Interview Tips For Teens

The following tips will help teens ace a job interview. Many of the teens I work with in the local high school follow these tips and do well. Some choose to do their own thing, but often find it is harder to find a job. Once you have an interview with someone, you have made your first impression, and as they say, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression!

Appearance

Neatness counts in all areas of life, but especially when appearing at a job interview.Teens should be clean, meaning having showered and washed their hair in the past 24 hours, teeth brushed, and perfume for the girls, or after shave for guys is fine, but not too much. If you are applying for a job working with the public, less is more in the scent department because over powering customers with a strong cologne could cause an asthma attack.

Even though many teens think dressing up is not important for a job interview, and that they will impress the interviewer with their magnetic personality, first impressions do go a long way. The rule of thumb in the world of work, even for teens is no jeans or Tshirts. For girls, dress pants, a nice blouse or sweater, skirt or even dress will do. For guys, khakis, dress pants, dress shirt, and even a tie will do nicely. If the job interview is for a fast food restaurant, a bit more casual is fine, such as khakis and pull over shirt. For girls, make up should be in good taste. Over doing it could turn a potential boss off, especially if the customer will be interfacing with the public.

Prepare ahead

It's always helpful to prepare ahead before going for a job interview. Be a shopper or a customer at the business you hope to be employed at. Check out the different types of positions available within that business. For instance, if applying at a Friendly's restaurant, and you went in for a meal prior to applying, you would be greeted by a hostess, served by a waiter/waitress, a cook would prepare your food, someone in the back kitchen would have washed your dishes so you could eat off clean ones, and on your way in or way out, you might have noticed someone scooping ice cream at the ice cream window. In one business, those are 5 different positions you could apply for. Know which one(s) you are interested in before you apply, or show up for an interview.

If you are applying at a particular store, such as Petco, search online for job opportunities at Petco. You will find that not only do they hire cashiers, but also pet groomers, pet trainers, amphibian specialists, etc.Know what type of position(s) you would be interested in prior to your interview.

What to Bring With You

You should definitely bring a pen/pencil and either a small notebook, or a piece of paper with you. You will need it to take notes on the jobs available, or any information the interviewer gives you that you don't want to forget if you get offered the job. If you have a resume, you should bring it with you, and hand it to your interviewer at the beginning of the interview. It is very impressive to an employer if a teenager has a resume, because most don't. Bringing a resume with you raises the interview up a notch, and puts you in a higher caliber of employee than your peers, right from the start. If you need help with a resume, go to the Career Center at your school and ask for help.

What NOT to bring with you

Do NOT bring your cell phone with you, or if you must to call for a ride home, turn it off before entering the building. Do NOT bring a friend or a parent because it will look as though you are not confident enough to handle going to an interview by yourself. And an employer may think you aren't up for the job as an in dependent worker if you can't even show up for the interview on your own. If you have a child, do NOT bring your child with you to an interview. Although you may think your child is the cutest thing since sliced bread, a future employer will see red flags and be concerned about whether or not you will have the appropriate day care arrangements to make sure you make it to your job.

Interview Session

* Be on time...actually 5 - 10 minutes early is best.

* You need to impress 2 people...the secretary, or person at the front desk, as well as the interviewer. Do not tell them you are going outside for a cigarette, or chat on your phone in front of the secretary while you wait. Your priority should be showing staff and management that you are there 100% for the company. Anything you do while waiting for the interview will be reported to the boss later. Make a good impression.

* Always shake hands with the interviewer when you first meet them, and if more than one person interviews you, shake hands with all of them. Make sure you have a nice firm handshake. Too weak shows you are a weak person and not that interested in the job. Too strong could hurt someone. Practice with a parent or adult friend, teacher first.

* Make eye contact when answering questions and throughout the interview. People who look around the room during an interview seem distracted, and people who look down at the floor too much will seem to have low self esteem.

