Usually, it is not that the teen is “lazy” or that he does not want to do what is being asked of him, it is rather that he needs to have a personal connection to the motivation, a reason for why he is going to do this or why he is being asked to do it.
The chance to get valuable work experience. The chance to improve interpersonal skills. The chance to learn new skills like time management and more. The freedom to have spending money which teaches additional skills like responsibility and budgeting.
Teens that are playing sports or trying to excel in school realistically may not have enough free time to pursue a low-paying, part time job and may not want their prior commitments to suffer. Over scheduled kids are often overwhelmed and may not see a way to add something else to his already overly busy schedule. Another issue could be a sense of low self-esteem. The teen does not want to try to get a job because he already feels as if no one will want him anyway. For this teen, preparation will be crucial because rejection could send him into a dangerous spiral of depression and despair.
This will not only help you to know when your teen will be working but may help him to be better prepared for the interview process. You may also need to find out if he will need a work permit before starting a job.
Set a reasonable goal with him and then make sure that he complies with the goal. Asking him to get five applications for a day is not asking too much.
Remember, you are not the one that is trying to get a job. Have him look up information for himself but give him some hints about where to find it. If he does not know his social security number by heart, for instance, you can tell him it is in your baby book and then let him go and get it.
If you have not already done so, use a resume making program or a template to make the process easier (most word processing programs have many built in).
Ask him questions that he is likely to encounter during the interview and let him answer as he sees ft. After the mock interview is finished go over it with him. Did it go well in his opinion? What does he think could have been better? While it might be tempting to correct every single thing you found “wrong” wait for him to ask before offering advice. Part of the process is learning to fail with grace and dignity. Your teens will never learn that if they know you are always going to swoop in and fix everything for them. Remind your teen to read and re-read the job description. Also, encourage them to research the job, the company, the company’s social media, the company’s website, and more. [1] X Expert Source Lucy YehCareer & Life Coach Expert Interview. 21 November 2019. Encourage your teen to ask questions during the interview. They can come up with these inquiries by researching the employer ahead of time![2] X Expert Source Lucy YehCareer & Life Coach Expert Interview. 21 November 2019.
Your teen needs to know the reality of what he is facing: adults who can work more hours in the same workplace, kids with better penmanship, a better appearance or better interviewing skills. Remind him that most of those things are things that he can work on - he can’t change competition in the workplace but he can be the best that he can be and that is good enough.
This can backfire and make them think that your love is conditional at a very critical time in their development. This can impact their self-esteem and may cause them to stop trying. Your job as a parent is to have healthy, happy and well-rounded kids that make it to adulthood with most of their joy and positive energy still in place.
The most important thing is to remind them that although they are almost adults, they are still living in your home and they need to follow the rules established there and contribute to the household. Set up a meeting with your teen and establish an agenda. Take a firm but loving approach and tell them that there will be no more of their behavior and that they will be following through on a job plan
For example, you could tell your teen “if you fail to meet your goals, then your cell phone bill will not be paid for the month. " Some family plans will let you turn numbers off for brief periods- so if you need to do that you can do so without penalty. When the teen has to use your phone for social or school related things, then he might pay attention to what you are trying to say.
Give him chores beyond what he normally does and tell him that if he is going to live there without a job then he will have to pitch in more. Sometimes one week of doing some of the more menial house tasks is more than enough to get even the most resistant teen up and out the door.
