Summer job forecast: cloudy

The council negotiates with private and public employers - from national banks to hospitals to small merchants - to consider public high school students for low-wage, low-skill jobs. It then helps students with job hunts, résumé-writing, and interviews. Cities like Minneapolis and San Francisco are beginning to mimic the council's efforts.

"I think the dynamic has shifted a little, and increasingly [companies] are looking at high school students as their workforce for the next three to five years," says Mr. Smith. "As a region that's not growing in population, it's really essential that we maximize our investment in these students so that they can become the productive workers of tomorrow, and companies buy into that notion."

For Blocker, the time has come to stop pounding the pavement and start tapping the keys. She recently posted her résumé on teens4hire.org, a nonprofit job-search website geared toward teenagers. According to Renée Ward, director of teens4hire.org, the site advertises about 15,000 jobs from among 844 employers.

Nevertheless, the website typically attracts a pool of about 1.5 million teenage job-seekers, many of whom face the same kinds of challenges. For Blocker, those numbers are anything but encouraging.

"I don't know, we're all in the same boat," she says. "We all have the same experience."

Here are some job-hunting strategies from teens4hire.org, a nonprofit career website for teenagers seeking work:

1. Get good grades. Employers are more inclined to hire teens who do well in school.

2. Participate in school-sponsored activities like clubs and sports. Employers believe that this demonstrates an ability to get along with others and that's what they want.

3. Participate in community activities. Employers see this as a sign of your ability to serve others.

4. Ask around and go out and look for a job. Talk with everybody you know - teachers, parents, friends, (including people whom your parents and friends know) - about places that are hiring teens. Call or visit the location and apply. Most employers don't feel they need to advertise to find teenage workers and are impressed with those who take the initiative to ask for a job.

5. Complete applications carefully. Employers want to know about you, but they also look for neatness and accuracy on an application. Misspelled words and sloppy handwriting are a turnoff.

6. Be prepared to be interviewed on the spot. Employers begin sizing up applicants from the first time they see them. Dress appropriately for business. Nose and tongue rings might be cool among friends, but most employers still frown upon them.

7. Practice talking about yourself. Employers are impressed by teens who make eye contact, shake hands firmly, and act confidently. If you're an above-average student, say so. Emphasize talents, skills, and abilities that would be helpful on the job. Be positive, take your time answering questions, use complete sentences, and say what you'd bring to the job.

8. Learn something about the company. Employers are charmed by this. It shows you really take an interest in them.

9. Follow up. At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer for the opportunity. Ask when you will be notified if you have the job. Write a thank-you note to the interviewer. Contact him or her if you don't hear back within a week.

10. Earn a positive reference. If you land a job, be a good employee. Getting good references will be a valuable part of your ongoing career. Potential employers almost always ask past employers how well you performed on the job.

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