Written by a frustrated teenager!
Job interviews can be scary whether you’ve had one interview or several. If you are in need of a new job then the idea of being interviewed can be extremely stressful, especially given the competition these days. Teenagers want to come across experienced enough and adults want to come across qualified enough. I have found a way you can easily show you’re experienced, qualified and more! There is always high competition in the job market, especially today: there is even high competition for entry level jobs. As unemployment remains high, teenagers find themselves going head to head with adults who normally wouldn’t compete for summer work. So the job market for 16 to 19 year olds is the worst it’s been since 1949, my grandparents have recently told me.
Reason being, the opportunities that used to be for youths have dried up and government funding that used to provide jobs for teens has shrunk due to the sluggish economy. Teens are competing with older workers for traditional low-wage entry jobs. Government jobs such as at parks, pools and beaches are cutting back on hiring for seasonal jobs. Budget restraints are resulting in fewer people being hired. So since these statistics are working against the majority of Americans today, you need all of the edge you can get. A student that just graduated high school shared her interview experience with me:
“It was scary and I said ‘um’ a lot and I did not get the job. I was very nervous because there were so many people there. I asked myself, ‘Am I qualified enough? Are these people better than me?’ You kind of start to doubt yourself. Then they call your name and it feels like your heart drops below your stomach. It’s hard to pull yourself together. I felt very nervous when I sat down; a lot of thoughts rushed through my head. Then they asked you questions like, ‘Why do you want to work for us? Why should we hire you?’ It kind of feels you’re bragging but you have to talk yourself up.”
This is what almost all job seekers experience today. The problem is that some adults are seeking entry level jobs just to make ends meet and employers are hiring these more experienced candidates over teens. So more adults have to work at low level jobs and teens are having a hard time getting hired. For every teen that is working, there are three others that aren’t. So that means only one in four teens will find work this summer. Last summer, teens slogged through the worst summer employment market in decades, and this year likely won’t be much better.
“I came across this great interview coaching company www.interview4success.com and I talked my mom into buying it for me. After working with a coach, that really was sincere about helping me, I became more confident and learned how to answer interview questions; and got a job! My story will not end here because I also learned how to prepare for any interview. So if you want to be the one student that gets hired, or if you want to be the one adult with a high level, stable job, then give yourself an edge, get a coach and ace your interview!”
