It is true that the economy and unemployment situation were admittedly much better when I was a teen so there were a lot more jobs out there. However, I don’t think that changes the fact that your parents have different connections than you do and they might be able to help you find work.

Summer is almost over and for anyone who never got hired it must be extremely frustrating. Looking for jobs for 16 year olds is the worst when every employer seems to want experience and you don’t have any because you are trying to find your first job! How can you ever get hired that first time? Ahh!

That is where your parents might come in. If you are lucky and have parents who care enough to help you, they might be able to ask their contacts and friends to see if they can find anyone who knows of some openings. If you get lucky, your Mom or Dad might be able to uncover a job opening that you would never have found yourself. You know how it works: they might know someone who knows someone who has something available that you can get hired for.

Going through your parents also does one other thing: it helps you with referrals. If your parents will vouch for you or know someone that can get you a job, you almost have an automatic “in”. That won’t necessarily mean that you will get the job but at least it will get you in the door for an interview or short meeting with a manager.

Don’t ever hesitate to ask your parents for help. That is what they are there for. They might not always know the answer or be able to help but you should ask them for assistance when you need it. Likewise, they might not be able to help you find a job but it doesn’t hurt to find out!

We have all seen car washes on weekends that are trying to raise money for a specific cause. They could be for charities but most often, they are put on to raise money for a girls or boys sports team. However, there is no rule that a car wash has to be for a a specific cause.

If you can find a place to have your car wash, you and your friends can run one yourselves and split the money. Real car washes at a gas station usually cost about $7.00 and up so if you charge less than that per car, you will probably get some good business. In order to make it work right, you need to make sure you follow these tips:

1) DO NOT lead people into believing your car wash is for a charity or team

2) Have at least one adult present at all times

3) Make sure you have lots change in paper bills when you start out

4) Have a secure place to keep your money

5) Have one person be in charge of all cash and making change

6) Make sure you have enough soap and other supplies to begin the day

7) Prepare some signs to advertise your car wash

8- Decide ahead of time how the profits will be split

9) Only do it on a nice sunny day!

An important thing is to remember that this is not a job and you can’t do it every week. The hardest part will probably be finding a place that gets decent traffic where you can legally have the car wash. A parking lot owned by one of your friend’s parents would be an ideal place if you can get their okay. Remember that you will need the permission of the owner of whatever space you do choose.

If you haven’t been able to find any summer jobs for 16 year olds yet, this could be an idea that will make you some extra money while you keep trying to find work. At least it will keep you occupied for a day and it will be fun for you if you get lots of customers.

Most kids looking for jobs for 16 year olds have zero experience and are hoping to find their first job. Employers who do have jobs will most likely hire those that have the most qualifications and that leaves teenagers out in the cold.

The United States is in BIG financial trouble now and things may not change for several or more years. Things are really bleak and it is a scary time for everyone. Jobs are not something that are guaranteed: in other words, no one has a right to a job. Having a job is a privilege and something that should be appreciated when you finally get one.

Last month the unemployment rate for teens between 19 and 19 years old was reported to be upwards of 24%. That is a VERY high percentage and more than 10% higher than during the same time period last year. Lots of experts believe things will NOT get better for many years so this is not a temporary thing.

If you are a teenager now, the best advice is to work hard in school and learn. You may not be able to get a job this summer or next summer but you mustn’t let that hurt your attitude about your studies. Keep looking for a job but know that you are not the only one having trouble. Your education is the most important thing and your real job is to be a student and to learn: don’t forget that!

Unfortunately it is projected that the unemployment rate this summer for teenagers may be as high as 75%! That means three out of every four will NOT be able to find work. Among African American teens, the unemployment rate may be close to 90%.

This is a terrible time for everyone looking for work as the economy continues to stagnate and less Federal funding becomes available. Kids who are trying to find summer jobs for 16 year olds are most likely looking for their very first job so they might have zero job experience. They are in the worst position possible because right now, employers value experience more than anyone else. They have so many candidates to choose from for every job opening that they are naturally going to hire those that already have work experience.

