Get Your Youngster Fit For Work

The job market in 2019 is perhaps more competitive than ever, and as the academic year ends this month, what can you do to help prepare your youngster for the working world and make them fit for work? Whether it is a summer, gap-year job, or a post-college or university job your child is looking for, where do you start?

No matter how old your youngster is, if they are looking for work, whether it is a permanent job or temporary role they will need an eyecatching CV to showcase themselves. A good CV should demonstrate knowledge, experience and passion for a chosen job or career as well as their strengths and examples of where they have been able to prove themselves, for a first job, this could be just at home.

When applying for jobs, work experience is always the biggest requirement, however this is not always possible if your youngster is only 16 and their experience is limited to home or school. This should not put them off, think of examples which can be drawn on – helping siblings or grandparents or being involved with youth groups or clubs – some businesses will also offer 16-year-olds work experience placements.

Social media can be a great way for youngsters to search for job vacancies as well as find career support and advice, they should look to follow the nearest Jobcentre Plus on Twitter, or follow employers that they might like to work for. When it comes to Twitter or Instagram, use hashtags to see what job topics are being shared on social media – look out for hashtags like #jobs, #careers, #employment, and #work.

 
Work Experience

When it comes to work experience and
first jobs, think about roles which your youngster can secure.

Childcare
With so many parents working, when
school is out for summer, the school
holidays can be a challenge to find the
right childcare. If your young person lacks formal childcare qualifications, look at
them helping friends or family with their children, this could be for a few hours in
the day or of an evening.

 Hospitality 
Pubs, restaurant and hotels look at the summer season as one of the busy times
of the year for trade, therefore there are bound to be lots of temporary opportunities for young people. The hours can be long, expect to be busy throughout shifts and be ready to work in a fast-paced environment.

Retail
Shopping centre stores, High Street
shops, and supermarkets all offer opportunities for young people to find employment during the summer months. Although the hours which retailers can provide can often be long or not always desirable due to evening and weekend
shifts, there should be hours for everyone.

CV Top Tips

CV writing should not be a job in itself, it should be a route to a job, so think about the following:

• List past and present achievements, not just duties
• Tailor a CV to the specific role being applied for
• Avoid errors such as poor spelling and grammar mistakes
• Think about the design, make it easy to read and attractive 
• Get the right length of CV, a powerful CV which has impact with a potential
  employer should be no more than two-sides of A4