Students earn places in the workforce
By day, she’s a junior at Carlmont. By night, she’s a hostess at Sneakers American Grill. Izzy Lunderman is one of the many teens getting their foot in the door of the work-world.
“I absolutely love and enjoy working as a host at Sneakers because it brings me so much happiness being able to make people smile just by being me. People enjoy my loud and vibrant personality. I end up meeting a new person almost every night,” Lunderman said.
However, studies and general feedback from experts and employers have increasingly shown that the young people today lack the simple skills it takes to wow employers first in job interviews and then in their work, avoid lower-skill opportunities, and choose more educational paths.
According to CBS News, young people are less likely to find basic labor opportunities beneficial, and they prefer to spend time on family, friends, or school commitments.
Moreover, according to The Atlantic, fewer teens are working not necessarily just because they’re lazy but because they don’t get paid that much.
And in another Atlantic article, the argument is that most American millennials lack basic workplace skills compared to their Asian or European counterparts.
Carlmont students and faculty beg to differ.
Carlmont is an example of how today’s teens actually are getting jobs and work experience based on the qualities that they have and the skills that schools are teaching -- not avoiding the responsibility, getting regularly rejected for the skills they lack, or being annoyed at a low salary.
It’s true that Carlmont doesn’t offer any Home Economics courses to teach students the benefits of working, the basics of job interviews, etc., but the school offers Career Technical Education classes, such as computer science and journalism, to prepare students for possible future careers in their field of choice. Furthermore, teachers in core classes are also making a conscious effort to get students ready for the workplace.
“One of our goals is getting [students] ready for post-high school life, whether that’s college or career,” said Karen Ramroth, a history teacher at Carlmont. “[In class, that’s] more about being able to collaborate with people, being able to use technology to amalgamate information and then disseminate it, being able to have a claim that you can back up with evidence; sort of people skills.”
Preparation for a job or interview can come through many other subjective experiences that can be as simple as communicating with others about their experiences.
“I didn’t know what to expect [at my first job interview], but I felt fairly prepared after talking to family and friends about their past job interviews,” said Kristine Chan, a junior and Starbucks barista.
Other preparation can get as specific as actual on-the-job instruction.
Brandon Gee, a junior and kung fu teacher, said, “It was a training process that I had to attend [before] teaching classes. [The bosses] hand selects assistants and they teach you how to teach.”
Students are not only getting jobs, but even if their professionalism is not adult-level their efforts to enter the workplace are legitimate practice for future careers.
“I had a 15-minute interview [with the owner] about why I deserve the job, what qualifies me to be a host, am I good with people, and am I a fast learner. I answered honestly and truthfully, and I ended up getting my job and starting to work,” Lunderman said.
Conversely, just as teens can be rejected from jobs for not having the professional hard skills, they can be hired for being themselves.
“Teens have an incredible amount of energy. A lot of teens are very into their social lives and love making friends and smiling, so it becomes very easy for them to smile and interact with the customers at work,” Jamey Harris, store manager at In-N-Out, said.
Working at institutions like these is teaching students skills that they need to be successful in future careers.
“A lot of people that get hired at In-N-Out -- it is their first job. That allows me to really instill great working habits in someone out right of the gate,” Harris said.
The workplace has diverse opportunities and situations for people of all ages, experience-levels, and personalities to adapt to, and teens are a part of it.
That being said, students can still work on becoming better candidates for jobs by practicing those hard skills.
“As far as preparing for the interview or applying for a job, a few tips I would give are: do some research about the company and have one or two questions ready to ask during the interview, smile (you are applying for a job, but you also are talking to another person so you should appear friendly and easy to talk to), no one word answers, and don't be afraid to pause and think instead of just saying I don't know, especially when asked about your personal qualities,” said Harris.
Still, knowing what employers are looking for is only part of the equation. The most valuable asset a job applicant can have, according to interviewcoach.com, employers, and peers, is confidence.
“My advice to a student who's trying to get a job is be honest in your interview and be open to learning new things. Don't be afraid to speak up and have fun. Having a job as a teen shouldn't feel like a chore but more like an after-school activity where you get paid to be nice to people,” Lunderman said.