Finding Jobs in a Jobless Recovery: Recession Hits Teens, Too Wednesday, October 26, 2011 By Devon Artis-White [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising Regardless of the television channel you watch or the newspaper you read, you are no doubt aware of the poor economy. Three years after the stock market’s 2008 dive, this country has fewer jobs and inflation rates have begun to rise. In August the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that, since January 2007, unemployment has increased to 9.1 percent from 4.6 percent. This is a dismal number, especially when you consider that this accounts only for those who have filed for benefits. In August, Vermont’s unemployment rate was a still unpleasant 5.9 percent. High school students are becoming increasingly aware that our nation’s economic problems will affect them significantly in the next few years. The scarcity of jobs and the rapidly increasing cost of college paint a bleak picture, but there are ways of dealing with the poor economic outlook.  Some people have a job, and some eventually will find one. There are also students who won’t, and that’s no reason to give up.  You may not need a job to survive at this point in your life, but employment may be the only way to pay for the things you can’t afford otherwise: that new iPod you want, the car you’ve been looking at, fuel to use the car, or the college you’re applying to.  Finding a job, like playing a sport, requires a competitive drive and a desire to put yourself ahead of the competition. In today’s market, you are your own team and everyone else looking for work is your opponent.  Sometimes getting a job has a lot to do with who you know. Anyone with whom you have a personal connection, who can get you an interview, can give you the upper hand. Maybe your friend’s mom owns a local business. Maybe your dad’s brother is the manager of the grocery store. Maybe you’ve been a longstanding customer at a store, and have developed a connection with an employee.  Ask your friend to talk to his or her mom, or talk to her directly about getting a job. Have your uncle put in a good word for you. Ask the worker you know when the store starts hiring. Taking steps like these will give you a boost in your job search.  Although having a connection for a job will help, it won’t necessarily get you hired. Knowing your strengths and what you’re capable of is important. Being able to articulate, with confidence, the things you’re best at could make all the difference.  If you have a special skill, you can seek a job that is directly related to that skill. For example, if you’re good at carpentry or have an interest in food you could look for jobs in those fields.  However, sometimes bringing something as simple as an upbeat attitude is enough -- along with your application of course. Will McCartney, a recent graduate of Middlebury Union High School, was recently hired to deliver pizza for Pazzo’s Pizza on Merchants Row, in downtown Middlebury.  "They got a bunch of applications but I was just polite to them and they seemed to like me," he said in a recent interview.  If you plan to attend college, having a paying job, even if it’s part-time, could make an immense difference in the weight of the debt you carry when you get out. The poor economy has diminished the budget U.S. colleges have to provide college aid. Lauren Daley, a school counselor at Middlebury Union High School, said colleges are "unable to provide as much aid" as they once did. This means it will be up to students and their parents to come up with the money scholarships don’t cover. Student loans can quickly pile up debt in the tens of thousands of dollars, all of it subject to interest.  So think about what you want to do, and where you want to apply your time, then start searching for jobs offering experience in that area. As Daley says, one of the most important things to consider when weighing college majors and careers is whether or not you will be employable.

Back to the articles list