My mom works as an human resources, or HR, representative at Wasatch Physical Therapy. She’s also a manager, and helps run interviews for potential employees.

I applied for a job at her company, and she wanted to give me a few practice interviews. Looking back, I’m grateful for them, because they really helped me out.

You see, I have a friend who is also trying to get a job. She asked my mom if she could help her with her resume, and my mom suggested that she get it down to one page. When my friend couldn’t do this, my mom was astonished.

My friend had never before had a job, and when she did, she had it for two weeks. There was no way this girl had multiple pages to talk about herself on a resume. That’s just overkill.

My mom expressed the need for a high school class on jobs and interviews; things that could get teenagers prepared for the real world. I’m 17 going on 18, and I am one out of nearly 16 girls that has a steady job. All of these girls are 16; and they all have been for nearly five months.

When I got my first job, I was 16 too. When I talk about my job, no one else in my group can relate to it because none of them have actually gone out and applied for a job.

• Saving the cash

This brings up a series of problems. Perhaps someone doesn’t want a job right now because they’re lazy, or they don’t have “the time,” or they just really don’t see the point in it.

Now I don’t want to speak for anybody else here; that’s not my intention; but I’m glad that my parents strongly encouraged — if not forced me — to get a job when I turned 16. Because of my working, I now have enough money saved for a semester of college, which is something that is over a year away. At this rate, I could pay for a full year!

Right now in high school, we have a class called Financial Lit. It teaches kids how to balance a checkbook and write their taxes.

But I think we should add in another class or a focus to the curriculum about teaching kids how to get a job. It could include running through practice interviews and tips for writing resumes and other helpful information. Actual knowledge of what to expect from a job when you’re a minimum-wage teenager.

I know for a fact that doing all of these things, practicing and studying on my own, has really made a difference in my job-seeking life.

During one of my own practice interviews, I said the words “like” and “um” a lot. Experts recommend that you not do that, however, because interviewers like to see that I know what I’m talking about and using those words does not convey that impression.

My mother also told me, “During an interview, you’re trying to sell yourself.” So although it sometimes feels like bragging, it’s OK to brag about yourself and your accomplishments, or skills, in order to get the job. Don’t be afraid to talk about your qualifications.

• Get out there

It’s impossible to be completely prepared for an interview. My employers always asked questions I didn’t know they would ask, and I just had to trust myself and know that I knew what I was doing. It all turned out to be great, because the interviewers later said that I seemed very controlled. So doing more than one interview and applying for more than one job seems tiresome, but it can really prove to be beneficial in the long run.

For me, having a job when you’re a teenager is a really important part of growing up. Jobs teach you responsibility and hard work. They allow you to get life experience and an understanding of how the real world operates.

Having a job has allowed me to discover the things that I like to do and the things I don’t. I used to work at a restaurant, for example, and that job made me realize that I don’t like working with food. I’m not a very good cook, and I don’t enjoy cleaning up after people’s messes.

Then I got another job where I work as a receptionist. This new job allows me to be in a more relaxed environment and still have fun as I work. Everyone at my new job is older than I am, which adds extra pressure, but it also pushes me to work harder.

I want to have a job someday that I love to go to; that makes me love to work. And until then, I’m perfectly happy right here at my present job.

Having jobs and working frequently teaches kids valuable lessons. Responsibility and hard work are things that teenagers today aren’t generally invested in and care about.

I’m not here to bash anyone by saying that they’re lackluster in productivity, but teens need to have jobs. They need to understand and know what goes on in the working world. If not, it just might be pretty embarrassing when they apply for their first job at 21 — and they have no experience.

Taylor Jenkins will be a senior this fall at Weber High School and loves to write. If you have questions or want to chat, email her at jenkinsta2@wsdstudent.net.