GILROY
– As it gets close to the end of the school year, a lot of teens
are searching the want ads and pounding the pavement throughout
Gilroy and Morgan Hill, hunting for summer jobs.
For those who are between the ages of 14 and 18, this can be a
particularly challenging time.
GILROY – As it gets close to the end of the school year, a lot of teens are searching the want ads and pounding the pavement throughout Gilroy and Morgan Hill, hunting for summer jobs.
For those who are between the ages of 14 and 18, this can be a particularly challenging time.
For many teens, the obstacle to working is frequently inadequate transportation. Many teens don’t have a driver’s license and even when they do get one, they often don’t have access to a car.
Seventeen-year-old Cari Love admits it can be difficult relying on a combination of parents, friends and co-workers for rides to and from work. While some teens walk or ride bikes to work, many jobs are in locations too unsafe or impractical to reach by foot or bike.
The reasons teens work are varied, but saving up to buy a car is a big one.
Another is to save for the many expenses of senior year – from paying for prom to buying the cap and gown for graduation or for future college plans. Some are anxious to save for a place of their own, while others are expected to start paying rent to their parents once they turn 18.
Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Pequeno is finding her job in the cafe at BookSmart in Morgan Hill to be ideal. She works “so that I can buy the things I want without always asking my parents.”
Pequeno has discovered other benefits to her job.
“I’ve learned more communication skills since working here. I meet a lot of people. Both of my bosses are really flexible with schedules and my co-workers are very supportive.”
Manager Alex Ulu of the new Maui Tacos restaurant in Gilroy is hiring teens because their “willingness to learn” is an advantage that makes them easier to train, he said.
Josh Caudle, operating manager for the Cinelux Tennant Station Stadium Cinemas in Morgan Hill, said he is always accepting applications from teens.
He agreed with Ulu.
“Usually you can train them into your system without having to deconstruct what they may have already learned elsewhere,” he said.
Love has worked at various jobs since she was 15, and has been applying for a summer job during the past month at places like movie theatres, coffee houses and the new Michael’s store in Gilroy.
She said she is now more discriminating than she used to be in choosing where to apply. Love said she has worked for employers who took advantage of teens and treated them unfairly.
“They often get away with it because young people don’t know their rights and are more likely to quit a job rather than complain,” she said.
Katie Simmons, an 18-year-old teen working at Maui Taco in Gilroy, has already beginning her summer job before summer even starts. She works to pay the rent, and recently changed jobs after working in an ice cream shop.
“The ice cream is too tempting,” she confessed, saying she gained 10 pounds working there.
For teens looking for a job, employers say attitude and appearance are important.
“Teens need to put on more clothes,” said Joanna Curd of BookSmart. “We see spaghetti straps, low-riding jeans, midriff-baring tops.
One young man came in with quite a few piercings wearing a t-shirt that read, ‘I’m a Porn Star,'” Curd added. “We can’t even consider an application from someone dressed like that.”
Managers say what they look for most in teens – or any employee – is punctuality, eagerness, consistency, honesty, high energy and an outgoing personality.
“We look for someone who’s passionate about work,” said Paul Probst, director of operations for Maui Tacos.
Caudle stressed follow-through is the real key to getting a job.
“That tells me they really want the job and aren’t just saturating the market with applications,” he said.
Follow-through helped Jeremy Kirchner , who’s now 17, got a job at age 16 at Erik’s Deli.
“I checked back with the manager a few times after turning in my application,” he said.
Teens looking for jobs can check with community organizations and school counselors for ideas. Volunteer work can also lead to paid work. And there are many jobs advertised online for those who like to travel, such as at www.coolworks.com, which provides information for teens on how to get summer jobs in national parks, theme parks, ranches, tour companies and as camp counselors.
