Getting Your First Job: Application, Resume, Interview
Aligned to JS:EI-4 — Jump$tart National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education & Advance CTE Career Clusters.
What this lesson teaches
An application is a form; a resume is an argument. Both answer one question for an employer: can this person be relied on. With little work history, you build that case from school, volunteering, sports, chores done consistently, and anything you finished when it got hard.
Worked examples
Example 1
'Babysat two children weekly for 18 months' is stronger than 'good with kids' — it is specific, it shows reliability, and it can be checked.
Example 2
Ask permission before listing someone as a reference, and tell them what job you applied for. A reference caught off guard helps nobody.
Example 3
In an interview, having one question ready ('What does a good first month look like here?') signals you are thinking about doing the job, not just getting it.
Practice questions
- Write three resume bullets from your real experience, each with a number in it.
- Name two people you could ask to be references, and how you would ask.
- Prepare two questions to ask at the end of an interview.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Tu primer empleo: solicitud, currículum, entrevista
Una solicitud es un formulario; un currículum es un argumento. Los dos responden una pregunta para el empleador: ¿se puede confiar en esta persona? Con poca experiencia laboral, ese caso se construye con la escuela, el voluntariado, el deporte, los quehaceres hechos con constancia y cualquier cosa que terminaste cuando se puso difícil.
Ejemplo 1: 'Cuidé a dos niños cada semana durante 18 meses' es más fuerte que 'bueno con los niños' — es específico, muestra constancia y se puede verificar.
Ejemplo 2: Pide permiso antes de poner a alguien como referencia y dile a qué empleo aplicaste. Una referencia tomada por sorpresa no ayuda a nadie.
Ejemplo 3: En una entrevista, tener una pregunta lista ('¿Cómo se ve un buen primer mes aquí?') muestra que estás pensando en hacer el trabajo, no solo en obtenerlo.
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