Getting hired
How to get your first job while you're still at school
Getting a first job is mostly a process, not a talent. A good first-job search is usually less about having lots of qualifications and more about being prepared, looking in the right places and continuing after a few noes.
Here's what that process actually looks like.
Work out what you're looking for first
Before you apply anywhere, get clear on three things:
- Hours you can genuinely work. Be realistic about school, assessment, training and travel. Saying yes to shifts you can't sustain goes badly for everyone.
- How you'll get there. A job you can walk, ride or bus to is worth more than a slightly better job you can't reliably reach at 9pm.
- What you're legally allowed to do. Rules on working hours for school-aged students vary by state and by industry, and some roles have age minimums. Check your state's rules and ask the employer directly if you're not sure.
Where first jobs actually come from
Student jobs commonly come from a handful of places.
Local businesses
Cafés, bakeries, takeaway shops, newsagents, hairdressers, nurseries, hardware stores, small grocers. Many never advertise. They hire the person who asked at the right moment, or the person a current staff member recommended.
Larger employers
Supermarkets, fast food chains, cinemas, retail chains, fuel stations. These commonly recruit through online applications and may run recruitment in waves before busy periods — the lead-up to Christmas can create additional opportunities.
School and community connections
Your school's careers adviser, work experience coordinator, VET coordinator or school-based traineeship programs. Also sporting clubs (junior coaching, canteen, refereeing), your parents' workplaces, neighbours and family friends. This is not cheating. It's how a large share of first jobs happen.
Online listings
Job boards, employer websites and local community pages. Useful, but you're competing with everyone who saw the same ad, so don't make this your only method.
Strive can also surface opportunities near your school, so it's worth checking there alongside the usual boards.
Prepare before you start asking
Do this bit first. It takes an afternoon and it changes how the rest goes.
- Have a résumé ready to send or hand over. One page is fine at your age.
- Make sure someone has agreed to be a referee before you list them. See How to ask a teacher or school staff member for a reference.
- Check the voicemail on your phone is set up and sounds sensible.
- Use an email address that's just your name, not one you made in Year 7.
- Have your availability written down so you can answer instantly when asked.
If you're not sure what to put on a résumé with no work history, read What counts as experience when you've never had a job?
Approaching a business in person
Walking in still works, particularly for small local businesses. Do it properly:
- Go at a quiet time. Not the lunch rush, not five minutes before closing. Mid-afternoon on a weekday is usually safe.
- Go alone. Not with three mates, and ideally not with a parent standing beside you.
- Dress neatly. You don't need a shirt and tie, just clean and tidy.
- Ask for the manager by name if you know it. If they're not in, ask when is a good time to come back.
- Keep it short. "Hi, I'm Maya. I'm in Year 11 at Riverside State High. I'm looking for casual work and I wanted to drop off my résumé in case anything comes up. Are you the right person to leave it with?"
- Say thanks and leave. Don't hover.
That's it. It can take about twenty seconds. The awkwardness is mostly in the anticipation.
Applying online
Online applications get filtered fast, so the basics matter more than personality:
- Read the ad properly and do exactly what it asks. If it wants a cover letter, write one. If it wants specific availability, state it.
- Answer every question. Blank fields often knock an application out automatically.
- Use the employer's own words for the role title.
- Check spelling, especially the business name.
- Apply within a few days of the ad going up.
Responding professionally once you've applied
If they call and you can't talk, say so and ask to call back — don't answer in the middle of class. Return calls and messages promptly. When you reply by message, write in full sentences.
If you get an interview, arrive ten minutes early, bring a copy of your résumé, and be ready to answer "tell me about yourself" and "when can you work?" Have a question of your own ready too — "what would a typical shift look like?" is perfectly good.
Handling rejection
Many students hear no several times before they hear yes. Sometimes it takes more than a few attempts. A no usually means the roster was already full or someone applied a week earlier, not that anything is wrong with you.
Two things help:
- Apply to multiple suitable places, not one at a time. Waiting two weeks for a single answer before trying the next place can make a job search feel endless.
- Ask for feedback if you got as far as an interview. Some employers will tell you something genuinely useful. Many won't reply, which is normal.
Be honest with yourself about "suitable", though. Applying to forty places you'd never actually work at isn't persistence, it's noise.
The realistic timeline
No single method guarantees a job. In-person visits can work well for small businesses; online applications are common for chains; connections can help in many settings. Use all three, allow a few weeks to a few months, and keep your profile and résumé current so you can apply the day something appears.
Before your next application, it's worth knowing what employers actually look for in high-school students — it's less about experience than most students assume.