Commentary by DominikaKouassi
The quest for getting employed during high school can be one of the most challenging transitions into becoming a young adult. From wondering how to put together a resume to learning how to properly sell yourself as a future employee, the whole ordeal can be stressful. Getting started in high school is the best way to prepare yourself for the future.
First thing is knowing how to dress the part. Many office jobs require employees to dress business or business casual however, don’t be fooled your nicest pair of jeans are in fact not business attire. I figured that out the hard way while working for my mother’s law office. However, some jobs make you wear a uniform especially fast food and retail.
Though keeping up your appearance is great, you also need to know how to sell yourself on paper. Putting together a resume takes time but it is also an important skill and document that will not only help you in the job process but also the college process too. Most places prefer resumes on the shorter side (preferably one page; maybe two if you’re an adult), however, quality over quantity is an important thing to note. You should take your top 3 or 5 best working experiences, extracurricular activities, service projects, etc.. and briefly but substantially flesh out what you did and what skills you gained while doing it. You can also have a section for some of your most important awards or honors as well.
“Don’t stress too much about interviewing. We put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect.”
Amelia Mlnarik ’26
Junior Amelia Mlnarik knows all about the job industry and her piece of advice to future job seekers is “don’t stress too much about interviewing. We put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect.” This is a truth held by many Marian girls as we learn and discover ourselves throughout our four years however, when it comes to interviews, though you may want to have the perfect first impression authenticity is crucial. You cannot expect to actually like your job if you had to pretend to be someone else to get the job in the first place.
Now you may be wondering why am I qualified to give this advice and what exactly do I know about getting employed?
My job history begins in the summer before sixth grade where I volunteered for Bennington Public Library, from 10-5pm Monday through Friday. Then for the summer after that I worked for my mother’s law firm 402Legal, where I did cataloging, shredding and filing closed cases. Then we reached the summer before my freshman year of high school when, instead of working for my mom’s law firm, I switched to working for her non-profit chamber of commerce, Midlands African Chamber, where I learned about networking, marketing, and community advocacy.
While having my internship the summer before my junior year, I got accepted into the Creighton University Summer Research Institute where I worked with UNMC Center for Reducing Health Disparities and completed a research project over eight weeks about how recruitment can affect the rates of colon cancer screening in Black residents of North Omaha.
As a part of Marian’s Health Occupations Students of America or HOSA team, I competed at the HOSA-Future Health Professionals International Leadership Conference. In the event category of “Job Seeking Skills,” I wrote a personal statement and a resume and then got judged on a live interview. I placed 10 out of 150+ competitors from not only the entire United States, but also China, Korea, Samoa, Puerto Rico and more. To get to the international Leadership Conference I had to place in the top 3 at the state wide competition where I ended up placing 1st.
Lastly, this summer I worked at the Stephen Center, a homeless and drug rehabilitation center, and I got to learn more about the Omaha community and how I can make a difference. So trust me I know a thing or two about having a job and how to apply for one too.
To keep it real, everyone is going to struggle finding a job at some point. Your parents have, your teachers have and I have too. However, don’t let that discourage you because when you finally get a job, no matter if it’s an office job or in retail, the experience that you gain will be valuable.
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