that means and think they have to start looking for this special group of people to help with their job search. Not correct. You already have a network and just don't know it. Parents, aunts, uncles, coaches, friends at school or in social clubs are a part of your network. Tap into that network early, before everyone else starts to ask for jobs. I landed my first job at 16 because my friend's mother was a marketing executive for a company that was looking to launch a new product. You can do it too.

Clean up Your Social Media Profile

Today's teens are super active on social media including TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.  By the time you read this, there may very well be new platforms that are popular among teens.   If you don't know it by now, employers do look people up on social media.  Just take a quick trip through your social media pages and make sure there is nothing there that will let an employer think twice about hiring you for a summer job. If you use a different name for your social media, then you don’t have to worry about this!