Landing that lucrative first job can be an exciting opportunity for high school students – it can supply independence, responsibility and spending money – but getting to that point can sometimes be a challenge.

Local employers, educators and job seekers can provide support and advice for anyone looking for a job.

Confidence and using the resources at your fingertips, they said, are just a couple of things that will help locate the perfect job.

Don’t short-change yourself

“A lot of times if you ask a student what kind of experience they have, they flat out say nothing,” said Don Ide, marketing teacher and DECA adviser at Lynnwood High School. “And usually that’s not true.”

“For a person looking for that first position, I believe it is so imperative that they use volunteer experience,” Ide said.

Volunteering, which high school students often do plenty of, can be a helpful background for employers.

“Community activity really does show a business person that this is somebody who is a team player, is active in the community (and) is proactive,” said Diana Favre, business services manager at WorkSource of Snohomish County.

Presentation also is important. When a person has a job interview, the employer is looking to see what qualities that person brings to the table, Ide said.

So dress the part. Look professional, he said, and demonstrate that you are friendly and have something to offer.

Being confident also helps boost job seekers’ chances. Smiling and looking people directly in the eye will be helpful in most any type of job, and greeting a future employer that way can score the candidate points, Ide said.

“A lot of these students don’t have that confidence yet,” he said, but it’s something that can be worked on.

Mill Creek’s University Bookstore manager, Josephine Bobbitt, said first impressions are important, and she looks for employees who are friendly.

“You want someone who’s fairly outgoing and is comfortable approaching a customer and asking if they need help,” Bobbitt said.

Be prepared

Ide encouraged students in his classes at Lynnwood to attend the Alderwood mall and WorkSource of Snohomish County’s Job Fair 2005, which took place last month at the mall.

At least 250 people attended the fair, Favre said, and 38 employers were there taking applications and setting up interviews. It was a great environment for everyone, but especially for young people, who might be looking for a little practice when it comes to talking to recruiters, she said.

Favre suggested conducting a little research on the businesses in advance of job fairs and interviews.

That way, “you seem like you’re informed and you’re not just there applying for any job,” Favre said.

Retail, she said, is a good way to start out, particularly because it can help build skills that will be necessary in all industries.

There are jobs out there, sometimes you just have to keep applying, she said.

“The job market is heating up in Snohomish County,” Favre said. Snohomish was the top county in the state as far as job openings and growth during the month of August.

Jackson High School student Alyssa Koch, 17, found her first job at Central Market in Mill Creek around the time it opened, a little more than a year ago.

She said she found the job fairly easily, but she knows that’s not always the case.

“You just have to apply at a lot of places,” Koch said.

Job fairs like Alderwood’s can be a great place to look for openings, said Mark Madison, the Edmonds School District’s director of career and technical education, but there also are resources at each students’ fingertips in their high schools.

Each high school’s Career Center has staff available to help students connect with employers.

For students who are interested in a particular career, career specialists can often suggest jobs or internships to get the ball rolling, he said.

In Edmonds, students can also utilize JobMart, a resource that lists job openings in the area, Madison said.

Prioritize activities

Balancing school with extracurricular activities, sports and a job can be a tough load to juggle, so Ide suggests students evaluate their commitments before getting a job to make sure they’re ready for it.

Locating a job or internship that appeals to your interests, and possibly your future career, is an excellent way to learn more about future opportunities, Favre said.

“That’s a great way to get some experience and get your foot in the door,” Favre said.

Ide said students need to know their limits and keep everything balanced.

“School has to be a priority,” Ide said.