Mar 8, 2012

Helping Your Child Find Work

One of the most important lessons a teenager can learn is that money doesn’t grow on trees – or from their parents. Finding their first part-time or casual job can be an important step for a young person. It’s a chance to kick-start their working career and put something solid on their resume. It’s also a chance to gain maturity and learn responsibilities, meet new people and manage their money. But how do you help your young one find work?

1. Create a Resume

Putting together a resume is essential for anyone, especially when applying for jobs. Your child may need your help and experience for this. Use a Microsoft Word template to help make it look professional and include as much detail and information as you can. Don’t be deterred by the fact that your child doesn’t have any work experience, as this isn’t a pre-requisite for most junior jobs.
Some things you could include are:
· education details
· school subjects
· sport activities
· extracurricular interests
· special achievements

Ensure that the resume reflects your child’s positive and dedicated attitude to work. Also include any references or letters from superiors or teachers that could help their credentials. A 2-page resume is usually fine.

2. Ask Around
As an adult, you probably know lots more working people than your child does. Ask your friends, neighbours and colleagues if they are looking for any ‘junior’ help. You might have a friend who needs help with office duties or an acquaintance wanting an extra hand at the warehouse.

3. Junior Positions
As we all know, lots of retail and fast-food outlets employ juniors, including McDonalds, KFC, Hungry Jacks, Red Rooster, and so on. It’s a good place for your child to get some experience, build their
customer service skills and it can also lead to more ‘serious’ jobs. Check any regulations regarding age and send off a resume. Make sure you ask your child to follow up with a phone call to demonstrate their enthusiasm.

4. Browse Job Ads in Your Local Area
Browsing for jobs in your local paper is a good way of finding out what’s available.Retail stores also often advertise casual positions in their shop windows, so keep an eye out while you’re shopping or picking up dinner. If you’re a dedicated parent, you can always carry a few resumes around with you and hand them in when you spot something.

If you have to drive your child around, finding a job locally is useful. It’s easy to spend 5 minutes driving them to and from work, but a job 30 minutes away could become an inconvenience for you.

5. Figure Out Their Passions

If your child is particularly passionate about something, consider finding them work in their desired area. For example, if they love art, could they work in a store selling
art supplies? Or if they’re into sport, perhaps they can get a job helping to coach young kids? Or if they like fashion, perhaps their ideal job is in a clothes shop? There are lots of options and finding something your child is into will usually mean they’re more keen to work.

6. Volunteer Work

If it’s not all about the money, volunteering is a great way to develop a child’s work ethic. It can be very rewarding and gives them a chance to enhance their social skills and boost their confidence. Volunteer work can be for a non-profit organisation, a charity or church, or a nursing home.

7. Working at Home
If your child is not quite ready to enter the workforce, they might be able to develop their responsibilities by working at home. This could be as basic as doing chores for pocket money, like lawn mowing, cleaning or babysitting. If you work from home, they might be able to help with your office filing or other duties that can teach them simple responsibility and money management.
image:ehow.com

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