A teen's first resume and job search

The first job is a rite of passage and a genuine catch-22: you need experience to get hired, but you need to get hired to gain experience. Every teenager faces it, and the ones who get through it aren't the most qualified — there's no such thing at 16 — they're the ones who present what they do have well and show up like they want it. This is the practical playbook for a first resume and job search when your work history is a blank page: what to put on it, where to look, and how to survive an interview you've never done before.

Building a resume from nothing

A first resume feels impossible because the 'work experience' section is empty — but employers hiring teens don't expect a career. They expect reliability, a decent attitude, and a little evidence of both. Fill the page with what you actually have: school activities, sports, clubs, volunteering, babysitting or lawn care, academic honors, and relevant skills (comfortable with computers, good with people, bilingual). A coach who'll vouch for you or a neighbor you babysit for makes a real reference. The resume's job isn't to prove you've worked before; it's to signal that you're responsible, teachable, and worth a shot.

What belongs on a teen's first resume

• Contact information: name, phone, email — and make sure the email address is a professional one, not the one you made in fifth grade.
• A one-line objective: 'Reliable high school student seeking a part-time role in retail or food service' orients the reader instantly.
• Experience, broadly defined: babysitting, yard work, tutoring, volunteering — any responsibility you've held, described with what you actually did.
• Activities and achievements: sports, clubs, leadership roles, honor roll — evidence of commitment and reliability.
• Skills and references: relevant abilities plus one or two adults (not relatives) who'll speak well of you, with their permission.

Where to look and how to apply

1. Start local and in person: retail, food service, grocery stores, movie theaters, and summer camps hire teens constantly. Walking in, resume in hand, still works and stands out.
2. Tap the network: most first jobs come through someone you know. Tell parents, neighbors, coaches, and friends' parents that you're looking — referrals beat cold applications.
3. Use the obvious online boards, but don't rely on them alone; teen hiring is still very local and relationship-driven.
4. Apply widely and follow up: a polite in-person or phone follow-up a few days after applying signals genuine interest and gets you remembered.
5. Mind the rules: work-permit requirements and hour limits for minors vary by state — know yours before you start.

The bottom line

The first job feels impossible because the experience section is blank, but employers hiring teens aren't buying experience — they're buying reliability and attitude, and you can prove both. Build the resume from what you actually have (activities, babysitting, volunteering, references), look locally and through your network, follow up, and treat the interview as a chance to show you'll show up. Dodge the pay-to-work scams, learn your state's rules, and apply widely. Everyone starts with a blank page; the teens who get hired are simply the ones who made their real qualities visible and acted like they wanted the job.