Eddie Cochran’s 1958 teen anthem “Summertime Blues” lamented “workin’ all summer just to try to earn a dollar.” For teens in 2010, the summertime blues may come not from working too hard, but from trying to land a summer job in the aftermath of the Great Recession.
There are strategies for improving the odds, says Nancy McKechnie, youth program manager for Eastern Maine Development Corp. A visit to the Bangor Career Center is a place to start, she says. Computers are available to check job websites and to help produce a resume. The Bangor Chamber also is worth a visit with its list of 600 member businesses. Some youth, ages 16-21, may be eligible for the Summer Youth Employment Training Program. More than anything, teens need to understand the effort required.
“It’s a full-time job looking for a job,” Ms. McKechnie said. She helps teens learn about work readiness — how they can be sure they will get to work on time each day, be dressed appropriately, learn to take and follow directions and work out conflicts.
To find that summer job, networking is an important step, she says, which means putting the word out to neighbors, teachers, aunts and uncles, mom and dad’s co-workers and friends. Making the rounds in person at area businesses also is necessary. Though a 16-year-old may not have a lot to include on a resume, a neatly produced document with vital data such as age, address, phone numbers, references and job interests is essential. Stressing that transportation is not an issue also is smart, as is practicing an interview and learning something about the business where the job may be.
Keeping a list of businesses visited and being sure to meet the person responsible for hiring are part of the search. “No isn’t always no,” Ms. McKechnie says. An employer who has all the help he needs on Friday may fire two workers on Saturday and see another quit on Monday, so it is important to return periodically (without being a pest). The in-person visits should come at appropriate times, i.e., not just before the lunch rush if the business is a restaurant.
And don’t visit wearing a belly shirt or shredded jeans. “You have to be mindful of how you look,” Ms. McKechnie says, with “neat and clean” a given, even if the job requires mucking out a horse barn. Lots of eye contact, a firm handshake and an expression of the willingness to work also are key.
If the job market is uncooperative, “they need to be entrepreneurial,” says Ms. McKechnie, with lawn mowing, gardening, painting, dog walking and child care among many possibilities. And if that’s not in the cards, there is always volunteering in the nonprofit sector — Humane Society, American Red Cross, United Way — which may lead to paid work and certainly leads to skills to list on a resume next time.
And the best advice is to keep smiling. No one wants to hire a gloomy face.