How to Steal Jobs from Teenagers
By Eleni Himaras in TheStreet
As summer approaches and more people are looking for work, those temporary summer jobs typically relegated to teens are now fair game for unemployed adults.
Look Where the Teens Look
When looking for a summer job, you should think like a teen: What do you want to spend your summer doing? It may be hanging out at the local pool or beach
to work as a lifeguard. Or you might learn that your favorite
restaurant needs extra wait staff for the summer rush. There's also the
local movie theater or an amusement park in your area. All are likely
to be taking on extra help during summer months.
Rediscover Your Youthfulness
"This is not the time to tell someone that you have a master's degree
in economics if you're applying for a job in say, lifeguarding," says
Robyn Feldberg, career coach and president of the National Resume
Writers Association.
The first step to de-emphasizing age, she said, is to focus only on
your relevant skills and minimize the rest. This could mean opting to
only put your previous company's name on your resume and the time you spent there, instead of a job title, leaving room to expand on the fact that you taught swimming in college.
"You definitely want to go in there with the most youthful
appearance you can project," Feldberg says. She suggests job seekers
keep their wardrobe up to date and grey hairs hidden.
But the most important thing is to project an air of confidence.
While staying casual and appropriate to the specific job, emphasize the
ways in which your age and experience will make you a more reliable and
successful employee.
Do Your Homework and Be Prepared for Skepticism
Just because this is your neighborhood pool or favorite bar doesn't mean that the basic job hunting skills don't apply.
"Walk in there prepared, knowing something about the business,
knowing something about the problems that they are facing and how to
present yourself as the solution to those challenges," Feldberg says.
This could mean emphasizing your flexible work hours or access to reliable transportation.
It's fine to touch on the situation that brought you to the job, but
emphasize how willing and happy you are to work for them and remind
them of what you bring to the table. Even if you are looking at the job
as temporary, don't treat it as such.
"I've seen some people that got their foot in the door, proven
themselves, and been offered better jobs in the company," Feldberg
says. "It can always lead to more."
Be Prepared for Teenage Wages
Be warned: This
teen job will likely come with teen pay. Let your potential boss know
that you are comfortable with it. Feldberg says it is always best to
let them bring it up first, then discuss what your research has told
you about the average salary and let the person know you are willing to
work within that to find something that makes you both happy.
Lifeguards make about $10 an hour, servers
make closer to $9.50 an hour, bartenders make about $8.50 an hour,
amusement park attendants make about $9 an hour, and landscape workers
make about $12 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course, many teens make minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is $6.55 an hour until July 24, when it increases to $7.25 an hour.
Despite the averages, you should investigate individual companies to find out their average pay before you apply.
Know the Laws
For the most part, employers may not ask you your age
and can under no circumstances deny you employment solely because of
it. According to the law, employers may ask for age on an application
but it will open them to increased scrutiny if the employee ever feels
the need to bring them to court.
According to the Age Discrimination Act,
"It is unlawful...for an employer to discriminate in hiring or in any
other way by giving preference because of age between individuals 40
and over." That law also falls under the Workforce Investment
Act of 1998. Section 188 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of
race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political
affiliation or belief.
People may refuse to answer if asked during an interview but in some
cases revealing age may be a necessity if a company needs your full
birthday for a background check. Those who feel they have been
discriminated against may contact the American Civil Liberties Union,
attempt to have the company criminally prosecuted under the statute or
take them to civil court for damages.
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Not to pat ourselves on the back or anything (pat pat), but last Wednesday we ran a piece called How to Steal Jobs from Teenagers, with some helpful tips for unemployed grown-ups looking to score summer work. And yesterday, The New York Times ran a piece called At the Shore, Trying to Add ‘Corndog Fryer' to a Long Résumé in which they follow the recently unemployed as they try to land jobs on the Jersey Shore.
It's a solid piece that takes a good, close look at this issue,
raising many of the concerns we brought up in our piece, like this:
"As for the jobs that are being filled, many business owners say
they would rather hire students on summer break than their newly
unemployed parents, because, they say, many older workers consider
themselves overqualified to fry corndogs at $7.25 an hour and are
liable to quit midsummer if a year-round job
arises... ‘It's hard enough to bring yourself to actually apply for a job
that pays, what, not even half of what you're used to making,' said
Laura Rozamus, 58, who looked for work along the boardwalk in Absecon
after losing her job in customer service for Blue Cross. ‘But to be
turned down, again and again, just makes you sad - and frustrated.' "
Ms. Rozamus, that is indeed a bummer, but it shouldn't be wholly
unexpected. As we noted, "Be warned: This teen job will likely come
with teen pay."
So, did the folks at the Times see our post before they put this story together? We may never know. But we'd like to think we had something to do with it.