Internships For High School Students: Getting Ahead in Your Career

By Lily Henderson

We are asked from a very young age what we want to be when we grow up. Our parents and teachers don't really expect us to know what we want to do for the rest of our life, but that doesn't seem to stop them from asking. Most of our answers are far fetched and unrealistic (I think my answer was that I wanted to be a princess). As I got older I really didn't give much thought as to what I wanted to be "when I grew up," not until my freshman year in college was I forced to make the decision to choose a major. At the time I chose nursing because several of my friends had chosen nursing. I never gave it a second thought as to whether or not I wanted to be a nurse. I figured it was wise to go into a profession that seemed to be recession-proof. After graduating with my degree, passing the licensing exam, and began looking for work did I realize that I absolutely had no desire to be a nurse. What had I done? All of this education was a waste. I often wondered, if I had taken more seriously their question of what I wanted to be when I grew up, could I have set forth the motions to get there far sooner than three weeks after college graduation?

Laying the Ground Work

I have been a writer since I was 5 years old. And before I could write the words down I would tell stories for hours to anyone who would listen. Creativity has flowed from my fingers for longer than I can remember. When I had told my mother that I had chosen nursing as my major in college she was shocked. She thought that I would have chosen Journalism, or at the very least, English. But I never thought that it was practical to make a living as a writer. I had heard the term "starving artist" enough time to know that I didn't want to wait until after my death to be recognized for my literary contributions. If only I had laid the ground work beforehand I could have been published before even leaving high school.

The first step is to answer the age old question: what do you want to be when you grow up? Its okay to be unsure of what you want to be, or even to be unsure of what you would excel at. Discovering what you are good at may take some time to figure out. When I took the first few steps from transitioning from nursing to a career in sales, and then to a career in writing, each step was a far greater challenge for me than what it would have been had I prepared myself beter for the future. If I would have taken the queues from my childhood I would have known to begin looking for intership opportunities at the local paper or newsroom, or any place I could have been able to find experience in writing and the publication process.. Interniships are successful in preparing you for your future because it allows you to find your niche, the career field for which you would be most successful.

Opportunity Favors Those Who Prepare Themselves

When planning for your future you will find greater opportunities come your way if you are the one with more experience. The most challenging thing that I found when I first became a writer was that the compitition was stiff. Agencies and Corporations where hiring for entry-level positions and wouldn't even offered an interview to anyone without a portfolio. If this was an entry level position, why was I expected to have enough experience to have a portfolio? Thats when I realized: I wasn't prepared. I had to start from the bottom and work my way up, and "entry-level" was NOT the bottom. Before attempting to apply for another position I began to compile some of my work. I was surprised in the areas in which I already had writing experience. In sales I was often required to create my own marketing collateral. I had even found sales letters I had written that were perfect for my portfolio. It wasn't until I had put together all of my work that I realized that I had already been a writer, I just wasn't getting paid for it directly. I offered my writing services at no charge for a few small businesses in my local area so that I could continue to add to my portfolio. After I was confident that I had the portfolio that might just land me an interview for work as a writer I put myself back on the market, and before I could even get an interview I was hired for my first paying, freelance gig. The snowball rolled down hill from there. I never did land the corporate job, but I have been able to find consistant work for myself, and in this economy, I count that as a success. It was more of a struggle than it needed to be, but that was simply because I hadn't started early enough. I hadn't gotten an intership that would have taught me the skills necessary to advance more quickly in my field.

Volunteer Work is Experience Too

Another great way to find out what it is that you may want to do as a career would be to volunteer. Local orginizations are always looking for someone who can donate some time, and in exchange offer valuable work experience. Any job that involves dealing with the population, whether paid or unpaid, teaches you customer service skills, and fundamental qualification that almost ALL employers look at in a potential candidate.

Volunteering is valuable for more reasons than just the experience that you gain from on-site training. It looks good to college admissions boards as well as potential employers. It allows you to fill your resume with experience, and skills, and provides you with a way to network yourself, long before you are even ready to join the work force.

