He will likely need you to help him jump start his job search so sit down with him and help him develop a job search plan.
There are plenty of sites online which will give him listings and good ideas and he will want to go there first. After all, when you are 16 the internet is home to all information and wisdom. Compared to when we were young and had to check the newspapers and local bulletin boards, the internet is so much more efficient and our kids know how to access this material.
You also have an important role to play in helping him with this important transition from an idle summer student to a working teen. Besides what’s online, encourage him to collect information from friends, neighbours and relatives about their job experiences.
Have him not only look online but tell his friends who have good jobs that he is looking so they can notify him if a job comes available. You can also talk to your friends who may be in workplaces that hire summer students.
You may also have friends who would spend 10 minutes with your child in an information interview to help him determine what he would like to do. This is a valuable experience. It helps your teen learn about job interviews and may give them ideas they never would have developed themselves.
You want to be doing this now before the rush. Students who wait until the last minute are unlikely to find work.
Once they identify some likely prospects the work begins in earnest and for most of our kids, this will be a new experience. Let them know what they might expect in a job interview. Have them practice some basic answers concerning their skills, availability and experience.
Identifying their experience can be a challenge because this is their first job, and employers looking to hire a 16 year old understand that. But think about it, have they done babysitting, cut a neighbour’s lawn, helped dad with major home repairs or been involved in a major project at school? Their experiences do not have to be paid engagements, simply times when their responsibility and accountability were brought into play.
Service Canada has a job bank online but it also offers some important advice for teens. Their site has a section for youth that you and your child may want to visit (youth.gc.ca/eng/home/shtml). Take a look together and go through the suggestions.
There are hints on writing a resume, on preparing for the interview and where to look for jobs.
This is a great time to tell your kids stories about your first jobs. It makes the information personal.
I was interested to see that the site also covers information the teen should not provide until he is actually hired. That would include their social insurance number, driver’s licence number, health card number, and banking information.
The most challenging role for parents is to insist that the child dress professionally for the interview. Even if the job is to be as a dishwasher or in construction, first impressions count.
If he strikes out and can’t find any work, it is time to become creative. Parents in the neighbourhood will be looking for reliable teens to care for their school-aged kids. Lots of parents prefer teen sitters because they are more likely to be active with the kids, taking them places on the bus or to the local park. I recall one sitter we had who loved to bike and he and my son spent some great days biking around the town, having a wonderful time.
Prepare some flyers, deliver them door-to-door and ask to place them in local stores, the library and community centre.
Finding work can be a challenge but with a plan and some forethought it can happen.
Kathy Lynn is a parenting expert who is a professional speaker and author of Vive la Différence, Who’s In Charge Anyway? and But Nobody Told Me I’d Ever Have to Leave Home. If you want to read more, sign up for her informational newsletter at parentingtoday.ca.
