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Teenagers all think they are ten feet tall and bullet proof and that is the attitude that makes them very vulnerable in the workplace. Especially when the adults are encouraging them to prove how "adult" they are.
I was not trying to be facetious I was trying to be helpful for these kids. I don't get why a poor kid going to a charity that is supposed to be fun has to learn to write a resume at 12. Where's the fun in that. I have this weird idea that childhood should be a fun time for children.
Caissa, sorry, but you can't stop babblers from offering their opinion on this topic, even if they deviate a bit from what you said you wanted to hear. That's the way it is here.
I agree with kropotkin that no one at age 12 should have to work at jobs that are so "serious" that you need resumes to apply for them. That sort of work should be left to adults. Heck, even most part-time retail jobs that 14 and 15 year-olds get don't require a resume - you just fill out an application, or go in and talk to the store manager or something. At least that's how it was done in my day. Most people who hire a 13 year-old after school for a couple of hours aren't expecting them to have adult resume-writing skills.
Just pointing out the irony, Michelle.
The interesting thing is I don't think I've said once that the group I am speaking to currently need resumes to apply for jobs. Now if I did...
SPECIAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES (continued...)
Well, that's why I asked you in post #1 and post #4 why a child of 12 would need a resume. Instead of avoiding saying they need them to apply for jobs, why not answer a friendly question (and they were friendly) about why they do need them? It would probably help people figure out what advice to give, even.
Most people hear "resume" and think "job applications". Especially when you said in a subsequent post that you might be following up this session with one on "interview skills".
It's been hard to separate the friendly questions from the barbs, Michelle, so I apologize if I haven't been clear.
I think the process of reflection required to create a resume is a good one. I think taking stock of one's assets can be empowering especially for young teenagers.
I think it is important to have an up to date resume for when you are ready to apply for a job.
I think putting together a resume when you are desperate to find work leads to a sub-par resume being created.
Re. interview skills- Again, I think the skills required for an interview are ones that stand you in good stead in many other situations.
ETA: Just read #29, Michelle (We cross-posted.) I can certainly work in the topics you have mentioned.
I agree with everything you say if the group was 16 to 18 or even 14 to 18. 12 year olds need a lot of skills resume building for when they are 16 is not one of them.
Well, the group is for kids 12-16, so it's not really Caissa's fault that kids that young are included. It will be useful for the much younger ones to hear the info about workplace safety and child labour, and it'll be good for the older ones to learn more of the mechanics of resume writing.
It's amazing how a five year age range can be such a huge span, huh?
That's true. Although the people organizing a resume-writing seminar for 12-year-olds should have their heads examined. That's about as useful as teaching 12-year-olds about the laws and regulations regarding driving a motor vehicle on highways.
Yeah, I kind of had the same reaction, which is why I asked at the beginning why on earth they'd have 12 year-olds at a resume-writing workshop.
My general advice to a young person about writing a resume would be: The skill of writing a good resume is over-rated.
No, not that writing a good resume is easy but that a person's focus should first be on the creation of the substance of a good resume: Work to get very good (if not excellent) grades, acquire relevant skills (which may be done though certain volunteer work, for example), concentrate on developing personal characteristics that are attractive to prospective employers, and so forth.
Without having first focused on creating the substance of a good resume, the slickest-written resume will be useless.
My daughter started working when she was 15 and needed a resume to get a job at MacDonald's (a year later she has quit and moved on to another job). I helped her with her resume and I think it follows the same rule as an adults resume. Fill a page with as much stuff that shows an ability to do a shifts work for the employers you are hitting up. For my daughter we put in her babysitting experience and babysitting course. Spoke about her school and in particular stuff she is good at. Any leadership and volunteer work is great to include. Sports, fine arts and hobbies fill in the inevitable gaps.
I don't remember the last time I saw a 12 year old working, though I think the bottle depot will offer shifts to practically anyone. When I was growing up it seemed that every second corner store was staffed by 12 year olds. Rarely do you see it now.
Just wanted to add that Kroptkin is right on about the BC Liberals. The BC standards are now among the lowest in North America. I believe a report last year indicated that the number of children maimed and killed at work jumped incredibly.
CCPA did a great report on this in 2004:
http://bing.search.sympatico.ca/?q=Child%20Labour%20BC&mkt=en-ca&setLang...
More follow-up thoughts:
For, say, a 15 or 16 year-old, there are two things they may want to consider about resumes:
Short-Term: For the near term, the type of jobs for which they will be applying will likely not require an extensive resume. If, for example, a resume is requested as part of an application for a job at McDonald's, keep it simple and keep it relevant. Don't make the reader wade through a bunch of extraneous filler text. Just get to the point. Besides, an in-person impression on the hiring manager will likely have much more influence on the hiring decision than anything contained in a resume for a job like that.
Long-Term: Again, the focus should probably be on building the substance of a good resume, not on how to write one. A beautifully-written resume is worthless without substance - while a reasonably well-written resume with a lot of substance is likely to have some value. I think it's important for kids (or anyone, for that matter) to be disabuse themselves of the belief that one only needs to craft a sparkling resume and they will then have "the key" to a job (way too much weight is put on resume writing). Of course, when a person is applying for a job and needs a resume right away, it's a little late to be working on building the substance for a good resume - but that's exactly my point. The people Caissa will be talking with are kids and now is the time for them to focus on building the substance of a good resume so that when they do need a serious resume in the future, then can, indeed, simply focus on the crafting of the language.
I think that the long tem point is great and gets kids thinking about what they should be doing now for their adult job. It can be very general. For example if they want to work with animals then volunteering at the animal shelter will probably be fun and show them what types of work is out there as well as being resume material.
So, Caissa, how is your presentation planning going?
It's done but since the schools are closed here today, I'm probably rescheduling for later this week or early next week. I'll let babblers know how the session went.
Ciassa,
Dont forget after presenting to lead them into a good direction on focusing on the types of opportunities they will most likely have the highest chances of attaining. Some may be underqualified or even their resumes may not have much meat but by providing a lead into the different possibilities and avenues one can explore, it will ensure they have a somewhat of a short term goal in mind in order to focus their resumes to.Found some advice specific to teenagers here:Advice on temporary jobs For teenagers
Also if they would like a run through about 101 interview questions there is a pretty good listing availabel here for them:
A large 101 interview questions listing
In addition when informing them what avenues they should persue, they should also be reminded that only build several smaller goals is what will help them in attaining their larger goals. Many teenagers looking for work have really high hopes with huge goals which should be a long term goal. They should be reminded that their employments should be looked at as being a temporary stop or a learning objective in order to help them towards their larger and more long term goals.
Hope this helps.
Good luck