Decent High School Job in Cedar Rapids (Craig: buy, pre-school)

[lusterluck]

To be honest with you i'm not feeling too savvy for my job hunt going on this summer. Does anyone have any good ideas for places to work for a high school aged student? Would rather try to avoid grocery and chain food restaurants as much as I can. It would be great to learning a trade from some mom/pop shop store but having trouble building up the confidence to go in somewhere and ask.

[NLDad]

Well if you don't want grocery or food service, what do you want to do? Something with your hands? The best way is to just start going and asking if they need help. Sell yourself on whatever characteristic you think you birng best suited for them. "Hi, I was just wondering if you needed any part time help. I'm a hard worker and fast learner, do you have a need for anyone right now?" or "...I'm strong and can work hard..." or "....I'm conscientious and courteous and could provide you with great customer service."

You're right, it isn't easy to get started. But it gets easier the more you do it. See if you can go do 4 or 5 of these introductions the first day, maybe 5 or 6 the next etc. Set your expectations low, you may not uncover any jobs the first day, but it's not a reflection on you .

The one thing grocery store and restaurant work do have good for you is that they are relatively easy places for a teen to get into, and they give you that experience. it's always easier to get a better job than to get a first job.

Talk to your friends, do they have jobs you'd like. Good employers often ask their teenaged employees if they have friends who would be good for them.

[lusterluck]

Thanks for the advice.

[Nedibes]

If you have a particular interest or skill, that can help get you started--if you love to play sports you could start with sporting goods stores, if you're a gamer try game stores, etc. If there's a store where you personally buy a lot of whatever, that might be a great place to start; they are likely to know you, and know that you are coming in with a knowledge of their merchandise and customer base.

If your clerical skills are fairly good (you can type, use word processing software, and alphabetize, and sound pleasant on the phone) you might want to try a temp agency--Cedar Rapids has several.

If you have a particular skill (web design, gardening, etc.), you could also try marketing it directly via Craig's List or similar. Just be sure to price yourself competitively given your newness to the field.

You should also try the age-old technique of networking. Let your parents know they can tell their friends that you're looking for a job, as well as parents of friends and maybe some of your teachers/coaches etc. if there are any who you're comfortable asking about this. You increase your chances of getting an entry-level job tremendously if you come with a personal recommendation, and you can decrease the anxiety of 'cold-calling' about positions.

Good luck!

[Meemur]

Do you like repairing computers? You might poke your nose in at the computer repair places. You won't get rich but that would help you learn a trade.

Do you like cleaning windows? You could invest in some supplies and go around washing windows at businesses for cash. Hand out your business card where appropriate.

You might also check at the local public library and see if they need any pages (employees who put books away). That's the lowest level of library work. Once you have some experience, there are higher level jobs.

Lastly, if you go to church, you might check there. Sometimes they have suitable jobs for teens for several hours a week. If there's a pre-school or vacation bible school, sometimes they uses teens to help. Sometimes there's outside work or painting done by the adults and they can use a helper. A lot of that is volunteer but it doesn't hurt to ask and may generate more job leads.

[lusterluck]

Originally Posted by Meemur

Do you like repairing computers? You might poke your nose in at the computer repair places. You won't get rich but that would help you learn a trade.

Do you like cleaning windows? You could invest in some supplies and go around washing windows at businesses for cash. Hand out your business card where appropriate.

You might also check at the local public library and see if they need any pages (employees who put books away). That's the lowest level of library work. Once you have some experience, there are higher level jobs.

Lastly, if you go to church, you might check there. Sometimes they have suitable jobs for teens for several hours a week. If there's a pre-school or vacation bible school, sometimes they uses teens to help. Sometimes there's outside work or painting done by the adults and they can use a helper. A lot of that is volunteer but it doesn't hurt to ask and may generate more job leads.

Nice list of ideas, now I just have to gain the nerves to walk in

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by Meemur

Do you like repairing computers? You might poke your nose in at the computer repair places. You won't get rich but that would help you learn a trade.

Do you like cleaning windows? You could invest in some supplies and go around washing windows at businesses for cash. Hand out your business card where appropriate.

You might also check at the local public library and see if they need any pages (employees who put books away). That's the lowest level of library work. Once you have some experience, there are higher level jobs.

Lastly, if you go to church, you might check there. Sometimes they have suitable jobs for teens for several hours a week. If there's a pre-school or vacation bible school, sometimes they uses teens to help. Sometimes there's outside work or painting done by the adults and they can use a helper. A lot of that is volunteer but it doesn't hurt to ask and may generate more job leads.

Who has ever really liked cleaning windows? That has to be less than 1 in 10,000.

If you're doing a volunteer job, that's an opportunity to receive no money, but spend what money you do acquire elsewhere on gas to get to the volunteer position. If you're not going to get paid, get old books for the college courses you'll be planning on taking and read them over the summer to improve your brain. That will lead to much more rewarding work.