According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021), the average American works about 2,080 hours each year. Our hope as educators, parents, or just fellow human beings is that young adults find a way to spend those 2,000+ hours that is rewarding - both financially and personally.

Interestingly, while just about everyone on the planet will have a job at one point or another, the skill of finding work is rarely taught in schools. It is commonly a process of trial and error that results in a string of jobs that may or may not evolve into a career. I would argue that life skills lessons like job searching can easily be embedded into a study skills class, a vocational or CTE program, or even adult education. Should you choose to tackle the topic, I recommend starting at the beginning:

Understanding Employment Eligibility

Age

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, 14 is the minimum working age in the United States. There are additional laws that vary state by state that restrict the number of hours a minor may work and prohibit employment in hazardous jobs. There are also special allowances for minors working in family businesses or in agricultural settings. When in doubt, consult your local laws and default to the more restrictive regulations (state or federal, whichever are more protective).

Young child in a business suit filling out paperwork next to a large stack of file folders with information about the minimum working age in the US — Students should be aware of age requirements when searching for work.

Citizenship

A discussion of employment eligibility must also include the issue of citizenship. While US citizens and permanent residents are eligible to work, permanent immigrant workers, temporary (non-immigrant workers), and student/exchange workers require an Employment Authorization Document. This list is not exhaustive because laws vary by state. The important consideration is whether or not an age- or residency-based permit is needed to obtain work.

Be mindful that this discussion in a classroom setting is loaded with opportunities for students to overshare personal information. Also, be vigilant for inappropriate comments between students about nationality or citizenship.

Exploring Strengths and Interests

There are a number of free interest inventories and aptitude assessments available to help students identify possible career matches. One example is the CareerOneStop Interest Assessment. This free career exploration activity includes an animated Google Slides presentation and worksheet to guide students through exploring their strengths and interests to identify potential career matches.

Assessment results from free career exploration activity showing the example of a dental assistant — Free career exploration activity.

Transitioning from Jobs to a Career

Most people start with odd jobs in their teens and young adulthood and eventually settle into a long-term position. Occasionally someone sticks to a single career path their entire working life. There are advantages to both approaches.

Varied jobs result in broader experience and diverse skills. A single-focus career often provides more opportunities for specialized skills and (possibly) higher pay. Consider sharing about your own career path with your students. Ask what they have seen with friends and family? There is no right or wrong way - it is more important to build awareness and prompt reflection.

When everyone around us is living their best life on social media, students often have an unrealistic perception of career trajectory. They often think they will jump straight from high school to owning an artisanal cupcake bakery in Manhattan or playing power forward for the Lakers. Hollywood and TikTok rarely highlight the years of training and education that precede illustrious careers. For this reason, a useful activity to conduct with students is brainstorming a chain of entry-level and mid-level jobs that would develop into their desired careers.

For example, what would allow a person to test out the field of animal medicine and build experience before becoming a veterinarian? Pet store clerk → animal shelter volunteer → kennel attendant → veterinary clinic receptionist → vet technician. No one wants to be halfway through veterinary school before learning they can’t stand reptiles or that they’re allergic to cats. Guiding students through this brainstorming process highlights the incremental reality of most career development.

Young woman shown working as a baker (happy) and again as an office employee (unhappy) — Students must strike a balance, striving for work that is both realistic and rewarding.

Navigating Job Search Resources

In this day and age, job searching may start with an old-fashioned “Help Wanted” poster in a restaurant window or an AI-generated ad personalized based on your scrolling patterns. To be informed consumers of information, students will need to explore the strengths and weaknesses of different search options.

Postings to Craigslist, Facebook, newspaper classifieds, local business websites, and bulletin boards are better for finding local options and small business jobs. Larger scale searches through Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder, ZipRecruiter, USAJobs, LinkedIn, and SimplyHired will produce broader results, often with bigger companies.

If you do not have the time or resources to assist students with the actual job search process, your local Job Center is a fantastic option that offers job search assistance, resume help, career counseling, job search databases, career planning, connections to training resources, financial assistance opportunities, and more!

Effective Job Search Strategies

Students must understand that each industry has a number of different titles for the same or similar roles. A thorough job search requires considering the range of position titles. For example, someone interested in “working with kids” may need to search using titles like nanny, teacher’s assistant, camp counselor, or childcare worker. Similarly, someone interested in an entry-level law enforcement position may want to explore search terms like police officer, deputy, highway patrol, state police, security guard, investigator, correctional officer, patrol, school resource officer, or probation.

Decoding Job Advertisements

Once a student has narrowed the field of possible position titles and found promising options, interpreting a job posting requires a special skill set. Students need hands-on practice with real examples to identify the location of the job, the eligibility and application requirements, the job duties, the salary range and benefits, plus any details like the possibility for remote work, hiring bonuses, or relocation support. This Job Searching Lesson includes guided practice for students on reading and interpreting job ads.

Beware of Job Scams!

Finally, a lesson on job searching wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging that every year over 14 million people are exposed to scam job listings (Business Insider, 2022). And, sadly, Americans were scammed out of $68 million due to fake business and job opportunities in just the first quarter of 2022, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Common job scams include reshipping schemes, check fraud, and fake fee-based job placement assistance. Students must learn to be on the lookout for scam red flags:

Rushing: The employer pressures the applicant to decide or act quickly or else risk losing the opportunity.
Unsolicited emails: An employer reaches out claiming to have found an applicant’s resume, profile, or other details online.
Poor writing: Communication from an employer contains grammar or spelling errors or has a sloppy appearance or poor formatting.
Sensitive information: The employer asks for personal information or documents too early in the application process (well before hiring and onboarding).

Four job posting red flags: rushing, unsolicited emails, poor writing, and requests for sensitive information — Common red flags to look out for when employment searching.

Tips for Protecting Yourself

Students can greatly reduce their risk of becoming the victim of a job scam by:

Researching any job posting by going directly to the company’s official website (or calling or going into the physical location).
Not following any links in an unsolicited email or social media post.
Insisting on an in-person interview or video phone call and interacting with a real person.
Never paying to apply. There is no such thing as a “deposit” to hold a job.
Not paying for training, screening, registration, etc. as part of the hiring process.
Being skeptical if a job sounds too good to be true - offering salary, benefits, or conditions that are unrealistically good.

Check out the employment searching lesson also includes an engaging Spot the Scam activity where students can analyze and evaluate job postings, seeing if they can identify the red flags.

Incorporating job search lessons into our classrooms—whether in vocational programs, life skills courses, or even general education—can make a huge difference for our students. By teaching them the ins and outs of finding a job, from understanding eligibility requirements to decoding job postings and recognizing scams, we’re setting them up for success. These early lessons not only help them navigate the job market more confidently but also guide them toward informed career choices, giving them a strong start on their professional journey.

Interested in more ideas to prepare students for employment? Check out this employability skills post on how to prepare students to start a new job, from reading employment agreements to mastering workplace etiquette!

Woman sitting at computer job searching with the title Job Searching Lesson & Activities with a sample career exploration assessment and spot the scam activity — Check out this ready-to-use employment searching and career exploration lesson!

Employment Searching and Career Exploration for Students