What Employers look for in Teen Workers
To list all the qualities employers look for in teen workers would be similar to the old Boy Scout Law. That one emphasizes trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly and other admirable qualities. However, the more practical list for teen workers is a bit more specific.1. Promptness: When you’re supposed to report for work at a specific time, be there at least five minutes early and ready to tackle the job. Your boss will admire your loyalty and other positive attributes.2. Cleanliness: If you’re expected to dress sensibly for work, be freshly washed and wearing business style clothing. Don’t show up in the outlandish costume of the latest teen rock concert performer. Strange hair, wild face jewelry, baggy pants, colorfully obscene t-shirt and other juvenile statements may convince your boss to believe they’re signs that you’re really not ready to work in the real world.3. Honesty: If your job involves handling money, be totally honest in dealing with it. In many cases, it will eventually catch up with you. Stealing can not only get you fired, but could result in police and legal charges filed against you. Additionally, they stay with you for a long time and may damage your search for jobs for years.4. Reliability: When your boss assigns you a specific job to do, get it done right and within the established time and budget limits. Prove you understand the responsibilities of your job, and that you can handle them with competence. Your boss should also know that if you need help, you'll be smart enough to ask for it.5. Good attitude: Be considerate of your fellow workers and treat them with consideration and respect. When you’re in the real job world, you need to be open and cooperative with all those you must work with every day. If your job requires dealing with clients, you’ll need to show that good attitude at all times.6. Customer relations: Customers are the lifeline of all retail and many other businesses. An uncooperative and discourteous employee can cost the company thousands of dollars in angry and lost customers. Your employer expects you to be absolutely courteous and helpful in all business dealings.Employers look for teen workers who have the maturity and common sense to do their jobs promptly and competently. The advantage for the teens in their early work experiences is that they will learn much more on the job than in most classroom about the realities of the business world.
