Getting Your First Job (When No One Has Hired You Yet)

Job hunting advice is usually written for adults with work histories. A first job search works differently, and honestly, more simply: the places that hire teenagers and students hire a lot of them, expect thin resumes, and mostly want to know that you'll show up when scheduled and be decent to customers.

• People you know. Most first jobs arrive through a friend who works somewhere, a neighbor who needs help, a cousin's manager. Tell people you're looking; that one sentence does more than ten applications.
• Walking in and asking. Restaurants, grocery stores, and shops still hire people who come in, ask for the manager, and hand over a resume. Go at a slow hour, dressed neatly, and ask when they usually hire.
• Your school. Counselors hear about jobs constantly, and if you're college-bound, work-study is a job built into your aid package. The Opportunity Finder lists paid programs and internships we've verified.
• Hiring seasons. Stores staff up in October and November for the holidays; pools, camps, and parks hire in spring for summer. Applying a month before the season starts puts you ahead of the rush.

1. 1If you're under 18, check whether your state requires a work permit (often called working papers). Many do, and your school's front office usually issues them.
2. 2Set up a professional email address: some version of your name, nothing else. You'll use it for every application and it's free.
3. 3Know your real availability, including practices, family duties, and rides. Writing honest hours on the application prevents the schedule fights that get first jobs quit or lost.
4. 4Have your documents ready for when you're hired: Social Security card or birth certificate, and a parent's help for anything that needs a signature.

Federal law also caps hours for 14- and 15-year-olds: during a school week, no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours total; when school is out, up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week, and work must end by 7 p.m. during the school year (9 p.m. in summer). At 16 the federal hour caps drop away, though some states keep their own.

Pick a handful of places you could actually get to on time, and give each application real attention: every field filled, availability honest, and the one-page resume attached even when it's optional. About a week after applying, follow up once, in person or by phone: your name, the job, and that you're still interested. Managers hire the applicant they remember.

A reference is just an adult, not related to you, who can honestly say you're reliable. Teachers, coaches, club advisors, and volunteer supervisors all count. Ask each one before you list them, tell them what job you're applying for, and thank them after. Two or three is plenty.

Getting a first job is mostly a numbers-and-neighbors game: tell everyone you're looking, apply carefully to a few reachable places, follow up once, and have your papers ready. When the offer comes, read it with your eyes open, and expect your first paycheck to be smaller than the math in your head.