Tag Archives: Youth

Let’s Work: Helping a Payette Man Find a Job He Loves

Keith Jensen is a 19-year-old high school dropout who bounced from couch to couch the past two years, when what he really wanted was his GED and a job.

Reba Elson, a workforce consultant at the Idaho Department of Labor, helped Keith assess his skills and found he was ready to take the GED tests. He had no transportation so his case manager purchased a one-month pass with Treasure Valley Transit so Keith could go to the GED testing location and start his job search.

Reba mentioned during a staff meeting that Keith tested well on the math portion of his GED. Another staff member heard a local precision machine parts company was looking for an applicant who was good with decimals. Reba contacted Keith and the employer about the possibility of on-the-job-training and the employer agreed to an interview.
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Employment Continues to Elude Youth

Youth unemployment has been a concern throughout this recession and well into the recovery. According to the Current Population Survey, young people are having more trouble finding employment. Labor force participants between the ages of 16 and 19 especially face an annual unemployment rate three times the rate for the civilian labor force overall.

This is not just a phenomenon of the current recovery. From 2007 to 2012, younger workers have continued to have a much higher rate than that of the overall population.

While the employment situation for the country is improving, that gap is not. In 2007, unemployment among 16- to 19-year-olds averaged 11 percentage points higher than in the overall labor force. This difference peaked in 2010 at an average of over 16 percentage points. Since then, the difference has stayed roughly the same, losing only a half point in 2012. Over the same span, the unemployment rate for those 16 and older has dropped more than two percentage points.
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Let’s Work: Youth Program Helps Retain Idaho Talent

After Heather Fields enrolled in the Idaho Department of Labor’s youth employment program in August 2012, she worked part time at the Boise local office as a clerk – a job where she could develop important workplace attitudes, behaviors and skills necessary for landing full-time employment.

She demonstrated tremendous commitment during her work experience, but midway through learned she would lose her place to stay in Boise in less than two weeks. For Heather, moving back to California meant jeopardizing the positive path she was on in her new life in Boise.

Labor’s Boise office staff helped Heather develop her resume, provided job listings and employment referrals and spread the word internally that she needed full-time employment with a great employer – and she needed it quickly.
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FAQ Friday – What do I do when I can’t get an interview?

Sometimes the answer may be simply that there are many applicants to choose from. Remember there are a lot of employers out there and maybe getting an entry level job elsewhere could help you get a job with their perfect employer at a higher level in the future. In the meantime…

Get a Second Opinion on how you present yourself to prospective employers in a résumé, cover letter or in person. Ask an Idaho Department of Labor consultant to review these items and how you can better portray yourself to the employer.

Can YOU Read Your Writing? Was your application legible? Some company hiring managers won’t even consider you if they can’t read your writing. Did you fail to complete your application, explain your strong skills, abilities, and training or education? Did you go to the office on Monday, the busiest day of the week, or at closing time? Try a mock “turn in your application” the exact way you did with the last company you visited, and do it with someone who will give you some feedback. You may discover some issues you haven’t thought of before. Make sure everything is filled in on the application, and if the subject doesn’t pertain, a simple (n/a) is adequate, but don’t leave it blank.

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