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May 2012
South Albany High School career counselor Jackie Labonte assists Jordan Post, 16, with her resume. MARK YLEN | MID-VALLEY INBUSINESS
Pickings slim in teen job market High schoolers need to take extra steps to land that first job By JENNIFER ROUSE
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t used to be a rite of passage — a teenager’s first real job. Whether it was bagging groceries, flipping burgers, or pumping gas, earning money over the summer used to be the norm for young people. These days, with the nation’s economy still only marginally improving, competition is fierce and jobs for teens are hard to find. High school students are instead increasingly turning to sports camps, volunteering, and odd jobs to fill their summer days. According to a report from the Oregon Employment Department, not working is becoming the new norm for today’s teens. Anna Sokolov, business-to-school liaison at Albany Options School, said her students are frustrated by employers who can afford to be picky and are unwilling to take a chance on inexperienced workers. “They say that employers are looking for people 18 and older. They’re not interested in 16 and 17 year olds,” Sokolov said. “They say you can’t find a job unless you’ve already had a job. No one is willing to give you that first chance.” The story is the same from other area career counselors. Jackie Labonte of South Albany High’s Career Center remembers that when she started at South five years ago, the job board filled with employment listings from local businesses used to be packed with opportunities for teens. “I would have so many I could barely keep up with posting them,” she recalled. “Now, jobs for high school students go to college students or older workers. The pickings are extremely slim.” Donna Keim, a career counselor at Corvallis High School, says she tells her students not to expect a steady, paying job at all — at least, not right off the bat. She recommends that students identify an industry they are interested in and volunteer their services for free, arranging to get school credit for their work. “It’s not like it used to be,” she said. “I tell them to expect to put in a couple years of volunteer time before they are offered a position.” National and state employment numbers bear out the trend, although analysts say this year’s numbers are somewhat better than they were for 2009 through 2011. In 2011 — the most recent year for which statistics are available — unemployment among 16- to 19-year-olds was SEE TEEN JOBS | A6
Career counselor Jackie Labonte helps Kelsey Sullivan, 16, in her job search at South Albany High School.
TIPS TO GET A JOB So what can teens to do improve their chances of finding a job? Here are tips from local career counselors who work with students all year long to prepare for both longterm and short-term job goals. BE PREPARED: Get a food handler’s card, earn a CPR certification, or take a tractor safety course before you apply. This shows employers you’re well-qualified and ready to step right into the job. BE POLISHED: Create a resume listing all your skills, even if you don’t have work experience – you can list volunteer work, school leadership positions, or personal qualities such as good teamwork or communication skills. Ask a career counselor at your school to review the resume for you. They can also set you up with opportunities for a mock interview, so that when you actually apply for the
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job, you know how to present yourself professionally. BE PERSISTENT: Follow up with each potential employer you hand a resume to, asking more than once about job opportunities. Plan to do volunteer work or some other resume-building activity if a job doesn’t pan out, so that you are gaining experience even if you’re not getting paid. DON’T BE PICKY: Don’t turn up your nose at farm work, fast food, odd jobs or another position that sounds less than ideal. State employment analysts said they’ve heard horror stories of young people refusing to work long hours, or being willing to accept jobs only if they are allowed to check their Facebook page during a shift. A job is a job, and even a menial one will show future employers that you’re responsible, reliable and hard-working.