Bad News for Teens Looking for Jobs

If you're on the hunt for a summer job, sorry to say but the odds are against you. New stats say that only 1 in 4 teens will score a job this summer, down from 1 in 2 a decade ago. The main reason is the bad economy: more people (including out-of-work adults) are out there competing for the same jobs as you.

(The good news, I guess, is that if your folks give you a hard time about not working, you can just blame it on the economy and get back to working on your tan.)

You can increase your odds of getting hired by following these Tips for Scoring Your First Job. But even if you're rejected a bunch of times, don't be discouraged. No one has a perfect job-hunting record; even the most qualified people get turned down more often than not.

And if you're lucky enough to get hired somewhere, share your story with us so we can all learn from your success.