As teenagers get older, they may feel pressured to start looking for their first job. For some people, getting a job for the first time is an essential part of growing up and taking responsibility. Unfortunately, finding one as a teenager seems to be getting harder and harder as restrictions and requirements increase. 

Kaitlyn Cooner (2024) has experienced this trouble first hand with the restrictions on jobs she has tried to apply for. “I applied to The LEGO Store and they [told me] you can’t have the nose ring, which I don’t understand,” Cooner said.

Some businesses have dress codes that do not allow employees to have piercings in places other than their ear. John Hopkins Medicine believes this could be caused by the fact that in the past, piercings “were often associated with teens and young adults who were engaging in high risk behaviors.”

Cooner is currently looking for a job so that she can earn enough money to move out after graduation. Although she has been searching for a while, she has not yet been hired due to her appearance. 

According to data collected by Zippia, In 2021, “30.5% of teens ages 16 to 19” in the United States had jobs. This low number is not because teenagers are lazy and simply do not want to work anymore. Employers may have biases that make it harder for teenagers to find their first job. 

Employers may be less likely to hire teenagers due to the fact that they generally have less experience than adults. They may not want to hire them due to the belief that they will be less responsible than older employees. This makes it harder for teenagers to get the experience and skills that are necessary for jobs later in life.

“There definitely needs to be more jobs that you don’t need [prior] experience for because there are so many jobs that [you do need experience for].I’m trying to look for my first job and I don’t have experience,” Cooner said. “How do I get it if [employers] need it?”

A lack of experience can also make it hard for teenagers to stand out from the rest of their peers applying for their first job. Especially when it comes to those who are applying for jobs online instead of in person. 

According to a poll done on the Odyssey’s Instagram asking ‘When applying for a job, do you apply online of in person?’, 64% of teenagers responded that they are doing it online. The increase of teens only applying for jobs online could possibly make their applications blend together for employers.

Because of how easy it can be to apply online, there are often more candidates applying than the job can hire. In an article from the Business News Daily, if 250 people were to apply to the same job online, “only four to six… will be offered an interview.”

With so many candidates it can be hard for a teenager with zero job experience to stand out from the rest of the applicants. Applications that blend in with the rest of the candidates are often ignored or filtered by automatic systems. 

It may be better for teenagers looking for their first job to apply in person rather than online. Applying in person can leave a better impression and create a more personal connection with employers. An employer is more likely to remember an applicant if they are able to put a face to the name instead of just an online resume. 

Making a good impression could potentially help with any bias against teenagers the employer may have. Unfortunately, this is not guaranteed and the employer may stay biased. 

Another thing that teenagers should do when searching for their first job is to utilize their connections.

According to an article from CNBC, about “80% of jobs are filled through personal and professional connections.” 

Teenagers can utilize any connections they have to get in touch with employers looking to hire. An example of this could be someone being recommended for a job position by a friend who already works there. 

The best thing that teens can do when they are searching for their first job is to not get discouraged by any rejections. Although it may seem hard to get a job as a teen, there are things that can be done to make job searching a bit easier.