Tough time to find job

Do you remember a time when school was out and finding job was as simple as just applying?

Well, unfortunately, the days of easily finding a summer job are over, mostly because of the economy and the high job demand these days.

For some teens, like Enochs High School junior Kristen Dadesho, looking for a job can be very frustrating, especially when she thinks things seem to be looking up. "I've gotten called in for three interviews to the same place," she said, "and they still didn't hire me."

For other teens, the main issue seems to be scheduling.

"I've been called for two interviews and I think they were really considering hiring me," Modesto High School junior Stephen Avila said. "But my busy schedule and the business's inflexible hours prevented me from accepting the job."

Others, like Walter Sprueill of Big Valley Christian High School and Amanda Wood of Beyer High School, said most teens don't even get the opportunity to interview.

Amanda, who has been searching for a job since last summer, said, "It's so annoying when you go into a place thinking that you have a good chance of being hired and having your expectations crushed. I'm beginning to lose any hope of getting a job."

Many teens feel the same way: that teens aren't even being considered for jobs these days. According to recent studies, the main problem is that there are too many people -- adults and teens -- applying for a small pool of jobs.

"If you think about it," Stephen said, "employers are going to hire an experienced, hard-working adult over an inexperienced and stereotypically lazy teenager."

Kristen said: "I don't really even know what the problem is. I guess they didn't see me as a potential employee. Or maybe they just didn't have time to deal with a teen with no experience."

So, what can teens do about this seemingly hopeless job situation?

Many things, said Matt Gorrie, crew leader at Yogurt Mill, and Anthony Gonsalues, hiring manager at Funworks in Modesto.

"The reason why most kids can't find jobs is mostly because they aren't persistent and they don't present themselves well," Gonsalues said. "They should be positive and dress in a way that is appropriate for the setting."

He also has some tips on how to impress an employer, even before the interview. "Dress nicely, have what you want to say prepared, answer the questions clearly and show interest in the place where you're applying."

On the topic of choosing between teens and adults to hire, Gorrie explained who he would choose and why. "If I choose an adult over a teenager, it would be because of prior experience. And the downside of hiring a teenager would be availability. Because of school and sports, most teens would have a hard time working a lot."

Funworks receives about 20 applications per month. Yogurt Mill gets a minimum of 25 to 30 applications per month. This can make hiring decisions quite difficult.

On picking possible employees, Gonsalues said, "We hire people who happy, positive, outgoing, interactive, upbeat, and people who would appear to help us reach our goals." On top of that, it's very important to be yourself.

There are many do's and don'ts for when you actually get a call back for an interview. "Be on time and be prepared," Gonsalues said.

Breiana Theodore is a senior at Big Valley Christian High School and a member of The Bee's Teens in the Newsroom journalism program.