Getting your teenagers a head start for work

We've got 5 big kids aged from 14 to 20, two of whom are starting College this September and going through the interview stage. My eldest has already been through College and done the whole University application thing, plus on numerous occasions written his CV for part-time job applications.

Whenever they ask for help I'm a bit stuck. I know what I would expect to see, but putting it all down on paper in a neat order is a really quite scary task. It's definitely not on a par with helping our 5 year old with his homework.

Our kids are quite lucky because in a previous life I used to interview candidates, and my partner used to work at a job club, but there's plenty we don't know (or have forgotten), and advising your own children about how to behave at interview, or why they should say they can play the piano on a College application is met with the same sort of reaction as when you ask them to do the dishes.

There are loads of resources out there to help, and vInspired has just released a Job Jumpstarter Pack which aims to cover most of the information anyone could possibly need.

"vInspired is a charity that helps young people discover the value of volunteering - for themselves and for others".

I started volunteering when I was 16 and had lots of spare time. I used to look after an elderly lady who was scared to be home alone at night, I took a lady who lived in a residential home to adult education classes and I spent an evening a week at the local Mind social club. All of these voluntary jobs were roles that were giving something extra. No-one would be paid to do these jobs, they just wouldn't have happened without volunteers.

Volunteering is something that gave me a real head start when I started work. I already had more confidence and understood something of how it feels to be a worker. I had references and experience. I had already proven myself reliable and hard working, able to use my initiative and work as part of a team. I had tons of stuff to write on a CV.

I don't believe in taking people's jobs, or young people being taken advantage of, but I firmly believe that volunteering is valuable thing for everyone, which is why I'm more than happy to do this post for vInspired.

They've asked me to promote their  Job Jumpstarter Pack which has CV templates, an interview checklist and sample questions, tips on filling out application forms, advice about how to make yourself stand out and something I think is very important for young people now - being aware of your internet footprint. Everyone now has information, comments, photos on Facebook and other places, and your potential employer may well look at that. What does your internet presence say about you?