Teens, Make Yourself Employable

I am frequently told there are no jobs. After talking to dozens of employers I found that in their opinion there are no entry level applicants. For over a month we ran an ad for a local contractor who needed to hire help. He received no responses. While I was on one of his jobs a man across the road shouted, “Hey man, I need a job.”

There were several reasons not to hire him. One was that he was too lazy to walk across his yard to apply. Another was he waited until almost quitting time to ask. You should notice he didn’t say he wanted work. All he wanted was a pay check. Why would anyone want to hire a man who has poor judgment and who is lazy?

Had he showed up when they started work, dressed and ready for work and approached the boss in a professional manner he would have been hired.

Those of us who have offices are constantly barraged by so-called job seekers. They don’t want a job. They don’t even attempt to get a job. All they want is for their unemployment to continue.

Then there are the teenagers. We often hear no one will give them a chance. The real issue is no one is willing to raise them. When a teen approaches someone about a job and has no experience, what do they have to offer?

When they can’t even promise hard work, dedication and initiative why would anyone hire them?

One problem is the minimum wage. Not only are most employers mandated to pay it, most teens expect it. If an employer pays minimum wage it is costing over 10 dollars an hour when all of the Government mandates are met. This means an employee must generate at least twice that in order to justify his job.

With entry level employees most take months or years before they are earning their pay.

Here is my advice to any teens planning on getting a job after graduating high school. First, start when you are 16 or younger. Take any job offered at any wage offered or volunteer. Then you not only have experience you will have references. If you do a good job and have a good attitude it will be easy to move up.

I know one teen who was given community service by a judge. He did his volunteer job well and with enthusiasm and maintained a good attitude. He was punctual and didn’t miss a day. When he completed his community service he was hired.

There are jobs for teenagers and entry level employees. The secret is to make yourself the kind of employee that employers want to hire.