Job Search Advice for Teens Looking for Summer Jobs

I know teens just went back to school after the break, but it is not too early to start thinking about summer plans.  The summer plans for many high school and college teens include finding a summer job.  If you have read my blog for the last six years, you know that this time of year is when I start to speaking to teens about the summer job search.

Teens should know there is a lot of competition for summer jobs in a bad economy.  Although employers are hiring in greater numbers than they have in the last few years, teens still need to think about the old adage - the early bird gets the worm.  The summer job worm that is.  These articles will help you or your teen get an early start on the summer job search.

Teens Looking for Summer Jobs Should Write Cover Letters Too
Why American Teens Need Summer Jobs
How Summer Jobs can Impact a Community
4 Steps for Teens to Get a Summer Job in a Government Agency
Looking for a Summer Job?  Government Agencies Hire Students
5 Ways Teens Can Shine in the Summer Job Interview

What do You get from a Job Besides a Paycheck

Great post by Paul Crowley from Recruiting Blogs.

His article takes you step by step through some of the questions you really need to ask yourself about your work and what you do for a living.  Some of the questions are particularly appropriate when you are trying to make a decision about a new job or new assignment. 

If you are at a career crossroads ask these questions.  Some of the questions Paul Crowley encourages you to ask:

Does this role provide the opportunity to develop my career?
Is the work I am going to be doing marketable?
Are the companies values and corporate philosophy in line with mine?

Read the entire blog post to learn more about what the answers could reveal about the prospect of longer term career satisfaction with the job.   

How to Find Good Career Advice on the Internet

The internet has EVERYTHING!

In fact so much stuff is floating around in cyberspace, it is hard to keep track of what is real and what isn't.  One of the things career management folks talk about all the time is when job seekers preface comments with, "I saw on the internet that I should do this or that..."

The same advice teachers give to students sometimes about being leery of internet sources, is the same advice I will give here.  This advice on how to find good career advice on the internet is not new.  I wrote about it in an article here, but wanted to summarize the tips for the BullsEye blog:

When sifting through career information on the internet:
- Still ask other real people you know or are connected to through networks for recommendations

- Read online endorsements or testimonials or the career professional online such as through a LinkedIn profile

- Check out their tweet timeline on Twitter if they have a twitter account. What kind of advice do they offer?
- Check out their their career blogs for longevity and current information.
- Look at how someone is connected on the internet.
- Use links from a trusted source.  For example check out the list of BullsEye Faves.
- Find information relevant to your career niche or needs.  
- Look closely at what qualifies them to be a career professional. Be careful of the certifications. They are everywhere and sometimes not worth the paper they are printed on!


Read How to Identify Free Good Career Advice on the Internet

Land a Job on the Top 10 List of Hard to Fill Jobs with a Vo-Tech Degree

Have you seen this list of the Top 10 Hardest to Fill Jobs in the U.S.?  It might surprise you that many of the jobs on the list requires vocational training or an Associates Degree that you can complete in eighteen to twenty-four months.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, becoming a Machinist requires vocational training, on-the-job training or an Associates degree.

The Top 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill in 2011 were identified in the annual Manpower Talent survey as:

• Skilled Trades
• Sales Representatives
• Engineers
• Drivers
• Accounting and Finance staff
• Information technology staff
• Management and executives
• Teachers
• Secretaries and administrative assistants
• Machinist and machine operators

Many of these positions from Skilled Trades to Machinists and Machine Operators require an Associates degree which you can get from a good Vocational training or career training program in twenty four months or less.   

Read How to Land One of the Jobs on the Top 10 Hardest U.S. Jobs to Fill to get six additional tips on how to get one of these jobs.

The Types of Tech Jobs President Obama Wants

Payscale.com says there are three kinds of tech jobs that President Obama wants to fill.  These are tech jobs in Science and BioTech, Software Engineers, Professional, Scientific & Tech Services and Engineers.

In the most recent state of the union address, you probably heard the President speak about these millions of jobs globally that Americans can't fill.  Why?  Our workforce just doesn't have all the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills our industries need.  

We can change that.  Check out the article from Payscale.