Getting a first job
If you are a teenager looking for first job — explore possible first jobs for teens, then you must prepare yourself to be ready to work. Getting your first job is not only about thinking how much money you will earn or if you would like the job or not, but mainly to build yourself to have more skills and responsibilities which will be very useful in the future at the time you are pursuing your career.
What does it mean to be employed
Employee is a person who is hired to do a specific job for wages or salary and is under the employer’s control. Being employed means you have to follow the process of being hired, understand the roles and responsibilities of your work, and feel the pressure of being a subordinate. It doesn’t sound fun at all right?
Are you ready to work?
So what is the main reason you want to work? Of course money is the main reason, besides having and developing job experiences, skills and knowledge. But Ray Kroc, McDonalds’s founder, once said that “If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours”.
What will you experience if you decide to work?
If you are sure you are ready to pursue a career, then you should understand that you will
- interact with new people with various temperaments
- be responsible with money
- learn completely new things
- do more physical labor for hours
- have very less leisure time
Resources for getting a first job
Sean Covey’s book titled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teen might be a recommended book to read especially for a teenager looking for first job. This book tells you how to deal with pressure from people around you, how to get the right motivation and how to show other people that you can be as effective as how they want you to be. Here is the summary.
- Be Proactive
Take responsibility for your life, for each actions you make and the emotions you feel.
- Begin with the End in Mind
Define your values and goals in life and keep what you stand for in every action you make.
- Put First Things First
Prioritize, and do the most important things first and learn to wait for other things not yet achieved.
- Think Win-Win
Have an everyone-can-win attitude and accept the accomplishments of others.
- Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
Listen to people very well, most people seek first to be understood. By trying to understand others, we can better understand ourselves.
- Synergize
Work together to achieve more. Allow different values so that there will be no “my way” or “your way” but rather a better way.
- Sharpen the Saw
Renew yourself regularly to deal with life better than before in terms of body, brain, heart and soul.
What Employers Look from Job Seekers
The 7 habits to develop above are corresponding to 8 competencies that employers usually look for from candidates, as researched by NACE. The eight competencies are:
- Problem Solving
- Communication
- Team Work
- IT Application
- Leadership
- Work Ethic
- Management
- Intercultural
Awesome, you have read part 1 of 6 Job Hunting Tips for Teens, next part is Jobs Teens Can Get (Part 2: 300 words – less than 5 minutes reading).