Teens pack job fair in search of summer employment

Hundreds of teenagers lined up Thursday outside the Stargazer's Theatre hunting for the season’s most elusive quarry: a summer job.

“I just need a job, get my foot in the door somewhere and move up,” said Eli Kelly, a senior at the Life Skills Center.

Kelly, like many of the teens at Thursday’s event, the Governor’s Summer Job Hunt, said he’s been looking for work in vain. With local unemployment rates hovering above 8 percent, entry-level jobs that were once the mainstays of teen employment now often go to adults.

“It’s tougher than I’ve ever seen it,” said Martin Schneider, director of the Community Prep School.

Employers were hiring at the event — everyone from Wendy’s and Denny’s to the U.S. Census Bureau and The Broadmoor. There were 32 employers at the job fair in person and an additional 25 collecting resumes for future interviews, said Michelle Graham, director of business and community initiatives at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center, which hosted the event. That’s similar to past years' numbers, she said.

And, for their part, teenagers understand they need to step it up if they want to get a job this year.

“They realize they have to make a good impression,” Graham said. “If you look around the room now, there’s a lot more kids dressed up.”

Linda Moffitt, the transition coach at the Bijou School, said her students are taking their job search seriously and trying to present themselves well.

“It’s very competitive,” she said. “We told them to take the piercings out.”

Kiera Proctor attended the job fair with her friend Ashley Sublett. The Wasson High School seniors say they’d like to find work at a salon or restaurant, but they know beggars can’t be choosers.

“A job is a job right now,” Proctor said. “Nowhere’s hiring.”

That’s not entirely true, Graham said. Some companies still prefer teen employees.

“There are employers who like that enthusiasm youth have,” she said.

Graham said a successful job hunt may require more leg work than it has in the past.

“Employers in this economy are not posting for jobs openly,” she said. “They’re looking for people to show initiative and come in.”
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HELP FOR TEENS
The Pikes Peak Workforce Center’s Youth Work Zone offers workshops on interviewing, job readiness and other subjects to prepare teens and young adults to find a job and to succeed once they do. Find a schedule and more information at www.ppwfc.org or by calling 667-3860.