Thursday, February 16, 2012

Job tips for teens (and others)


Job tips for teens (and others, too)

tl;dr (too long, didn't read, shortcut/summary):
  1. I hope you live and work a long time, maybe 50 years.
  2. Employers see teen workers as warm, living zombies to fill jobs.
  3. You can stand out from the zombie crowd if you try.
  4. Sell them what they need, and prove it.
  5. Benefit, financially and in the long run.

The good news is that the average person is living longer. The OTHER good news is that they are working longer too. You will have an opportunity to work another 50 years or so. Do something you like.

That said, employers are not exactly lining up outside the doors to most local high schools, begging young workers to please come work in interesting, fulfilling, highly-compensated jobs. Actually, the thought of a double row of middle-aged, people in (business preferred) gray and/or khaki Docker slacks begging to recruit a gaggle of teens while they are texting and walking their strange piercings past is very funny.

A similar thing actually happened here last Christmas. A local Fulfillment Company (that means warehouse packaging) was desperate for workers. So desperate that they sent middle-aged people like yours truly into the high schools. These 'older folks' set up booths in the hallway to recruit teenagers to work for them over the Christmas season.

Now, our local labor force (potentially alive human beings) in the high schools promptly did what teenagers often do-they ignored the old people in the gray and/or khaki Dockers. Well, middle-aged people aren't always the smartest people, but we are deceitful. And these folks put out full sized Snickers bars. Snickers gained attention where gray flannel suits and/or Dockers failed.

One student of my acquaintance disregarded the Snickers. When offered, he said “No thanks, I'll buy my OWN candy bar with my first paycheck. I take pride in my accomplishments.” He went on to say, “May I please have an application?”, and thanked them when they gave him one. He had MANNERS. The old folks in gray suits and/or Dockers noticed.

He filled out their job application completely, and took his time, neatly filling in ALL of the stupid boxes. He followed the directions on the form even when it made no sense to him, and seemed like a pain. He noticed that the gray suits and/or khaki Dockers people seemed to care about people who followed directions.

He was also prepared. He had the names, addresses, email and telephone numbers of three people he had done work for. When the form asked for previous work history, he did not just write down 'NONE'. Instead, he listed the people in his neighborhood for whom he had raked leaves, cut grass, and completed other menial labor, even though he had slaved for days at $25. The gray suits and/or Dockers slacks were well pleased, for they had References to call, and support their hiring decision.

The point of all of this? You see it by now. My teenaged worker realized that he was a commodity. He knew the employer needed people, and sold himself. HE stood out from the crowd. HE followed directions, and provided references. He translated his life experience into something the gray suits and/or Dockers slacks people could relate to. This was not manipulation. This was MARKETING, and my client did it VERY WELL.

In return, he got a job offer. He made a good bit above minimum wage. He built his NEXT reference for a better job. He knew this would not be what he would be doing for the next 50 years. But he did his best at work, followed directions, and focused. He did well for his career. And earned a few thousand dollars in the process.

Good luck,

Chris

Links to my work, “Beyond a Career Crisis”:

Kindle Edition

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