Another application filled out for an entry level position. Another application turned away. From instant denials to being totally ignored, many might wonder, where can success securing a job be found?
With Spring Break approaching, high schoolers hope to break into the job market and earn money for themselves, be independent, and learn life skills. But in the modern job market, with entry level job postings falling 29 percentage points since the start of 2024 according to the World Economic Forum, getting that first dive in can be difficult.
“I only started working because Carolina got me a job when I was 15,” junior Kamryn Allen, who works at Kumon as a tutor, said. “It’s very frustrating to find [another] job because you can’t really get many jobs when you’re 15 years old, so [you] just get what you get.”
Let alone finding an open position, the interview process itself is becoming increasingly difficult.
“I’ve never had another job besides Kumon, but I’ve applied at Chick Fil A and Seven Brew,” Allen said. “ I went to Chick Fil A’s office, and had a group interview with all these people, and we played games, and it was really weird.”
The requirements for getting an entry level position have also become contradictory, having similar needs to full time positions.
“I’ve been looking for another job since August or September of 2024,” Allen said. “The hardest part about the job search as a teenager is that no one will hire you without experience, but I can’t get experience if no one will hire me.”
Having connections can be a successful way to get a job for teens, rather than having no experiences or references.
“I got my job at Kumon through my older sister who previously worked there,” junior Carolina Guzman said. “They were hiring, so I went in one day with her and had a trial day, and they hired me on the spot.”
While getting a job at one spot was easy for Guzman, securing one without an interview is the exception, not the rule.
“I didn’t try any other places before Kumon but I’ve tried several places, at least 15 for a new job,” Guzman said. “I’ve only gotten an interview once and only heard back from four and been rejected.”
According to The Heritage Foundation, compared to the summer of 2000 where 54% of teens were working, in 2025, only a meager 34% do.
“I’ve learned that it is very hard as a student with not much experience to find a job that pays well, and [that] fits for a teenager,” Guzman said. “From working in high school I’ve learned to manage my time since I work from 4:00 to 8:00, sometimes 8:30, [and] sometimes it gets difficult for me to catch up on work.”
