How to write a resume with no experience
A one-page template your teen can fill in themselves — even with zero work history.
When my daughter started talking about wanting her own money, I realized my job wasn't to find her a job — it was to help her find one herself. This is the guide I wish I'd had: how to tell when they're ready, what to know before they apply, and how to cheer from the sidelines without hijacking the whole thing.
There's no magic age when a kid is suddenly "ready" to work. Readiness is less about the number on the birthday cake and more about a handful of small, everyday signals. Does your teen get themselves up and out the door without a three-alarm wake-up routine? Can they hold a short conversation with an adult they don't know without melting into their phone? Do they follow through on the boring stuff — chores, homework, texting you back — without constant reminders? Those little reliability muscles are exactly the ones a first boss will lean on.
The other big signal is motivation that comes from them. When my daughter started asking for things — concert tickets, a nicer phone, gas money — I noticed the request slowly turned into "how could I earn that?" That shift is gold. A teen who wants a job for their own reasons will stick with it far longer than one who's been nudged into it to build character. If the wanting is theirs, you're already halfway there.
And then there's the honest math of school. A first job should fit around classes, not steamroll them. Before anyone fills out an application, I'd sit down and sketch a normal week together — practices, homework load, sleep, downtime — and figure out how many hours realistically fit. For a lot of teens, that's somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 to 15 hours during the school year, with more room in summer. Naming a ceiling out loud protects their grades and gives them a clean answer when a manager asks, "Can you pick up more shifts?" A first job is supposed to add to their life, not quietly take it over.
Before your teen accepts a paycheck, it's worth spending twenty minutes on the paperwork side of things. In many places, teens under a certain age need a work permit (sometimes called an employment or age certificate), which usually involves a short form signed by you, the employer, and occasionally the school. There are also common-sense limits on how late teens can work on school nights and how many total hours they can log during the school week. None of it is complicated, but it's the kind of thing that's much easier to sort out up front than to untangle after the first shift.
You'll also want the practical documents ready: some proof of age and a Social Security number for the tax forms, plus bank details if they're set up for direct deposit (more on that below). If your teen doesn't have a bank account yet, opening one together is a nice side quest — and a natural on-ramp to their first savings goal.
The specifics on minimum working age, permits, and allowed hours are set at the state level (and sometimes locally), so what's true in one state may not be true in yours. Please don't take any general guidance here as the law where you live. A quick search for your state's labor department "youth employment" or "minor work permit" page will give you the real, current rules — and most schools' front offices can point you to the permit paperwork too.
The good news: employers who regularly hire teens have done this a hundred times. A manager at a grocery store, movie theater, or ice cream shop can usually walk your teen through exactly what they need. So don't let the paperwork feel like a wall — it's more of a speed bump, and often the employer helps you over it.
Sit down together and brainstorm places that actually hire teens nearby — restaurants, retail, grocery, tutoring, camps, lifeguarding, pet care, lawn work. Your role here is prompts and encouragement, not a finished list. Let them name the places they'd genuinely be okay walking into, and jot down five or six to start.
Yes, even with zero work history. Babysitting, volunteering, a sports team, a class project — it all counts. Keep it to one page and let them write it in their own words. Our guide on writing a resume with no experience is a good template to hand them, then step back and let them fill it in.
Do one low-key mock interview at the kitchen table. Ask the basics — "Why do you want to work here?" and "When are you available?" — and coach on eye contact and a firm handshake. Keep it light. The goal is to shake off nerves, not to script every answer.
Applying isn't the finish line. Teach them to check in politely a few days later — a short in-person visit or a friendly email that shows they're still interested. This one step makes teens stand out, and it's a habit that will serve them for decades. Let them send the message, not you.
This is the hardest one. Once they've got a lead or an interview, resist the urge to call the manager, drop off the application yourself, or answer for them. The confidence they get from doing it themselves is the whole point. Be their pit crew, not their driver.
Landing the job is exciting, but honestly, the first paycheck is where the money education actually begins. The first thing your teen will notice is that the number on the check is smaller than the hours-times-wage math they did in their head. That's the moment to explain taxes — Social Security, Medicare, and maybe income tax withholding — in plain terms. It's a great, real-world introduction to the idea that "gross" and "net" are two very different numbers, and it lands far better than any lecture ever could.
Direct deposit is the next teachable moment. Walk them through setting it up so their pay lands automatically in their own account, and show them how to read the pay stub — hours, rate, deductions, and the take-home total. Seeing it laid out demystifies the whole thing.
Then comes the habit that matters most: splitting the pay before it gets spent. I like a simple save-and-spend split — a set percentage moves to savings the day the check clears, and the rest is theirs to use. Even 20% to savings builds a muscle that compounds for life. If you want a framework to hand them, our budgeting guide for teens breaks it into an easy system, and saving their first $1,000 gives that savings percentage a concrete, motivating target. The magic isn't the exact numbers — it's that they decide to save something automatically, every single time, before the money has a chance to disappear.
The best first job is one that hires teens regularly, fits around school, and is a reasonable commute from home. Think grocery stores, fast food and cafes, retail, movie theaters, lifeguarding, camp counseling, tutoring, and pet or lawn care. Any of these teaches the core skills that matter early: reliability, teamwork, and handling customers. For more ideas and how to apply, our first job guide is a great place for your teen to start.
I'd frame it as a house rule rather than a punishment: a set percentage goes to savings automatically, and the rest is theirs to enjoy. That balance matters — if they can't spend any of it, the job loses its shine fast. Something like 20% to savings is a solid starting point, and pairing it with a real goal makes it stick. Our budgeting guide gives them a simple system to run it themselves.
Rejection is part of the process, and honestly it's a useful lesson on its own. Remind them that most people apply to several places before one says yes, and that "no" usually means "not right now," not "never." Help them tweak the resume, apply to a few more spots, and keep the momentum going. Bouncing back from a no is a skill that pays off for the rest of their life.
Enough to feel the reward, not so much that grades or sleep suffer. Many families land somewhere around 8 to 15 hours a week during the school year, with more flexibility over summer. Sketch out a typical week together first, and remember that hour limits for younger teens are often set by state law — check your local rules before locking in a schedule.
It depends entirely on where you live and how old your teen is. Some states require a permit for minors under a certain age; others don't. The employer or your teen's school office is usually the fastest way to find out, and your state labor department's youth employment page has the official answer. Sort it out before the first shift so there are no surprises.
A one-page template your teen can fill in themselves — even with zero work history.
Where to apply, how to interview, and how to follow up — written for your teen.
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