No, moms, I don’t mean you. 😉  An important life skill for teens/young adults is pursuing, obtaining, and keeping (!) a job.  Problem is, there’s very little out there to help young people in this area.  Presumably you, as a parent, will provide some instruction, but maybe you aren’t sure where to start, either.  That’s why Hey, Get a Job! by Jennie Withers is such a beneficial new tool.

Hey, Get a Job! is written directly to teens, and begins with a list of “rules of life” by Charles Sykes.  These are call-it-like-it-is, in-your-face “natural laws” like, “The world won’t care about your self-esteem.  The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.”  I love it!  (And teens need to hear these things.)

The bulk of the book, though, is specific information about seeking, applying for, and keeping a job.  It is extremely practical.

The first chapter talks about finding a place to apply: where it’s legal for teens to work, how to find applications, etc.

The second chapter is all about filling out applications.  Readers are told what to expect to see on an application and how to be prepared to fill all those blanks!

The third chapter discusses resumés.  Many jobs that teens are hired for won’t require resumés, but a few might.  Either way, it’s an important long-term job skill to have.

The fourth chapter addresses interviews.  What should I wear?  How can I prepare?  What might I be asked?  Is there anything I should ask?

Chapter five concerns all of those things that come between being hired and starting the actual job: tax paperwork, training, understanding how to read a paycheck, etc.

Chapter six is about good job skills.  Different jobs have different requirements, of course, but some things — such as dependability, integrity, and basic literacy — are pretty universal.  These are the sorts of skills (and character traits!) that are discussed in chapter six.

Finally, chapter seven offers signs to watch out for that might indicate you’re being taken advantage of by an employer.

All of these topics are, of course, pretty boring to most people.  To make it a bit less so, the author has included text boxes throughout with short real-life examples, and relevant quotes.  The text is no wordier than it must be, either.

This is, in my opinion, an excellent resource, and well worth making required reading for any homeschool high school.  (Any other high school, too, but we don’t typically have much say in the curriculum for the public — or most private — schools.  If your child attends one of these, you might just have to pick the book up so he can do it on his own.)  My oldest is nine, so we’re a few years away yet, but this will be a required text here when the time comes.

Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of the book above to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.