Resume Writing for Teens

What on earth would a 12 year-old need a resume for? :)

Anyhow, you've probably thought of these things, but here are a few:

• Emphasize skills rather than experience and education since they probably don't have much of the latter two, and highlight skills first on the resume
• Mention any volunteer work, along with work-related transferable skills they've obtained from doing it - e.g. peer mentoring, coaching, fundraising or holding "officer" positions or positions of responsibility in clubs or groups, skills they've obtained from groups like Scouts, etc.  (And don't forget the "soft" skills they get through these, like leadership, interpersonal skills, etc.)
• Hobbies and interests that might help emphasize certain skills

advice

Tell them to have someone else proofread their résumé, as another set of eyes is more likely to catch our errors than our own.

Try this for a cover letter:

I don't think it hurts to give them the ground work for proper prosfessional correspondence early on.  I know people in their early twenties that had trouble putting together a proper resume.  Better they get practice too soon than too late.

Sigh!!! I'm sure resumes won't exist after the Revolution.

I was asked to do this by our local Boys and Girls Club. Somehow they got my number and asked if there was anyone around who could speak to this group of students. If we think the session goes well, I'll be doing another one on interview skills. They offered to pay me and I declined feeling this is the sort of outreach employees at post-secondary institutions should be carrying out.

Boys and Girls Clubs tend to draw children from lower socio-economic backgrounds. I believe this is part of a life skills curriculum. The act of creating a resume can be very empowering and good for your self-esteem and confidence.

That sounds like Grad School.

Ha!  A joke about child labour.  Nicely done.

Actually it was a joke about the company titled you used.  Gradgrind

I thought your resume was meant to be a joke, Al-Q. Sorry if it wasn't.

Now how did this thread become about child labour ?

What do you think teaching 12 year olds from poor families to write resumes is about if not child labour.  I think you are likely a very sincere and loving person so take off your rose coloured glasses and ask yourself are jobs for 12 year olds a priority.

First, try to spell my name correctly, kropotkin1951.

Second, this document discusses regulations around child labour in Canada. see the chart on NB for the jurisdiction I live in.

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/lp/spila/clli/eslc/minage(e).pdf

Third, other than delivering newspapers very few children are employed under the age of 16.

Four, capitalism is by its very nature exploitive.

Five, are you suggesting that helping individuals with job search tools is wrong?

Did you miss the part about this being in New Brunswick.

!. Flaming Spells are lame.

2. I think the regulations should be enhanced not destroyed like in BC.

3. This is not true!!! In BC the story below about what workplaces child labourers are getting injured in BC tells the true story.

4. Agreed that capitalism is exploitive.  I just don't feel that is reason enough for people of good will to help them.

5. I am suggesting that children should not work until they are at least 16 and therefore they don't need resumes at 12.  

Are you suggesting that it is a good thing for children under the age of 15 to work.  If so how about under the age of 12.  Should there be any restrictions after all it will help the family, right?

http://iwocac.ning.com/forum/topics/bc-child-labour-law-among

SPECIAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• able to employ diversions amid difficult conversations

You're welcome.

That's interesting, kropotkin, thanks for posting that.  I guess maybe because I didn't have dangerous jobs as a teenager (basically, babysitting and retail), it didn't occur to me that allowing children to work at age 14 (or younger!) could really put them in harm's way in some jobs.

My son is 11 right now, so I don't have very long before I'm faced with this issue myself in my own life.  So far he hasn't been talking about wanting part-time work, but you never know, he might if his friends start getting jobs (and many kids do get part-time jobs at 13 or older). 

I guess that would be something for all us parents and step-parents to discuss, but I'd lean more towards him not getting any outside job, and instead doing work around the house to earn some spending money.  But then, he has the privilege of parents who can afford to buy him the stuff he wants (within reasonable limits, of course), so it may be easier to convince him that he doesn't need a part-time job than it would be for parents who can't afford much in the way of clothes, shoes, and a bit of spending money for the kids.

It's a conundrum.

Anyhow...although I realize it was raised somewhat facetiously by kropotkin, Caissa, I wonder if that might actually be an interesting thing to cover in your talk, very briefly - something about child labour, or safety in the workplace, since young people are much easier for employers to convince that they HAVE to obey orders and do things that are unsafe at work if they're told to do it. 

I realize that's not exactly what you were asked to do, but it could be very helpful information, and picking safe, non-exploitative workplaces could be considered an important aspect of job search.