For students · Launch League blog
Common teen job interview questions and how to answer them (Ontario)
By Nick Gonzalez, founder, U.S. Air Force veteranPublished
The short answer
Teen interviews mostly ask the same eight questions: tell me about yourself, why here, your availability, a time you worked hard, how you handle a problem, teamwork, strengths and weaknesses, and your questions. Prepare one true three-sentence story from school, sport, family or volunteering, and it answers half of them.
The three-sentence story
A teenager with no job history needs one true story, told in three sentences: what happened, what I did, what came of it. A shift covered, a team project rescued, a little brother walked to school every day. That one story answers half the questions a first-job interviewer asks.
What a manager is really asking a 15-year-old
Nobody interviewing a teenager for a first job expects experience. In my years hiring and supervising people, including many young people on their first placements, the questions were really three: will you show up, will you listen, and will you be pleasant to work beside on a busy day?
Every common question is a version of one of those. “Tell me about yourself” is “are you a normal, polite person?” “What's your availability?” is “will you show up?” “Tell me about a time you worked hard” is “will you keep going when it's boring?” Answer the real question and the interview gets easy.
Common teen interview questions and how to answer them
Here are the questions that come up most, with answers a 15- to 17-year-old could actually give. Change the details to your own. Never make anything up; interviewers can tell, and it is a bad start.
- “Tell me about yourself.” “I'm 16, I play on the school volleyball team, and I help my aunt with her garden business on weekends. I'm looking for a job where I can learn and save for a car.” Thirty seconds: school, one activity, why you're here.
- “Why do you want to work here?” “I come here with my family, and the staff always seem to work as a team. I'd rather learn on a busy shift than a quiet one.” Show you have actually been there.
- “What's your availability?” “After 4 on weekdays, and all day Saturday. During exams I'd need a lighter week, and I'd tell you two weeks ahead.” Be exact, and be honest about exams and sport.
- “Tell me about a time you worked hard.” Use your three-sentence story: what happened, what you did, what came of it.
- “What would you do if a customer was upset?” “Stay calm, listen to the whole thing, say sorry it happened, and get my manager if it's something I can't fix.” Knowing when to get help is the right answer.
- “Do you work well with others?” Give an example, not a yes. A group project, a team, a family job that needed more than one person.
- “What's a strength? A weakness?” Strength: one word and one example. Weakness: something real and small, and what you're doing about it. “I'm quiet with new people, so I make myself say hi first.”
- “Do you have any questions for us?” Always yes. See the list below.
The three-sentence story
Most teenagers freeze on the “tell me about a time” questions because they think they have nothing to tell. They do. They just haven't shaped it.
Pick one true thing from the last year where you did something that took effort or responsibility. Then say it in three sentences. What happened: “Our team's fundraiser was two weeks out and nobody had booked anything.” What I did: “I called three businesses, got two to donate, and made the schedule.” What came of it: “We raised enough for the tournament, and the coach asked me to do it again.”
Say it out loud three times the night before. The same story can answer “a time you worked hard”, “a time you solved a problem”, “a time you worked with a team” and often “tell me about yourself”. One story, four questions.
Questions about age, hours and school in Ontario
Employers will ask your age and when you can work, because the law sets limits. Know them before you walk in, so you can answer clearly.
- At 14 you can work in places like stores, offices, arenas and restaurant serving areas.
- At 15 you can work in factories, restaurant kitchens, repair shops and warehouses.
- At 16 you can work in construction, logging and some mining operations.
- Employers cannot employ you during school hours if you are under 16.
- Ontario has a student minimum wage for students under 18 who work no more than 28 hours a week while school is in session. Check the current rate on ontario.ca before you start.
- Under the Employment Standards Act, young workers have the same rights as adults in most cases, including a pay stub every pay period.
Questions to ask them at the end
Pick two. Asking something tells the manager you are taking the job seriously.
- “What does a normal first week look like?”
- “What do your best new people do that others don't?”
- “How do you handle schedules around exams?”
- “Is there a chance to learn other jobs here later?”
- “When should I expect to hear back?”
The night before and the day of
A checklist a parent can go through with a teenager tonight:
- Say the three-sentence story out loud three times.
- Write your availability on paper, exact days and times, including sport and exams.
- Plan to arrive ten minutes early, and know who you're asking for.
- Clean, plain clothes that fit the place. A step nicer than the staff wear.
- Phone away and silent. Look at the person, shake hands if they offer, say thank you at the end.
- Afterwards, a short thank-you message if you have a way to send one.
If they don't get the job
Most first applications don't work out, for reasons that have nothing to do with the teenager: the shift was filled, they needed someone older, the timing was wrong. Ask the manager, politely, if there is anything that would make you a better candidate next time. Most will tell you.
Then apply again somewhere else the same week. The second interview is always easier than the first, and the third is easier again. If the interviews are going fine but the jobs aren't coming, look at availability first; that is the most common deal-breaker for teenagers.
Questions
Quick answers
- What should a teenager wear to a job interview?
- Clean, plain clothes one step nicer than the staff wear. For a restaurant or store, tidy pants and a plain top are fine. Avoid strong scent and big logos. The goal is that nobody remembers the outfit.
- What if I have no work experience at all?
- Say so plainly, then give your three-sentence story from school, sport, family or volunteering. Interviewers for first jobs expect no experience. They are looking for reliability and attitude, and a specific example of either beats any claim.
- Should a parent come to the interview?
- Drive them, wait outside or in the car, and do not go in. The interview is partly a test of whether the teenager can handle it alone. Help the night before instead: rehearse the questions and check the availability list.
- How old do you have to be to work in Ontario?
- It depends on the workplace. Ontario sets 14 for places like stores, offices and restaurant serving areas, 15 for factories, restaurant kitchens and warehouses, and 16 for construction. Under-16s cannot be employed during school hours.
- Is it okay to say I can only work weekends?
- Yes, if it's true. Clear, honest availability is better than saying yes to everything and cancelling later. Some employers need weekday people and will pass; others need exactly weekend help. Either way you've saved everyone a bad month.
Next step
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Sources: Ontario: Minimum age to work · Ontario: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, young workers' rights. Coaching is not therapy, medical, legal or financial advice.