how to get a job when your shy?

I recommend jobs working with animals, if you like them. My first job as a very socially incompetent teen was at a dog boarding place and it took very little social interaction. Barely had to interact with the public as I worked behind the scenes. Coworkers mostly left me alone too after they realized I wasn't planning on opening up to them. It's tough to find entry level jobs like that, but not impossible! Something like a car wash or a shelf stocker may work too. Maybe even a movie theater job, since people mostly want to just get to their movie ASAP and not chat too much.

 There's no need to advertise your shyness.

Keep it light. If others bring up your shyness, keep your tone casual.

Change your tone.

Avoid the label.

Stop self-sabotaging.

Know your strengths

Get over your shyness. Most entry-level jobs require interaction with the public. It's not about you, it's about doing business.

I wouldn't say McDonalds. It's too busy. Try a calmer place like Subway or Pizza Hut.

I was extremely shy as a teen and ended up working at Taco Bell (still wasn't as busy as McDonalds, tho).

I'd say it's a good idea to find a job when you're shy. For me, working at Taco Bell for nearly 5 years made me open up to others a bit. I started out not even wanting to say "hi" to customers cause I feared they may not say "hi" back, but now I'm okay with saying "hi, how are you?" to even a stranger at a store & being the first to say it. I'm not a complete turn around and am still a reserved person, but working at a restaurant made me observe how people actually communicate with one another and that my life wasn't much different from some others. Bosses and employees will also try getting you to open up a bit. Not just for their own amusement, but to prepare you incase you receive a "secret shopper" who will observe how you act on the job and towards customers.

It does get a little awkward at first, but after a month or so, everything should become routine. If you find yourself messing up, just apologize to the customers and say "I'm new here". 90% of them will understand. The other 10% will probably just ignore you cause their slow. If you need a bit of help on anything, always try asking the friendly coworkers first and poke at the grumpy ones if it's your last resort. I've met coworkers who will refuse to help new employees, usually cause teaching others will take away their precious time. Though, most coworkers don't like to be bothered constantly on the job, so try asking questions & practicing during downtime, before/after shift, and on breaks if you can. I wish you luck!

Nobody is coming there to engage you in long conversations

You just do your job

McDonalds has a lot of cashiers and some cooks

None of the jobs are real hard

I worked at McDonald's when I was a teenager, and I cooked the fries and prepared the shakes.  There are always a number of employees needed to cook the food (although, in the case of McDonald's, I'm not sure if "cook" is the right word.  Then again, I'm not sure if "food" is the right word, either).  The same is true with almost all restaurants and fast food places other than, perhaps, Subway.

However, don't be so sure you will have trouble even if you do end up in a position in which you must talk directly with customers.  The reason is because you won't be representing yourself.  The customers don't care about you as an individual.  They don't want to know what you like or don't like or what happened when you were four years old or what your favorite kind of music is.  For the most part, they won't be judging you as an individual.  In many ways, you'll be somewhat like a machine, one that has been programmed to say, "May I take your order, please?"  And, when they say they want fries, you say, "Did you want the LARGE size of fries?"  After the first few days, you'll find it is all very mechanical.

I think it is a great idea for all teenagers to work part-time as long as it doesn't interfere with their studies.  Although you may be nervous about it at first, the nervousness won't likely last long.  It's great to earn a little money and realize the work world really isn't that hard, after all.

Good luck to you!

Our kids both had social anxiety disorder, one pretty severely. Public-facing jobs are more stressful, but manageable if you can become an actor and just play the part of the person who's like you but not shy.

There are, of course, jobs requiring less interaction. You can bus tables or wash dishes at a regular restaurant, be the Mickey D's employee who cooks or assembles the burgers, get a job on a cleaning crew...