*Answer questions directly without going into your whole life story. Try not to see "umm" or "like" if possible.

*Be polite. Say, "yes please", or "no thank you" if are offered a cup of coffee, soda, etc. Manners go a long way with a potential boss. They will assume the manners you use with them will be the same manners you display with their customers.

* Take notes. Taking notes during an interview shows you have an interest in the job/company. You don't have to write everything down, just the important points you want to remember later.

* Don't be afraid to ask questions. In fact, be prepared with some questions to ask them at the end of the interview. Use your notebook to bring in some questions because if you go in without anything written down, you may get nervous on interview day and forget what you wanted to ask. Potential employees who ask questions seem much more interested to an employer than someone who sits quietly and doesn't seem as interested. Even if you know the answer to a question because your friend works at the company, the employer doesn't know you know it so you can ask.

* Make sure you thank the interviewer for their time, and shake hands again at the end of the interview.

Questions You May Be Asked

Here are some sample questions you may be asked during an interview. Prepare your answer in advance because these are all standard questions. You will be asked questions during your interview and it's better to think about the answers in advance rather than to arrive and be blindsided.

1) Tell me about yourself.

This doesn't mean your whole life story. It means why do you want the job and what can you bring to the business. You can mention that you are in high school, and why you want the job...always good to mention a goal that you want to earn money for such as for college, to buy a car, etc. Keep in mind that the longer you can stay at a job the more an employer will be interested in you, so saying that you are a senior in high school and are going to the local community college for the next two years after graduation is good information for the employer to know because it means he can probably count on you to work for him for at least the next 3 years.

2) Why should I hire you for this job ( as opposed to the 50 other people that may have applied)

This is your opportunity to sell yourself, without bragging too much. Match your skills to the business or job you are applying for. If you have an interest in fashion and are applying to Kohl's or T.J. Maxx tell them you have an interest in fashion and love the clothes in the store and feel you could be helpful to customers because you are familiar with their lines. If you have no experience but like to work with people, tell them that. If you are applying for a daycare position, and plan to major in early childhood education at college, tell them that, and whatever skills you already have such as babysitting, first aid certification,etc.

If you are punctual, dependable, never sick, can drive yourself to work,etc. make sure you let them know that as well.

3) What are your strengths?

This will all depend on you but for the most part, they are looking for information like some of the above answers such as dependable, never sick, organized, or maybe you have skills in cooking, and are going for a cook's job, or can type 100 words a minute which will be helpful if you are going for a position in n office, etc.

4) What are your weaknesses?

Blurting out all your weaknesses will not do much for increasing your hiring prospects. What you can mention is things that you haven't had experience in...yet, but follow it up with that you are a quick learner. If you haven't used a cash register before, say that. They will be training you anyway, so that's safe. You can also say you do better when trained for a specific job and you pick things up quickly once trained, instead of being thrown into a job not knowing what is expected.

Questions You Can Ask Them

You should always be prepared with questions to ask the interviewer. Here are some examples:

1) Can you tell me what a typical shift might look like in terms of work responsibilities?

2) How many hours are typical in one shift?

3) Can this position lead to other positions within the company ( like a promotion, or chance to work in other departments)?

4) Do you provide training, or how many hours of training do you provide?

5) When can I expect to hear from you regarding this position?

Follow Up

It's always very important to follow up with either a hand written or typed thank you note, or a thank you email. Before leaving the interview, ask for the interviewer's business card so you will have their contact information. They should receive the thank you 24 - 48 hours after your interview with them. The thank you doesn't have to be fancy, just a follow up to let the interviewer know you are very interested, and polite as well!

Here's an example:

Dear Ms. Jones,

Thank you very much for your time during my interview yesterday for the position of cashier. I enjoyed meeting you and hearing about the opportunities at Stop and Shop.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding this position.

Sincerely,

Sarah Smith

Job interviews can be nerve wracking, but the more experience you have with them, the easier they will become.

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