Cover letter for employment for 17yo

C_Ronaldo

Im tryin to write a cover letter for a 17 year old, hes looking for a job for the summer so he can get some cash, im not sure what else to put to be honest, this is what i have so far

"[FONT=&quot]Im 17 years old and Im looking for a job for the summer. Ive just finished my first year at Gloscat which was very enjoyable, I met loads of new people and I got along very well with them. Im a good team worker, good listener, "[/FONT]



Id appreciate some ideas, im doing this for him as hes annoyed and hes tried looking for a job and no one has offered him one,

LittleVoice

I'd use a little more formality in the letter so "I am", "I have" and so on.

Whatever is claimed in the letter about being a "good team worker", "good listener" or whatever should be picking out what is exemplified on his CV. As he is only 17, there will be space on his one-page CV to give examples to back up any claims.

Bean_Counter

I agree with LittleVoice.

However, I would tend to keep the covering letter pretty brief as I only really give them a glance before moving onto the CV.

Something along the lines of "I read with interest your advert in the Job Centre / XYZ Gazette and hence please find enclosed my CV. As you can see I ...[input relevant skills, interest etc.]"

I would spend time on the CV. There are plenty of websites offering advce, as well as several threads here. Depending on your CV style, some people these days put a personal statement at the top of the CV where you could mention about being a good team player etc.

Hapless_2

C_Ronaldo wrote: »

Im tryin to write a cover letter for a 17 year old, hes looking for a job for the summer so he can get some cash, im not sure what else to put to be honest, this is what i have so far

"[FONT=&quot]Im 17 years old and Im looking for a job for the summer. Ive just finished my first year at Gloscat which was very enjoyable, I met loads of new people and I got along very well with them. Im a good team worker, good listener, "[/FONT]



Id appreciate some ideas, im doing this for him as hes annoyed and hes tried looking for a job and no one has offered him one,

Don't abbreviate Gloscat, use the formal title, Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology. (hey I wonder if Alan still teaches Geography there!)

Bean_Counter

Try this thread for some ideas on CV formatting.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=462795

C_Ronaldo

Hapless wrote: »

Don't abbreviate Gloscat, use the formal title, Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology. (hey I wonder if Alan still teaches Geography there!)

you reckon to abbreviate Gloscat, i would have thought the majority of people in gloucestyer would be aware of it, another question would be is it better to walk into a shop and ask if they have any jobs going or is it better to post a cv with a letter

Hapless_2

Where shops are concerned, don't just send CV's, they tend to go straight in the bin. It's best to go in and ask.
I would suggest that he stayed away from debenhams....I spent too long working there! I did not like their suspicious package training.
The Boots branch there is a good employer.

Oldernotwiser

C_Ronaldo wrote: »

Im tryin to write a cover letter for a 17 year old, hes looking for a job for the summer so he can get some cash, im not sure what else to put to be honest, this is what i have so far

"[FONT=&quot]Im 17 years old and Im looking for a job for the summer. Ive just finished my first year at Gloscat which was very enjoyable, I met loads of new people and I got along very well with them. Im a good team worker, good listener, "[/FONT]



Id appreciate some ideas, im doing this for him as hes annoyed and hes tried looking for a job and no one has offered him one,

Make him write it himself, however annoyed (annoying?) he is. He needs to learn to be independent and writing letters for him does nobody any good.

Savvy_Sue

Definitely go in and ask. Also cinemas and theatres - much easier work than shops, IMO!

As a mother of teenagers, I'd be happy to help at 17, because honestly they have no idea what to say - and why should they at that age? I've been applying for jobs for more years than they've been alive, I'd expect to know better than them what to say. I'd type it, email it to them and say "This is what I think you need to say", and then they can change it. If they can be bothered ...

I would definitely make the letter more formal, and that would mean losing 'I met loads of people'. Something like "I've enjoyed the experience of working and learning with new people" probably.

ellybelly89

be aware that if he has high gcses he may get turned down shop work for being 'over qualified' it has happened to many I know.

Oldernotwiser

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Definitely go in and ask. Also cinemas and theatres - much easier work than shops, IMO!

As a mother of teenagers, I'd be happy to help at 17, because honestly they have no idea what to say - and why should they at that age? I've been applying for jobs for more years than they've been alive, I'd expect to know better than them what to say. I'd type it, email it to them and say "This is what I think you need to say", and then they can change it. If they can be bothered ...

I would definitely make the letter more formal, and that would mean losing 'I met loads of people'. Something like "I've enjoyed the experience of working and learning with new people" probably.

Don't you think that there's a difference between teaching them what it's appropriate to write and writing it for them? With the first it'll be a new skill learned, with the second it's taking the responsibility away from them.