In the US, spring break is fast approaching, a time when millions of teens will start their summer job search. Job hunting is tough any time of year, but March, April and May are usually the toughest.

Our Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop hires mostly teens and we are seeing 4-8 job seekers a day…way more than we can hire. If we only got two job applications a day, we would be getting about 750 job applications a year. That’s a lot!

We will hire 4 this spring and maybe a couple more in mid- summer. So 5 new people in addition to the 8 we already have.

Now, if you do the math, the odds of getting a job at out shop are about 1 in 150.

I am betting that most retail and restaurant numbers shake out out about the same.

Not much chance of getting the job you want unless you stand out from the other 149.

So here’s one real tip to get you ahead of them and its so simple that 99.9% of all teen job seekers don’t do it…MAKE CONTACT WITH THE MANAGER OR OWNER!

A job application is a piece of paper or on-line bits of information that don’t give a real view of who you are. Your physical person and your personality are the only real measure of you, not a piece of paper. So if you don’t show them YOU, they will eventually choose the person who does.

It takes nerve, but people with the nerve, get the job.

So, introduce yourself, shake their hand and tell them you would love to work there.

Try to spend 30 seconds with them. Not longer because they are busy.

DO NOT give your application to an employee and walk out the door.

This is a great tip. By ordering the Job Kit, you’ll more details about how to get an interview along with several other tips that will boost your chances of getting the job you want as a young person.

Happy job hunting!

Lee, the Job Guy