MANDY
WHITE
MATT MURPHY is a teen working at the Kingsville Subway.
By MANDY WHITE
For many teens, summer is more than just fun, fun, fun. Summer is the time
when many teens work for spending money for the upcoming school year or
for college.
In many areas of Ashtabula County, jobs for young people are readily available.
Christine Ray, branch manager for Infinity Resources in Ashtabula, said
that there are definitely more and more jobs available _ especially in manufacturing
_ in this county to teenagers, especially teens 18 and older.
"I think (in the past two years) we've seen a lot of jobs open,"
she said.
But jobs being available and being able to get the job you really want are
two different things. So Teen/Currents talked to area employers to see what
they had to say about the qualities they are looking for in employees.
Judi Emery, manager at Subway in Kingsville, put her finger on the number
one quality employers listed as important: dependability.
"We like to have someone who is reliable, who will come to work and
who is capable of making decisions on their own when something comes up."
"The biggest problem we have with teenagers is reliability, them showing
up to work," admitted Don Boyland, manager at the Conneaut Burger King.
How can teens prove they're reliable? References.
"We check references to see whether they say the (applicant) is reliable
or not," Emery said.
Before a teen even applies for a job it's best to decide whether or not
he or she is willing to learn the skills necessary to do the job right.
"Employers want someone with a good strong work ethic," Ray said.
"Most jobs train teens, but they have to have the desire to learn it."
Chris Hudson of Deck Vending in Conneaut said that work performance on previous
jobs is important when hiring.
"We definitely want to know whether that job experience was successful
or not," she said.
Teens who are searching for their first job don't have that previous experience,
but if they spent time volunteering for instance, that's proof to many employers
that they can be dependable and that they do care about people.
Caring is an important element of working, Boyland pointed out.
"When I see that they've printed their application legibly and everything
is filled out correctly, I know that they've worked to make an impression
on me. They've shown me they care."
Applications are just about the only information that prospective bosses
have to go on, so make it good. Even if you have to bring a dictionary (or
your nerdy brother), make sure it's spelled right when you fill out the
application. Put every bit of experience down that could relate to the job
you want, and don't worry about sounding like you're bragging. A big no-no
is complaining about your former boss on the application under reasons for
leaving a previous job - save it for your memoirs. Employers like employees
who don't complain.
As important as the application itself is, personal appearance also says
a lot. As the employment guidebooks love to point out, when you're job hunting
you have to sell yourself, which means attractive packaging.
Eye contact is all-important, said many employers.
"I definitely look for eye contact, I want to see the (applicant) looking
at me," Hudson said.
Body piercing, bizarre haircuts and tattoos don't generally bring a keen
of delight from employers. In an ideal world external trappings would make
no difference. In the real world working with the real public, it does.
So some employers suggested not wearing piercings or bizarre haircuts to
interviews.
One last word of advice from employers; smile and be human.
Ray advises, "Be able to answer questions. If you can't answer questions,
we begin to wonder if you can succeed at the job."
Hudson agreed. "Answering questions without using a whole lot of slang,
that's impressive to us."
White is a "sandwich artist" who lives in Kelloggsville but
is spending her summer in Conneaut.
A Mandy
White column
Everyone and their grandmother has graduated this year, and they've all
invited me to their open houses.
Not that I'm complaining, (how I do love to see friends squirm in elderly
relatives embrace and cut crooked pieces of cake) but it makes it difficult
because everyone expects cards with money in them. You don't even have to
include the money, but the card is mandatory.
Now money, that's a sensible gift idea for grads. All you have to do is
earn money. But graduation cards? It's like pulling eyeteeth. I enter a
store, read every grad card on the shelf and end up in all moral conscience
unable to buy any. If only I could earn decent graduation cards, like I
do for money. Maybe I could walk up and down the highway with a sign that
says "Will work for original greeting cards."
Have you seen what Hallmark is trying to pass off this year as a $2.50 card
expressing the average graduation sentiments?
"Roses are red, balloons inflate, how did you manage to graduate?"
are the kinds of verses I'm seeing in card aisles. Worse yet are the verses
I suspect Helen Steiner Rice wrote after a few martinis and multiple viewings
of "Hope Floats." Mushy mushy mushy.
I won't even mention joke cards, most of which seem to be ripped off old
Sinbad jokes, or even worse, Bob Saget material.
I have a theory on this. Greeting card companies have us exactly where they
want us and they are killing two birds with one stone. Not only will the
public pay $2.50 or more for a piece of cardboard that need only to mention
the word "graduation," but greeting card CEO's can keep all their
aspiring artist and poet relatives employed.
"Well Uncle Stan, from reading your application I see you are eminently
qualified to work in our graduation card department. You can draw 40 different
cartoon dogs and your poem rhyming `graduate' with `laminate' is excellent.
You're on the team."
There are a few decent cards among this year's sickly crop, but unfortunately
everyone buys them, and then graduates have multiple copies. One friend
of mine has six cards stating that the sender believes he is "hotter
than a naked jalepeno in June." If I were him, I'd worry.
Perhaps the pertinent question is do graduates really care, as long as cash
and/or good wishes are theirs? Probably not. Which is where my daring idea
comes in _ instead of giving cards, people should put gifts of money in
more practical things graduates can use.
Socks for instance. Everyone can use another pair of socks and I know that
I feel very close to people who buy me socks. No you can't write a touching
message on a sock, but your graduate can wear them. So instead of remembering
Aunt Freda for that sickeningly sweet flower bouquet pop up-card, a new
college student think of her every time he rearranges his underwear drawer.
If my idea catches on, I might let the greeting companies in on it. Hallmark
socks of fame _ "When you care enough to send 100 percent cotton."
It can't miss.
The author of this column is White,
Kelloggsville is where she spends each night,
Card writing is her secret career desire,
Or maybe it's walking a high wire.
More Mandy White columns