There are many reasons why a student may be interested in a part-time or summer job – such as the chance to earn their own money, develop new or existing skills, gain experience or engage in something new.
But there are many reasons why it can be challenging to find a job too – hours may be inconvenient, transportation may be tricky for students who don’t have their own transportation and high school students may be at a disadvantage against jobseekers with more experience.
The following resources can help high school students find, prepare for and get part-time or summer jobs. Career practitioners may also find these resources useful as they support high school students in their job search.
Job search tips
Job Search Tips for High School Students (The Balance Careers) [Guide]
This article aims to help students approach their job search creatively and from multiple angles to help boost their chances of finding a job. Some examples include starting your job search close to home, checking out companies known for hiring young people and advertising your job search. The article also touches briefly on other things students can do to boost their chances, such as cleaning up their social media presence, being flexible and dressing appropriately.
Job search tips for high school students (eCampusTours.com) [Article]
This brief, helpful article provides students with 10 tips to help them in their job search, from searching for opportunities and applying for jobs to preparing for interviews and following up. It also highlights some aspects of a job search that could easily be forgotten but are very important.
Job Search Tips and Resources (Academy Canada) [Article]
This robust article covers several aspects of a student’s job search. The career fairs section of this article provides strategies that may be helpful to high school students when they attend job fairs, which are a popular way of finding first jobs.
Talentegg.ca [Website]
TalentEgg.ca is a gigantic online hub of job-finding and career-related resources. Their job search tool can help high school students search by job type (such as student jobs or summer jobs), city, and area of study. Students can also filter their search by province, city and keywords.
Resume resources
Almost every job posting will ask for a student’s resume. For tips, templates and tools, check out our article dedicated to resume resources for high school students.
Cover letter resources
Cover Letter for High School Students with No Work Experience (With Samples) (Indeed) [Guide]
In addition to providing tips for creating each section of a student’s cover letter, this guide includes formatting tips, examples of experiences students can include and sample cover letters for entry-level positions (such as babysitter, retail sales associate and dishwasher).
Entry Level Cover Letter Examples and Writing Tips (The Balance Careers) [Guide]
This article is chock-full of tips to help high school students create a strong cover letter. A particularly useful part of this guide focuses on helping students connect their non-work experience to the job and industry they’re looking to work in, as well as showcasing skills that match a job description.
High School Student Cover Letter Example (ResumeGenius) [Article/Guide]
One of the most useful aspects of this article is the long list of skills high school students can highlight in their cover letter. This article also contains a short section with writing tips, an example of a high school student’s cover letter and a detailed template students can use as inspiration.
How to Write an Entry Level Cover Letter (Glassdoor) [Article]
This article provides four clear and actionable cover letter tips for guiding high school students who have limited job experience, along with useful examples for connecting a student’s experience and skills to a particular role.
Interview preparation
High School Interview Questions and Answers (Indeed.com) [Article/Guide]
This to-the-point article provides sample answers to four of the most common interview questions, as well as a useful list of questions in the following categories:
- General questions
- Questions about the student’s experience and background
- In-depth questions
Job Interview Tips for High School Students (TheBalance.com) [PDF]
This PDF provides detailed and helpful guidance for high school students on the following topics:
- Interview tips
- What to wear
- Examples of interview questions and good answers
- Interviewing do’s and don’ts
LiveCareer [Website]
LiveCareer offers the following resources to help students prepare for a job interview:
Teen Job Interview Questions, Answers, and Tips (The Balance Careers) [Guide]
In addition to offering general interview tips for teenagers, this article helps students explore common questions asked during a teen interview, insights into what the employer is looking to learn and examples of good answers.
Student Interview Tip Sheet (Ontario.ca) [Tip sheet]
This four-page tip sheet provides students with interview preparation tips for before, during and after their interview. While the guide was designed for summer job positions, the tips provided can help high school students prepare for other roles as well.
This tip sheet also gives examples of interview questions in the following categories, along with suggestions for answering them:
- General
- Technical or job-specific
- Situational or scenario-based
- Behavioural-based
Additional reading
- “Irrelevant” summer jobs still equip students with valuable skills (CareerWise)
- LinkedIn Profile Checklist for High School Students (LinkedIn)
- Dream Jobs? Teenagers’ Career Aspirations and the Future of Work (OECD)
- Thanks to COVID-19, High Schoolers’ Job Prospects Are Bleak. Here’s How Schools Can Help (EducationWeek)