Low unemployment like this is not only bad for teenagers who can’t find work but it also affects all of society. This is because teens need to get job experience so they can fit in with society later on. A teen job is a building block for later on when they need to fit in with society and become productive citizens.

Another serious problem with high teen unemployment is that without jobs, some will get in trouble with the law. Teenagers need school, a job, or some other organized activity to keep them busy because without it they have too much time on their hands. Statistics show that teen violence goes up with unemployment so all of society is affected by this.

The bottom line is that if you are a 16 year old and can’t find a job, you are not alone. This may be one of the worst times in recent memory to be looking for work and teenagers are in the worst spot because they have so little experience.

This shows need for you to get out there now and start looking. Remember, even though summer vacation might be more than a month away, businesses need to have their workers in place early. They don’t want to be hiring at the last minute so they are looking two to three months ahead in hopes to find qualified summer help.

Snagajob is the best place for teenagers of all ages to find companies that are hiring and jobs that are open. Even if you can’t find a job there it will at least help you get started and give you lots of ideas.

The important thing is to apply to as many businesses as possible and know that you will get rejected. There will be many places that don’t bother to call you back so you have to be prepared for that too. Just let it roll off your back and keep on applying!

Snagajob’s poll also reveals that 65% of the teens that hiring managers give jobs to this summer will be RETURNING workers. This shows how important it is for you to get that first job because once you do, you might be an automatic shoe-in for the same job next summer and the summer after that.

Getting your foot in the door the first time is the hardest so you should NEVER give up. Remember, everyone has trouble finding their first job so you are no different and will get one if you work at it and keep applying. Good luck!

One thing you mustn’t do is make the same mistake Gilbert Gottfried did on his Twitter account. Gilbert is a stand up comedian who has been in a few movies and currently he was the voice of the Aflac duck in commercials. I say “was” because he just got fired for making inappropriate jokes about the Japanese and the awful earthquake/tsunami/nuclear tragedy they are going through.

One thing you must do when you are looking for a job and once you get a job is to watch what you type/say on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and any other social media account you might have. Real adults are getting fired for what they say and so will you!

Why does it matter what you say and do on those accounts? Isn’t there free speech in America? What does it matter what you do on your own free time on your own accounts?

It matters because once you get a job you represent the employer you work for. While you are not working for them 24/7, you are their employee and they don’t want people working for them that say stupid things. They want you, as their employee, to conduct yourself in a responsible manner always.

You might think that your employer will ever read what you write but that is a chance you shouldn’t take. One of your friends (or enemies) might tell your boss and they could find out that way.

16 year olds are very used to communicating online and when you are responsible enough to go out job hunting, you should realize that you need to pull back on some of the things you do and say online. If you don’t, you could end up getting fired from that job you worked so hard to get or you might never get it at all just because of your online antics!

If you are 16 years old, the chances are that this summer will be your first experience looking for a job. You probably will have never had a “real” job and you might not know what to expect. After all, finding someone to hire you at Burger King, the bowling alley, or where ever is a lot different than the baby sitting jobs you have probably done.

Looking for jobs for 16 year olds is going to be a lot more difficult than you imagined. This is mainly because of the economy and the fact that there are more teenagers out there looking for jobs than there are people to hire them. Don’t think that just because you want a job and are willing to work that you have the right to get one.

Too many teenagers get fooled into thinking that because they want to work, adults will be impressed and want to hire them. It doesn’t work that way. In an economy like we have now and have had for the last two summers, there just aren’t enough jobs for all teens. And guess who is going to be the last to get hired: it will be all the younger teens and teens without any experience like you!

This is why you will need to get ready for your job hunt and start looking early before all the jobs are taken. You can hunt online at Snagajob for all the companies that hire 16 year olds and you can apply there as well. You can also go out looking around your city or town to see where you might like to work. It is not too early to stop in at a few places and ask whether they are going to be hiring this summer. The bottom line is to start thinking about this summer and the job you want to get right now. Start early and don’t miss out this year like so many did last year.

