Homeschooling is a fantastic way to combine education and hands-on experience in ways children in public school don’t often get to try.
Now, it’s time to put that experience to use as you help your kids prepare to start their first jobs. Whether it’s a summer job at a local business or they’re getting ready to graduate and start a career, you can make the process easier for them and turn it into a learning experience.
Let’s dig a little deeper into how you can ready your kids for the job hunt while teaching them about things like financial responsibility and how to build the skills employers might be looking for.
Building a Resume
Before your child even starts looking at job openings, they should first start building a solid resume. This can be a little difficult since your teen doesn’t have any previous job experience. But there’s no reason they can’t use their education and the skills they’ve learned to craft something that appeals to employers. Anything from volunteer experience to online certificates they’ve earned may be applicable to write about in a resume.
Whatever your teen ends up writing about in their resume, it must stand out. Basic design elements can make a big difference, especially since the average hiring manager only looks at a resume for 6-7 seconds before deciding to move forward.
Help your child with the overall layout and format by working through the best fonts and overall style. Then, you can guide them through things like:
- Organization;
- Highlighting skills;
- Choosing the right voice;
- Keeping sections clear.
Potential employers are more likely to take your teen seriously if they have a professional and clear resume in tow. During the crafting process, your teen will learn what to add to their resume in the future. They’ll have a great starting point when they take the time to format something the right way.
Fostering Skills
The more skills your child can highlight on their resume, the better. Thankfully, homeschooling prepares kids and teens for the future in a fantastic way. Now is the time to consider which of those skills can make a difference as your child looks for their first job.
Hunting for a job is a skill in itself. Your child will gain experience by networking, asking for references, searching online, and preparing for interviews. You can help them foster those skills by running practice interviews, showing them what it means to network with the right people, and helping them craft letters and emails asking for references.
It’s also important for your child to know which skills employers want to see. Hard skills like computer knowledge, analytical skills, and technical skills are all things that can be taught in a homeschool classroom setting. These skill sets can prepare them for high-paying computer science jobs, as well as other tech-related positions, in the future, setting them up for a lifetime of success.
However, it’s just as important to make sure your child has developed soft skills. Soft skills often make a difference when potential employers hire young employees. They may also be influential in helping your teen succeed in a position. Some of the top soft skills employers are looking for include:
- Problem-solving;
- Teamwork;
- Organizational skills;
- Leadership traits.
If your teen is struggling in any of these areas, consider working with them to obtain an internship before helping them apply for jobs. They’ll gain real-world experience and learn more about what’s expected in a professional setting.
For teen job-hunting introverts, the key is to embrace their strengths while stepping outside of their comfort zones. Introverts often excel in roles that require deep focus, independent work, and problem-solving. They can stand out by preparing for interviews with clear, concise communication, highlighting their ability to listen actively and work well in quiet environments.
Any teen can also benefit from learning the value of positive self-talk, an essential skill when heading into the emotionally challenging job hunt. Make sure to teach them the role self-talk plays in their confidence. No matter how profitable your skill set may be, rejection is a part of any job hunt, and knowing how to cope with it can be immensely helpful.
Managing Finances
Having a job for the first time as a teenager is exciting because you finally get to experience what it’s like to earn your own money. While it can be tempting for any teen or young adult to spend their paycheck on entertainment, they must show some restraint. To build this restraint, you must teach them about money management if you haven’t already.
That doesn’t mean every cent of your child’s paycheck needs to be stored away. If they find a job that requires them to work hard on top of getting their schoolwork done each day, they deserve to have a little fun with their earnings. However, the earlier they learn about responsible money spending, the better the relationship they’ll have with their finances for the rest of their life.
Start small by imparting some helpful budgeting tips to your homeschooler. Teach them to modify their spending habits, purchase less-expensive items when possible, and avoid unnecessary subscriptions. You can also lead by example. As a homeschool parent, you most likely know the power of observational learning, so if they observe your own responsible financial habits, they’ll be more likely to follow along.
You can also create structured lessons around budgeting and B home economics. In these lessons, you can also teach about how to grocery shop and cook on a limited budget, and how to shop for quality items without spending too much.
When lesson planning, make sure to create the perfect home learning space. Eliminate clutter, use design principles, and consider their unique learning needs. Plus, you can get them involved in budgeting to encourage their financial savvy.
It can be just as exciting to watch your homeschool prepare for their first job as it is for them to actually get one. Keep these tips in mind to help them prepare, and it won’t take long for them to get noticed by the right employer. Remember that the job hunt will likely be challenging and arduous. Always give them the support they need through this difficult time.