CV for a 15 year old?

[bendmeoverbackwards]

15 year old dd has been trying to get a job in a local cafe or similar. Some places have said she should bring in a CV but she explained she doesn’t have one yet. One place said that’s fine, she should just leave her number but I’m wondering if she should knock up a CV with basic details on it?

My DS wrote one at 14. He wrote down his activities (football team, scouts and mentioned about being a good team player and practical), subjects at school he excelled in (IE wasn't too shite in), interests (table tennis, gaming, socialising, shouting at his siblings). And wrote about his skill set (organised, good at time keeping, good at customer service, polite 😜). Got him the job!

It's all good practice. He recently updated it to include his last job as now has applied at 16 for a better paid job.

Thanks @FrecklesMalone well done to him! Did he mention good customer service if he hadn’t worked before?

Anything like playing in a sports team, D of E, which subjects taking for GCSE. He should have a CV at 15. Mine did them in IT at school.

He said he would be good at it because he is approachable and polite or something along those lines!

It's all about transferable 'skills' at this age. So can she talk to all age groups, can she work for four/five hours straight without needing a break, is she self-motivated etc etc. Hospitality are looking for presentable, motivated grafters with good communication skills. If she can show this she should get a job easily.

Sorry forgot the most important bit - yes she should have a cv as this is how she can start to sell herself to a prospective employer.

Yes, I remember feeing ridiculous being made to write one at an age when I'd done "nothing" but if she thinks of it as a bit of paper with her details, contact and a brief summary of what she's up to that might be easier. There are a tonne of templates online or just google image search CVs to get an idea of what they should look like.

IIRC at that age it was basically:

Name
Contact email/phone
DOB

Work Experience (if any, you can include things like shadowing days or school work exp if she's not worked before, or if she's ever spent time helping out at a family workplace e.g. shop, school)

Education (just "studying towards GCSEs in [subjects] at {school name]")

Other Experience (things like extracurriculars, or relevant stuff like if she's a part time carer for a family member)

Thank you, that's really helpful. Any suggestions of where else she can look for work other than independent cafes? I think most chains the minimum age would be 16 (or even 18).

Obviously this is a bit out of date but my friends and I at that age worked at places like cafes yes but also: shops (local shops mainly as long as not selling booze, places like food and book shops), food stalls, babysitting, pub kitchen, delivering stuff, carpark attendant.

What would she enjoy? Is she someone who likes talking to strangers? Does she work well under deadlines and things?

She can also add any software she uses - e.g. proficient in use of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.