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By Annabelle Cotterman
As we get older, money becomes a major part of our lives; by our teens, we start to understand that we should think more carefully about our purchases. It becomes, “Do I have enough to go out with friends? How much will this cost? Can I afford to do this?” I am no exception, especially as my peers and I get closer to graduating. We have begun fundraising for a senior group trip, and college starts to become a more and more common conversation.
Somewhere during those conversations, I started contemplating if I should do more than just a bunch of side businesses and get the average high school job. It felt like I was falling behind, as if not having an official title, paycheck, or workplace made me a loser. It was only when I did some deep diving on jobs that would suit me that I discovered a lot about job searching that nobody really explained before; thus, I feel you should be let in on what I have learned too.
First of all, if you are just interested in local jobs that hire teens, they are listed at the bottom (from a previous email sent out from counselors), but be aware that it’s a listing of places with minimum hiring age, addresses, and websites - in short, there is not a website listed for each location. So if you want to know if a specific place still has an opening for the job you want, look at the websites (typically you need to scroll to the very bottom) or ask one of the workers at the location in person.
Pre-Job Search Basics
Make sure you have your working papers from the counseling office. I know you’ve heard this probably around a thousand times, but you will hear it a thousand times more because it’s that important.
Have a professional email and voicemail set up - No employer wants to message “Catlover89@gmail.com” or hear an insulting greeting when their call is sent to voicemail. They will not only cringe, but they will also be less likely to hire you; teens are already getting labeled for having immature reputations in workplaces. Do not feed them more reason not to hire you!
Make sure to tell your references that they should be expecting a call or text from your possible employer. This will make it less likely that the call is ignored as spam, and let your references know to have a little speech about how well you are prepared for your possible employer.
While on the topic of references, don’t choose a fellow peer to be a reference. Interviewers are looking to hear from people who were your managers or higher up than you to get an idea of your work ethic. Don’t choose a teacher or a coach who you know has nothing good to say about you as a reference. Don’t choose anyone who you know doesn’t know you well or knows you too negatively to be your reference. And if you can’t find a single coach, religious leader, teacher, manager, volunteer leader, or any other possible person higher than you to say anything positive about your work ethic or you in general, you might want to start rethinking a few things about yourself.
Resumes should look professional. Most of you know the baseline of what’s recommended on resumes (names, past places of employment/experience, some extracurriculars/skills, a photo of yourself, etc.), but I recommend bolding and enlarging text headlines, choosing a good font (nothing too quirky like a dramatic cursive font), and laminating the resume. Just giving it a nice clean look can make a big difference between any candidate and a noticeably better one.
Know the rules behind your working age! I cannot emphasize enough the number of times I have seen people apply for jobs and then be told mid-interview that they wouldn’t fit the position’s work hours because they didn’t know the regulations were insane. For example, sixteen- to seventeen-year-olds require written permission from their guardians allowing them to work past 10 pm in NY State, as well as proof of satisfactory academic standing from their school. Rules vary for different jobs; for example, some might not allow people below the age of sixteen to work during school days. Look up the rules your job has for your working age! (See the links at the end of this article on New York State’s general rules about minor work hours.)
Jobs that say they hire younger teens often only hire one or two of them. Many employers do this because teens are consistently less reliable than older age groups, but they still want to give teens a chance to have work experience (or maybe so they could have people more likely to be easily bossed around… but that’s a separate topic). So, in short, even though your position doesn’t seem competitive, just assume it is, because jobs rarely want the majority of their staff to be young teens.
Possible Non-Traditional Side Job Routes
You don’t need a cashier job. You do not need to work at a fast food restaurant. I am not saying those are bad jobs, but if you know you want to pursue an internship that could help with your future career choice or a small business that you think would do well, try going a bit in that direction and see if it works out.
Find a skill you have and make it into something. For example, I am good with basic website coding and used that skill to format a website weekly for my church (which made almost $40 a week for only around 5 hours of work). If you’re good at something, find an area or group of people who would be interested in paying you for said skill. Just make sure you check out supply and demand before going too far into it. I recommend seeing how much time you have to commit to the business before starting, how far you want to take it, how much it would cost to start, and if you would be willing to buy/hire someone from the small business you created if you were in the consumer's shoes.
Internships are also a good route for some. If you know you are interested in a certain career, this is a good way to go, as it can be used to showcase your experience in the field later when you get older. Just make sure you look into the descriptions of the one you apply to; for some, you get paid, some are unpaid, or it’s such a special program that you have to pay for in order to be a part of the internship.
So if you think you’d be able to make a good profit from a skill set you have, or think you’d benefit more from specific fields of work training, go for it.
