MSNBC: Bleak Job Market this Summer for Teens

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<li>Again.</li>
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<p>Where in CT? New Haven area?</p>

<p>i work at dunkin donuts lol. its actually pretty good though because i get tips and free food.</p>

<p>I live in the New Haven area, my twin daughters will be looking this summer, but at 16 might find it as hard as their brother did at that age. He was smart, a hard worker, etc. but would get no response and then see workers (many didn't last) that were rude, inconsistent, etc. get hired instead. When a friend of mine asked a couple of business's why they hired certain workers, they said, they thought they were more apt to stay where my son wouldn't. Seasonal help is not wanted by many, but I'm hoping all my children can find something this summer. My son never missed one day working and was always on time, a trait I hope will help him with references later on. It's just getting someone do give you that first try that is difficult sometimes.</p>

<p>Landscaping and Lawn Care (Yardape) work usually isn't hard to find over the summer. Money is better than minimum wage but the work can be strenuous. A driver's license, clean drug test, and solid work ethic will make you a good candidate, and a lot of folks get hired with maybe one of the previous three.</p>

<p>I have heard that resort areas are looking hard for employees because of new limits on the number of temporary workers from foreign countries. If you don't mind hard work and, sometimes, living in crowded conditions, it can be a solid job that usually ends just in time for school.</p>

<p>Agree with cnp55, both of my girls have worked for the neighborhood family-owned bakery p/t and summers for years. And in this case, the owner pays above minimum wage. Get to know a small business owner, especially at a business your family uses. And network- if that business owner doesn'thave a job, he or she may know someone else who does.
Also, summer camps usually have openings. Check with local Y's, etc.</p>

<p>I work at DQ (been there for 4 years). I make way above minimum wage, tons of tips, and I get to work all alone! Perfect job for me. BTW, I started when I was 14, started working alone at 16. It is possible to find employers who will break laws to hire you.</p>

<p>My daughter interviewed for and got a summer job today! $10/hour Yeah!</p>

<p>I feel like we get this warning every year.</p>

<p>This thread is exactly what I'm looking for. I've never had a job, other than washing cars and babysitting, so I thought I'd take advantage of the summer to get some experience. I can always life guard, but first I'd need to do the training. A club I swim at pays well, but the job seems so boring...I'd like to have something really benfitial for helping me figure out what I'd like to do for a career, like an internship or something.</p>

<p>It's so frustrating...I can't work anywhere because I'm not yet 18!</p>

<p>"A club I swim at pays well, but the job seems so boring...I'd like to have something really benfitial for helping me figure out what I'd like to do for a career, like an internship or something."</p>

<p>In general, people don't get paid internships until they have either considerable education in the field offering the internship (and "considerable education" means that they typically have completed their junior year in college) or have skills at the level of what a person would have if they were close to entering the field.</p>

<p>Typically, the way that you get such skills is by volunteering. For instance, if you wanted eventually to get a job in a computer field, you could volunteer now to design webpages for nonprofits or school clubs; if you were interested in media internships, you could do lots of work --major stories of the award-winning type-- for your school paper or community paper that doesn't pay. </p>

<p>Also, working a job - any job including the boring jobs you're looking down on -- helps demonstrate the kind of self discipline and responsibility that would make employers be open to offering you an internship, something that costs employers a lot in supervision time, not just the salaries they pay. Consequently, it's not easy to get internships of any kind, particularly when one is a high school student. It's not even easy when one is in college.</p>

<p>All of this comes from my former experience recruiting and hiring interns.</p>