Jobs for students and teens

Summer is almost here, and your teen wants (or maybe you want them) to get a job. Long gone are the days of our youth when working in a fast food restaurant, movie theatre (that was mine), or camp counselor are the only options. Today’s teens are very web savvy and have online job options available to.  First check your state laws on age requirements and then get a resume together. How can I prepare a resume when I have no experience you ask? Easy, focus on your school and volunteer accomplishments. Your resume should include a skill set: such as types 45 wpm, good communication skills, tech savvy, etc. Be sure your resume includes your full name, address, telephone, cell if applicable and email address. Please have a professional sounding email, I prefer first initial and last name, but no matter what stay away from daddy’s girl or sugarbaby type names. Free email accounts can be found at Gmail, Yahoo, and several others. Then focus on leadership activities, list those under the heading of leadership activities. Are you an AP/Honors student who has straight A’s and perfect attendance since elementary school, put it down. Did you volunteer at your church’s vacation bible study last summer? Maybe you just stepped up for a leadership role on the football team, or you edit the student news letter, put it down. Then gather a list of professional references, people who can support these strengths and accomplishments. You do not need to list the references on your resume, just have them ready, if requested. Be sure to contact these individuals and request their permission to use them as a reference.

Now you’re ready for your job hunt. Analyze what your skills are, and which of those can translate into work. You can apply to the traditional summer jobs of camp counselor, life guard, fast food cook, but here’s a few more options:
Can you write? Here’s a list of site that hire writers on a contract basis:
http://www.epinions.com/
http://www.suite101.com/freelance_writing_jobs  
http://www.softwarejudge.com/rules
http://www.helium.com/

Can you tutor, try these jobs:
http://www.tutor.com/apply/become-a-tutor
http://www.justanswer.com/expert.aspx
http://www.studentquestions.com/
http://www.aim4a.com/tutors.php
https://www.wyzant.com/tutorsignup.aspx  

Great speaking voice, try this one:
http://voice123.com/web/common/register_talent.cgi

Maybe you just want to branch out on your own and blog, try http://www.blogger.com/home  
Perhaps you have great technical skills try: http://www.odesk.com/w  they allow you to bid on a host of freelance jobs, many of these are age 18 and over though.

Try selling on E bay: http://www.ebay.com/

You can market your own talent via Facebook, MySpace, and other networking sites or on Craigslist,  use the common sense guidelines when furnishing personal information, and when in doubt ask your parent or other responsible adult. Can you play a musical instrument well enough to teach someone? Can you create a web site, or freelance other graphic arts type work? All of these talents can be marketed into an income.

Some of these jobs have age requirements, and all should be researched. Follow common sense guidelines of never paying money to find a job; do not provide your personal information, such as date of birth and social security number before verifying the legitimacy of the job. Do a search here on my blog for more tips on avoiding scams. Feel free to post a question, and I’ll be happy to answer. Have a great summer with some extra spending money in your pocket.

Check back soon when I’ll post more online options for teens.