Interview Stages
Know. The. Company. If it’s a cashier job at a random grocery store, then that’s fine, or anywhere really basic where you could guess what the company is about, it’s fine. But don’t be that one person who doesn’t know why they’re there. Don’t go applying to some high-end job that is very competitive and look stupid for not knowing what the company even does or is involved with, as it will impact your ability to get the job. They will notice.
Speak and dress appropriately. As I’ve said before, teens are already labeled as immature people in workplaces. This is mostly due to coming off as arrogant, entitled, or treating workplaces and employers as if they were at a peer gathering. This label can also be attributed to stereotypes of being an adolescent. Either way, you must show up already looking like the interview is to be clearly different than an average interaction. Avoid overly cropped, ripped, or baggy clothing, and any sleepwear or slippers. Refrain from cursing, and avoid using filler words such as umm, like, or uhh to seem more put together in your speech. Simply pause when unsure of your next words, and resume once the thought comes back to not only seem more confident but also give your brain time to fully think without feeling the need to fill in the silence while having to think of what to say next. If you already walk into the interview showcasing from your manner that you are taking it seriously and that it is important to you, they will associate you with positive traits.
Your interview starts the second you walk in the building. If the interviewer ends up placing you under consideration, they will ask people who you saw inside if you did anything that stood out. I am not saying to go around the building greeting everyone, but do not spend time being sassy to custodians or other staff about waiting longer past the appointment time. Refrain from showing any signs of impatience towards the staff. The last thing you need is to be taken out of consideration just because you decided to be rude to others around you. Simply check in to confirm your presence, smile, and follow their instructions.
Arrive early (plan to leave arrive at least 15 minutes before the interview is to start) because again, teens are already stereotyped as bums who want to be lazy and late all the time. Everyone already hates people being late to important events; you cannot afford to have an added negative bias in your interview. Also make sure to bring some paper to take notes on, as taking notes about the job status on a device might seem like you're getting distracted. (You do not need another “screenager” stereotype from a boss.)
During The Interview
If they offer water, drink, anything, you use this as a chance to use manners. Say yes, or say no, but use please and thank you. They are really seeing if you think of being polite subconsciously when off guard, not if you are thirsty.
Act confident to seem confident. Sit up straight and take up some space in the world. Shake hands and make eye contact. Say more than one word in your answers; they can’t remember someone if you acted like bugs would spill out of your mouth every time you talked. Have a personality, maybe some light humor, but your goal is to be something that sticks in their brain. Showcase that you do not still need a parent figure around to help you with everything and can carry yourself somewhat.
DO NOT BAD MOUTH ANYONE. They do not care if your last boss made you go without pay; they do not care if your coworker decided to throw your phone in the trash. They aren’t a judgment-free therapist; they are thinking of all the reasons you could be trying to make the other person seem bad: “Did they really treat them that way, or do they not want me to find out how terrible of a worker they were for their boss?” Assume they won’t automatically side with you because they most likely won’t.
I will be real with you: you are your own PR team. You could have been the most bland person there, but if you find a way to word your experiences in a way that sounds interesting, you will definitely be better off than most. Your new weakness is working too hard and prioritizing work too much.
BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR AVAILABILITY. Nobody wants the awkward moment of going up to your manager and taking back something you said in an interview to get picked. Not only will that be a very low blow, but it will also let the interviewer know to warn others about how you are unreliable with being clear about your schedule. Your employer isn’t required to know where you are outside of work hours, so don’t give unnecessary information that could impact their viewpoint of you. For example, don’t talk about how you go to your family's beach house every weekend; instead, list the times that wouldn’t work for you and your personal life.
After Interview
More manners should be used: “thank you for your time,” and push in your chair, cleanly pack up your stuff (if you brought anything). Additionally, if they ask if you have questions, the answer is yes! You want to be remembered, and so many people avoid asking a question at the end, which means if you ask a good question your chances of being remembered increase significantly. Some examples of good or deep questions are “If I were to get this job, what is one thing in this interview that I could have done differently?” or “What is one thing most people who get or are in the job often do wrong that I should look out for?” It is also very important to ask when you should hear back about the results of your interview.
Job opportunities for teenagers in Buffalo, NY:
Most Often Hiring:
Spot Coffee and Tim Hortons - Cashiers, food and drink preparation
Tops - Cashiers
Websites That Showcase Job Listings:
Places that are hiring, minimum age, and website for said place (Provided by counseling)
https://www.indeed.com/q-teen-l-buffalo,-ny-jobs.html?vjk=f60a92b4a6b1559a
Small Business Ideas:
Babysitting
Snow shoveling and lawn mowing
Coordinated bake sales
Selling fancy trinkets or cards - Recommended around holidays
Website making for other businesses
Graphic Designing
Sources:
https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/young-employees-too-immature-at-work
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-rise-of-childish-workplace-behavior/
https://dol.ny.gov/hours-work-minors
https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2026/03/p882-1-26-26.pdf
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