Job Interviews for Teens: Everything You Need to Know Before Going on an Interview
Young people often get nervous when having a job interview. As they don’t have a long history of experience, they get confused what to tell about themselves during an interview. It’s always a good idea to have some preparation beforehand and it applies for the teen job interviews, as well. With the right review of frequently asked questions and some steps to make the perfect first impression, you can increase your chances of getting the job. Below we have listed the most frequently asked questions as well as some tips about what to do before and during an interview for teens.
Before the Interview
Some Things to Consider Before the Interview
Preparing for an interview is something we all do before interviews. Going on an interview with neat preparations will not only make you feel more confident but also help you with your professional look. Below you will find some important points to think about when getting ready for your job interview.
What Should You Wear?
If you have the impression that you don’t need formal wear just because you’re young, we recommend you think twice. Your appearance is the key point making the first impression and you always want to look professional. If not suits, dress pants, high heels; try at least smart casual looks. You can go for casual tops, nice shirts, skirts (never denims), dresses for girls or dress shirts, khakis pants, Oxford shoes for boys. You want to keep your hair tidy and clean as well as your body smelling nice.
Prior Research
Even though you don’t know much about the firm you’re applying to, you might want to make an impression on the employer that you do know what you are doing. That’s where some prior research kicks in. You can do some online research on the company’s history, vision, principles and past achievements as widely as possible.
Your professional and confident look is what matters the most in front of the interviewer. In order to keep your look of high standards, you definitely would want to have at least and idea about the questions you will be asked. Reviewing the frequently asked questions is the best option you might think of here. You can print out the questions and your answers and review over and over again. In order to avoid from a memorized question-answer session, you can ask for a family member or friend’s help. You can create different scenarios and work on them together.
In addition to prior research and question reviews, you might want to know your agenda. You will most probably be asked about your available days and hours and you wouldn’t want to seem as you haven’t prepared your schedule.
What to Bring and What Not to Bring with You
Bring those:
-Resume (if any)
-A pen and a small notebook (to take notes)
-Job application form
Do NOT bring those:
-A friend or a family member (your little one included)
-Your cellphone (if you have to bring it, make sure it’s turned off during the interview)
Quick Tips for the Big Day
–Be on time. Just like being late for an interview is not appropriate, being pretty earlier than expected might also be seen as inappropriate. Showing up 5-10 minutes earlier is ideal.
-While waiting for the interview to start, asking for some time out is often not favorable if it’s not urgent. Taking some fresh air, smoking, making a phone call are not taken as urgent situations.
-Be sure to have a nice and smiling attitude when the interviewer gets to the meeting room. Shake hands in a manner showing how confident you are.
-As people looking around the room might make an aimless impression, you wouldn’t want to shut down your eye contact with the interviewer during the interview. You can take notes of the important points you would like to review one more time. It would help you keep your focused and interested look. Use your body language wisely.
-At the end of the interview, you will be sure to asked whether you have any questions. If you are ever curious about something about the job or the company, this is your chance to genuinely ask them. Even if you are clear about everything, you can prepare some basic questions beforehand so that you could show how attentive and excited for the job.
-Don’t be afraid to use words of courtesy such as “thank you”, “please”, “excuse me”, “would you mind…” etc. At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer in a thankful attitude and shake hands just like you did at the beginning.
What Will You Probably Be Asked?
There are questions that interviewers like to ask no matter what job you are applying to and no matter how old you are. When you go to your first interview, you are sure to be asked couple of them, if not all. That’s why it is likely to be of your great benefit thoroughly reviewing the most frequently asked questions and preparing your answers beforehand. Scrolling down, you will find some of the frequently asked questions in teen job interviews and example answers.
- Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
The interviewer does not mean to learn your life story, neither do them want to learn unnecessary information about you. What they would like to learn here is the reason why you want to get that job and whether you can give them something or not. You can briefly mention your earlier education and your future plans. Telling about at least a specific future goal here is a great idea. For instance, you can tell them that you’re studying your last year in the high school and that you will stay at the same town -making sure you’ll be there for a few more years if they would like you to stay- for the next years for collage, of course, if it’s the case. If not, just genuinely talk about your education history, job experience (if any) and future goals.
- Why do you want to work?
This question is one of the most frequently asked questions to teen candidates. With this question, the interviewer wants to learn a bit about your ambitions and interests about the position. Mentioning your motivations may be a good idea. You can sincerely say “I’ve always been good with cooking and now I think this job is a great chance for me to learn more about it. I’m eager to gain some experience in the field. And also, I’m planning to start my college studies next year, so, I’m intending to put some money aside with the help of a part-time job for my upcoming classes.”
More Anwers: Why Are You Looking for a Job
- Why do you think you can make the right candidate?
This question simply translates as “Why should we hire you?” and it appears in almost all job interviews without regarding to your age of experience. Take your chance here and start selling yourself. If you are interested in the area and have some experience, this is your opportunity to shine out. Use it and talk about your interests such as, “I’ve always been interested in make-up. I like to follow new makeup trends, read and learn about it, try new makeup items on myself etc. I like your brand, as well.” without boasting yourself more than necessary. If you have limited idea/experience with the area, just let the employer know that. They will like your sincerity. At this point you want to highlight your best skills. You can talk about your qualities in communication, teamwork, punctuality, flexibility as well as job-related trainings, high school achievements, driver’s license if any. Mentioning your future plans on the related field might be a good idea.
- What makes you want to work for our company?
The interviewer wants to learn how much you are really interested in the job with this question. In order to show your motives behind, having some background information about the company is a great idea. Your previous research about the company will help a lot if you want to pick up some keywords and use them wisely in your answers like “I’m planning to study human relations next year and I think having some experience beforehand is a good idea. I believe with trainings and other services you offer; I will be able to get some hands-on experience in the field that I’m planning to dwell on. I also think your principles of individuality and constructive collaboration would contribute to my career skills a lot, which I highly appreciate.”
More Answers: How Teens Should Answer: Why Do You Want to Work Here?
- How is your school learning related to this position?
This questions sometimes follows with “What is your greatest accomplishment?”. You can take this chance answering both questions whether you are asked the latter or not. “As I’ve always been interested in computers, I’ve taken courses related to software, cybersecurity, programming etc. Also, as an active member of the technology community in my school, I attended to an international contest with a group project on web designing in 2018.” makes a plausible example answer for this question.
- Can you tell us about a problem you’ve recently encountered and how you’ve dealt with it?
Here, you can talk about an issue you have experienced at school or other social situations such as clubs, internships, jobs, leisure time activities etc. clearly showing your convincing skills in problem solving. “A few weeks ago we had a group assignment for our English course. The deadline of the assignment was just unfortunate since it had also been the final exam week. My teammates were unwilling to do their part in the assignment because they had problems arranging the time for the exams. As the time passed I realized that we could make no progress if somebody didn’t solve the problem and I took over. First, I made a motivational speech for my teammates appreciating their contributions. Then I clearly explained the problem and that we needed to do something about it. I offered my help to make a plan for the assignment and exams for everybody. I also told them we needed to stick together if we wanted to handle the problem. We then arranged a neat group plan and started to make things work. As everybody pushed hard sticking to the plan, we ended up with high grades both in the assignment and exams.”
