In a teen’s eye, not all teen jobs are alike. Those that are lucky get the jobs in the hippest restaurants. These coveted jobs can be quite lucrative for a high school student in terms of tips earned. Those that are not so lucky perhaps end up working jobs in fast food.
The way they get these teen jobs is quite simple really. Think about it for a minute. When a teen goes out hunting for work, the managers that they talk to will expect pretty much the same thing from the teen. They expect these young people to be lacking in professionalism. In fact, they automatically believe that these young people lack the respectfulness that would typically be found in someone older.
If you really want to snag one of these teen jobs, you have to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack so to speak. Go dressed professionally for the job when you make your application. That doesn’t mean that you have to go dressed in a suit and tie, but it does mean that you probably do not want to make an application for one of these teen jobs with your pants hanging below your waist showing your underwear, or even with your hat on sideways or backwards. In fact, you may not want to even wear a hat at all if you want to be taken seriously and show that you are a respectable and responsible person.
Be respectful when you are in your interview. Speak properly and don’t use slang. If you are interviewing and you are using improper grammar or slang, the interviewer will have little reason to believe that you will be any different when interacting with customers. Teen jobs are not much different than applying for any other job if you were an adult. The primary difference is that certain concessions have been made so that the position is a bit flexible because it is a part-time position. If you go dressed for success, and show confidence and professionalism, then the manager will have little reason to not hire you. The position has after all been set aside as one of the available teen teen jobs. You simply have to show them why they need to hire you. You have to sell yourself to them.
Teen jobs vary from industry to industry. Some will pay better than others, and you certainly won’t go into any job making top dollar no matter what your age. Still, that doesn’t mean that they should pay you a starting wage that is less simply because you are a teenager. If you are able to perform the same tasks as anyone else, and they would start an adult at $8.00 an hour to do that job, then there is absolute no reason that you should have to start at minimum wage.
