How to Stack Bread: My Advice on Getting a Job

     Looking for work in high school? Hella down bad and have no pape to your name? Tired of asking moms or pops for money? Hate being that friend who always has to ask for money “I’ll pay you back in a week,” hate not being able to take the huzz out because you got no chicken nor can you afford a McChicken? Well, I got you covered.

Over the course of my high school time I have had six or seven jobs or internships. I started working after my freshman year. I decided to step more into independence as a high school student around the time I was 15. I just grew tired of asking my mom for money and I felt like if I kept doing it, then I would never learn how to get my own money.

How to get a job

   Over the past three years, I’ve learned many things about applying for jobs and going through the process. It may seem hard for some teens to land jobs or even just find one in general. The most important thing to prepare when looking for a job is a résumé.  If you already have a résumé, make sure you have a professional summary. It gives the employer a chance to know who you are without even meeting you, showing what you’re ready for as a worker.

When job searching you want to find a place that has a good work environment, great team, and a place that has good social skills. You have to be prepared to know you will not always get hired, but one of the biggest achievements when applying for a job is making it to the interview process. Preparing for an interview you may be nervous at the start, but here are some pointers. Act like you know the person. Instead of an interview, I turn it into a mini chop up session. Don’t  rush into responding to questions. Try not to say “UHH.” A pause in an interview is your greatest friend. It shows you actually have thoughtful answers as opposed to just jumping straight in without thinking.

Where to look for a job

   Struggling to maybe just find a job? Don’t know where to apply or who’s hiring? I have found jobs or internships  through apps, social media, and even my own school email which all led to me effectively finding employment on many occasions. 

When in high school you should be checking your email regularly anyway. Why not give it a couple more checks throughout the day? Teachers and staff send out internship emails almost every other month. A large percentage of organizations have reached out. Sometimes they even email you themselves, for example some orgs that may email you are JCYC, CCR Internships and Mission Graduates.

 These organizations  have many different kinds of job opportunities for all high schoolers. Some other places that are worth checking out are LinkedIn and Indeed. They are very good for finding other internships and other opportunities for teens. Another organization that is very resourceful when trying to find employment is ycd.jobs on Instagram. They have helped me personally find all types of job opportunities over the years. 

My top jobs: Now that you know where to search and how to apply. Here are my top 3 jobs/internships that I have done over my four year high school career. 

MYEEP

As an entry high school student coming into freshman year, the first internship I would recommend is MYEEP (mayor’s youth employment and education program) , a year-round high school internship. 

They have a school year and summer internship. I would recommend this because it’s one of the best internships in San Francisco. They are very friendly and do job readiness workshops and all types of interacting with the youth around you. I participated in job readiness workshops during the first half. Then the second half, I worked with kids at Leonard Flynn Elementary.

Their pay is pretty good for a freshman to about a junior. It’s $375 every two weeks they pay Interns a wage of $19.18/hr and they also help you set up a bank account with a federal credit union and if you save 20 every check and don’t touch it for the remainder of the program, SF Federal Credit Union will match it equaling an extra $300 on top. During the summer if you apply again ,you get more hours and make around $750. I would say this internship is somewhat competitive but not really because they offer so many locations with opportunities. I personally recommend the Bernal Heights location. 

Nike

   One of the easiest jobs that I have had was working for Nike as a seasonal Athlete, a job available when you turn 18.  The environment was welcoming, and I never had any problems with customers. They are very friendly, cool people, and the entire staff and co-workers are great people to be around. 

My coworkers were very chill and open to helping me. When I didn’t understand something, they gave straight forward feedback. My job consisted of serving consumers and making sure that the floor looked good by following standards. This meant making sure that clothes and shoes were not in the wrong place.

I also received a 40-50% percent off employee discount.  My family could receive discounts up to 30-40% percent off. For this job, you need an open schedule in order to get hired. After your time working seasonally, you will have an opportunity to go part-time. I found working part-time was still close to 40 hours a week. One thing to note is that you can only wear Nike, but if you don’t have any that’s ok they give you $400 to spend to get yourself some new gear and get fly. 

SFO Intern

   Now, the best kind of work that I think will benefit all grades and will be the best in the long run was doing an internship at the airport. This might be the best internship in San Francisco with crazy pay! It can be a jump start to a new career in the aviation space industry. This internship taught me many different things and was definitely one of the best paying jobs that I had. You will be able to see the airport from many different sides: business, tech, security, and even trades. You pick one area to explore. I chose sheet metal and it was one of the best experiences ever. I was surrounded by great people. They were all very friendly and welcoming to me. 

My mentors, Carlos Gomez and John Weber, might be some of the smartest people ever. During this internship I had career workshops, was honored at ceremonies and met the Airport Director. The crazy thing that I got to do while working in facilities was get to go on a site walk of the Airport Director’s new office while it was under construction. The pay for this internship is phenomenal. I probably made around $4,600 while working there for the summer which is way more than you make at any other internship for sure. This internship is very competitive though so bring your A game for sure. 

   In conclusion, these are some work experiences that I’ve had. There are many more. If you would like to know more on how to get a job, the first step is stopping by our Future Center, room 213.