When planning for your future you must consider the big picture. You don't have to get paid for learning certain skills to be able to reap the benefits of learning those skills. Whether you are working as an intern or as a volunteer the responsibilities that you take on in that position can offer you fundamental skills required to be better prepared in the future. Finding internship programs aren't difficult. You may ask yourself where would be a good place to begin looking these opportunities. High school guidence counselors will have information about internship programs offered to local students. There are even websites dedicated to finding these programs for students as well. You could even talk to your parents about opportunites offered at their place of employment. There are many different programs offered, you just have to take the initiative to put yourself in a position to be better qualified then the compitition that you will soon face when entering the work force.
　
　
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Teen Jobs: Finding Your First Job

By Lily Henderson

In many of my articles I have discussed how to market yourself by using your work history and educational background to secure just the right job. But what about people who have never had a job before? Looking for a job without any work history can seem like a challenge. For teens the idea of finding your first job may not seem that difficult, but many teens find themselves stuck babysitting or lawn mowing waiting to land their first minimum wage job. It may seem overwhelming when you have had no experience in a workplace, have never been through an interview, and don't know how to write a resume, or even if a resume is necessary. You may ask your parents for advice, but do they really know what its like to look for a first job in this economy? It isn't as simple as going down to the corner store and asking for a job, like when they were young. Even the laws are more strict about teens having a job than when your parents were young. Each state varies, but nationally kids between the ages of 14-16 are only allowed to work a few hours a day, and never more than 18 hours a week. Teens between the ages of 16 to 18 can work longer hours, but cannot sell alcohol, firearms, or tobacco. With all of these obstacles, teens find themselves asking, "how do I go about finding my first job?"

The problem that many teens face in this generation is that with a less than booming economy a lot of the minimum wage job are being filled with adults who are willing to earn less money for the sake of bringing in some kind of income. This means that jobs that were generally reserved for teens are now being filled with adults. The national unemployment rate is currently 9.2% which is the highest it has been in decades, but don't be discouraged teens, there are still employers that look to hire only teens.

Where To Find Work

Many employers who hire teens aren't looking for people with years of job experience, they are looking for a body to fill a position so that their business can operate. So who is it that hires teens? Fast Food Restaurants are probably the first thing that somes to mind. When I was a teenager I knew that I didn't want to work a job at a fast food restaurant. I didn't want to come home smelling of griddle grease and fryer oil. So I drove around, looking for signs reading "now hiring" and stopped in and filled out an application. I must have filled out a dozen applications with no luck. After only a few weeks of searching I found my first job, working in the front office of the local roller skating rink.

So, besides fast food, where else do they hire teens? Amusement parks, books stores, casual dining restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters, retail stores, summer camps, and for those who live in or near a rural area, you can even find work as a farm-hand. Liepold Farms in Boring, Oregon hires teens year round to handle the more menial tasks of farming. If you have trouble finding a job just turn to the world wide web, the one HUGE benefit teens of this generation have that even the teens of the most previous generation did not. There are website that specialize in teen employment, and list all the local jobs for teens. Hireteen.com and snagajob.com have a section for teen employment, and soon absoluteknowitall.com will have an entire section dedicated to teens, with help on finding a job, good internship ideas for teens, and preparing yourself for the future. As for anyone who is looking for a job, the key to success is research.

"Do I Really Need a Resume?"

Sometimes when looking for work it doesn't take much research, but it is important to be prepared. Many first time job seekers don't believe that they need a resume, or think that because they have nothing to put on their resume that it is better not to have one at all. This is not true. It is important to have a resume. True, you may not need it to get that fast food job, because they are going to have you fill out their standard application, but being prepared with a resume tells the employer one thing: This job seeker put some effort into finding a job, meaning they will put in some effort into the position when hired for the job. Walking into an establishment with a resume will never hurt your chances of getting the job, so being prepared to present one to the prospective employer is always a good idea.

The question now is what do you put in your first resume? We know that having a printed resume will set you apart from the crowd, even if you have no work experience, because it allows you to showcase the things about you that you want to employer to remember about you. Even if your only experience is babysitting it is important for you, as a teen to list the work you have done. Emphasize the skills you learned, challenges you faces, and solutions you used to overcome these challenges. Think of your resume as an advertisement of you and your abilities, strengths, and work ethics.

The Interview

Now that you have done the research, know where you want to apply, and have some idea on how to display your qualifications, the interview is the next crucial step to obtaining your first job. Appearance is the most crucial element at this point in finding a job. Whether you have decided to get a job at a fast food restaurant or the local mall you must look professional, even for a non-professional job interview. You don't need a suit and tie, but it is important to be well groomed, well dressed, and look presentable. In many cases, teen jobs consist of positions that are the "face" of the business. Who do you see when ordering that extra large bucket of popcorn at the movie theater? Probably the kid from science class who always smells like cheese. But take a look at him now, groomed, in his uniform, being polite and prompt. Why do you think that he was able to secure a job? (And maybe you understand now why he always smells like cheese.)

Following Up

This is probably the most important part of getting a job. Employers are looking for candidates who have the ability to follow up with customers, because it shows a willingness to get involved and be responsible. Always make a follow up call or get in touch with the potential employer. Usually, it's best to wait about a week to make a call, and when you do, make sure to get on the phone with the person who will be hiring. Don't rely on someone else to leave the right message for you.

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