If you want further proof of how hard it is to find a job, take a look at this site for jobs for 17 year olds. If you go down to the bottom of the page you will see over 40 comments, most of them from kids complaining that they can’t find a job anywhere. You can also take a look at the poll that is right above the comments where over 3400 people have taken part and 97% of them say they can’t find a job anywhere!

So you better get started sooner than later!

This summer of 2010 has been a hard one for teenagers of all ages looking for jobs. There aren’t enough companies that are hiring and there are too many people looking for jobs. Employers want some sort of work history and for 16 year olds that are looking for their very first jobs, they obviously don’t have any. It’s a catch 22: how do you ever get work history if you can’t get a job in the first place, right?

If you don’t find a job this summer make sure you at least learn this valuable lesson: nothing is given to you in life and there will be many obstacles and challenges ahead for you as you get older. Remember, you are only 16 years old and you don’t have rent to pay, food to buy, or a family to feed. Chances are good that you have a roof over your head and parents who are providing for you. Yes, a job would have been real nice and it would have given you the opportunity to earn money for yourself or your family that you probably want very badly. However, you are just a kid and you will make it through.

Imagine what you would feel like if you were an adult with a family and you couldn’t get a job. Perhaps some of you are experiencing this as well if your parents are out of work and can’t find a job. Adults who can’t find work have REAL problems because they have bills to pay and people relying on them.

At age 16 this is probably your first job hunt and it is a good lesson early on in life. If you keep looking you will eventually find a job but it is important to learn that nothing in life is given to you. That is why it is important to go to school and continue on to college if at all possible. Your education will help you get jobs later on in life and as you have learned this summer, you need all the tools you can get so that employers will give you an interview and consider you for a job.

One thing 16 year olds don’t think about is what kinds of things they put on the Internet. I am specifically talking about Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and any other place like that where you might have information about yourself. Those types of social websites are fun, but if an employer can find information about you there, you need to be very careful about what you put online.

You might have read or heard stories in the news about people getting fired for something they put on their Facebook page. You see, employers do poke around to see what they can find online about their employees. They also might look to see what they can find out about you BEFORE they even hire you!

If you have a MySpace or Facebook page that you would not want an employer or an adult to see, you should consider taking it down or improving it so that it will not be embarrassing. Store managers that are in charge of hiring teenagers in 2010 have a lot of candidates to choose from and you don’t want to take yourself out of the running for a job just because you have things on the Internet that will discredit you.

You need to also think about where else you might have left a trail online that will lead back to you in some way. Over time, it is amazing how much content some people put online. They have blogs, contribute to forums, and do all the social media things that can lead back to them. All a crafty employer has to do is become good at nosing around and he or she may find out all sorts of things about you that you don’t want them to know. So, be careful what you put online and start to clean up what you can so that you will have a better chance of getting that job you want.

Online job applications are becoming more and more common, so using them should be something you become accustomed to on your job search. Large companies such as Walmart are always searching for employees and do a lot of their hiring, or at least application review online. No matter how young or inexperienced you are, you should put together a resume.

If you don’t have any employment history all you need to do is list your skills, accomplishments and areas of expertise. Teenagers are at the forefront of social skills, which makes them ideal for many jobs that involve working with management or as part of a team to get the job done.

In most states teenagers are required to be at least 16 to be employed and many states require a workers permit. Legal working hours for a teen are based upon age and the school calendar.

Once you know that you have the legal part down, now you need to decide what you want to do in order to find a job that will interest you. A retail job for example may involve communicating with and helping customers and folding clothing. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy then applying for a retail job would be a good idea. For a teen who doesn’t want to spend hours cooped up indoors and serving people directly, there are summer jobs for 16 year olds and older such as delivering pizza at Domino’s and many others.

While the economy is leading people to have a gloomy outlook, the fact remains that stores will always need employees and people will always need stores. A teen job is usually a rite of passage, a first step toward independence and self-realization. As a teenager your job search may take a while, but you can’t give up. Using technology and networking to increase your contacts in the working world is one way to help you locate a job, even if it takes several months. If you follow these basic principles you will more than likely have a successful job search, even as a teenager.