Northstarmom

From MSNBC:

"Oil prices skyrocketing. Home sales plummeting. Retail sales falling.
Because of all these factors, there is likely to be a dearth of "help wanted" signs up this summer. And many teens may be extra motivated to want work as parents, seeing discretionary dollars dwindle, start asking kids to pick up more of the tab.
So teens hoping to be gainfully employed when school lets out should get off their keisters now.
Nearly half of hiring managers say they have no plans to hire any seasonal workers this year, according to a study of 1,100 companies released today by SnagAJob.com, a job site for hourly positions.
When asked why they wouldn’t be hiring, 31 percent of those polled said they didn’t have the budget.
And a report put out this month by the Center for Labor Market Statistics at Northeastern University states that "the summer 2008 job outlook for teens looks particularly bleak...."
Teens face tough market for summer jobs - Careers - MSNBC.com

jenkster

Wow, thank you for the heads up, Northstarmom!

mystery2me

Keep in mind that effects will likely be regional and local. Almost every retail and service business in our midwestern college town still has a "help wanted" sign up.

DCforMe

definitely going to have second mystery's comment that effects will vary widely by region.

And if it's any consolation to those yet to apply, the relative scarcity of jobs will simply make the line of the application more valuable. simple supply and demand.

Sheed30

this sucks... i should look for a job right now....

AeroEngineer3141

^ seconded.

Maybe getting an unpaid internship will be easier.

Northstarmom

Even getting unpaid internships is hard because all interns -- including unpaid ones -- require supervision, which takes valuable time from other employees. In addition, many companies have cut back their regular staff, so the remaining staff is overworked and doesn't have the time to supervise interns.

At the high school level and even in the case of many college students, interns require more work of the staff than they contribute. Saying this as someone who has run internship programs.

roses&clovers

actually I just got back from looking in town for jobs

out of 3, 2 are possible and I'm going to 2 more places when they're open in a couple of days

the ones that might work out are at a bookstore and at this place called 3r living

none of them said that they have available positions, but the 2 seemed like they just hadn't thought about the summer yet. The good thing is that I volunteer with this woman who's friend owns one of the stores I'm going to in a bit, so I could ask her to put in a good word for me

Roger_Dooley

Interesting dichotomy between this report and the still bullish outlook for college grads and structured internships: Good News for Grads: Corporate Recruiting Still Strong

I'm not sure what to make of it, other than perhaps the less-skilled end of the spectrum is suffering more than the highly qualified (or soon to be highly qualified). Internships for high-end companies that recruit new grads are a key part of their hiring process and won't go away unless the overall hiring outlook dims.

By contrast, the need for seasonal workers or more casual interns is going to be related to how busy an onrganization is.

singermom1

Would it be appropriate for a student without work experience to submit the same resume they used for college applications to a potential employer?

Roger_Dooley

Yes, if it's brief, singermom1. Having an organized resume (even if its academics, ECs, and community stuff) will put that student ahead of those who walk in unprepared. Be sure all appropriate contact info is on the resume. Many employers will still require an application to be completed.

Northstarmom

No, singermom A resume for a job should list job experience at the top, and ECs that may have duties similar to a job (some community service such as volunteering with kids might be an example if one is applying, for example, to be a camp counselor) and skills related to jobs near the top. An example of useful skills could be word processing, communication ability in a language like Spanish (which could be a big plus if one is applying for a service job in a city that has many Spanish speakers or Spanish speaking tourists).

If one has a high gpa, fine to include that as that indicates self discipline and responsibility.

It also would be good to include an objective: Summer job.

Anon_Person_1

no joke...I asked in January LAST year for a job, got an application in AUGUST, then finally got the call this MARCH for a 6 hour/week minimum wage job. Luckily I can do it over the summer

Northstarmom

"The good thing is that I volunteer with this woman who's friend owns one of the stores I'm going to in a bit, so I could ask her to put in a good word for me"

My suggestion is to call her first and ask for her help and advice. More than likely, she can just tell the hiring manager to hire you even though you'll probably still have to put in an official application. If she can't hire you, she probably can help connect you with business owners who can.

S was basically promised a summer job by a store owner whom he had volunteered extensively with. In fact, she told me that she specifically looks to hire students who do extensive community service. She herself does community service because she cares about the community, and she likes to help students who do the same.

Columbia_Student

It depends on the region. I went to a local restaurant expecting a short line but it was long as usual.