Recruitment That Works®: July 2013

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Why It's Tough Finding Summer Jobs for Teenagers

Dwindling Summer Jobs for Teenagers

What kinds of summer jobs did you have as a teenager? As my own Teen knocked on door after door this summer, I thought back to the jobs I worked as a teenager:

· Paint & Carpet store

· Sporting Goods store

· Working the scale at a gravel pit

· Paving highways

· Counter guy at A&W

· Working the "Pelican Scoop" on board cargo ships at grain elevators in Superior, Wisconsin.(Yes, the same port made famous by Gordon Lightfoot in his song about the doomed Edmund Fitzgerald. Memorable because President Carter had just lifted the Russian grain embargo. I helped load the first Russian freighters. Russian sailors were nice enough but those guys walking around with machine guns were a little intimidating.)

· Brick layer helper. (Mixed the mud, toted the bricks, and built/tore down the scaffolding.)

Our teen eventually found a job washing dishes, 4p-1a, five days a week at a very popular restaurant in the area. Don't laugh. You should see his paychecks! Was washing dishes his "Dream Job?" No, of course not.

Was washing dishes his "Dream Job?" No, it wasn't. But he quickly realized if he wanted to work then he would have to adjust and downgrade his expectations.

What about the growing number of teenagers who are not as fortunate in landing a summer job? For example, did you know the June, 2013 unemployment for 16-19 year old's was at 26.6 percent. That rate is rivaled only by the worst years of the recent recession. And the number of 16-19 year old's actively looking for work has plummeted during the past ten years, dropping from 44.5% to the current 34.3%

In his article, New Rite of Passage for Teens: Summer Unemployment, author John Zappe writes about what is driving the unemployment numbers for teenagers:

· Fewer jobs: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report for last month’s employment said 779,000 teens got jobs in June. That’s the second strongest June gain since the recession began in December 2007. But, it is far below the 1.114 million of June 2007.

· Increased competition from non-traditional sources: At least since the recession, competition for jobs — any job, including those traditionally taken by teenagers — has become more intense. They find themselves being edged out by recent college graduates, retirees needing to supplement their diminished 401(k)s, and by older workers, unemployed by layoffs and mergers.

· Decline of the American mall: John Challenger, CEO of global research firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, also blames the rise of Internet retailing. “Another trend,” he says that is hurting teen employment, “is the decline of the American mall, which has long been a traditional employer of teenaged summer job seekers. As more and more Americans flock to the internet for their shopping needs, traditional brick and mortar stores are seeing traffic decline along with the need for extra summer employees.”

(Posted by John Zappe, July 10, 2013, on www.ere.net)

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MITTONMedia has taken the employee recruitment industry and changed the dynamics of its hiring and retention programs. Our basic philosophy is to create a dynamic presence for a corporation which reaches and engages fully qualified employed, top shelf employees. MITTONMedia uses multiple forms of media, traditional routes like public and private Career Fairs, and social networks to recruit and staff job opportunities for major corporations.

In addition, our innovative approach has proven to be a great cost-cutter, lowering the price of staff acquisition while raising the quality of candidates.

For more information contact MITTONMedia President, John Mitton, at jmitton@mittonmedia.com. Or call John directly at 832.969.5627.

Monday, July 8, 2013

When does "Employer Branding" get in the way of success?

A corporate employer spends hundreds of thousand of dollars creating a brand message that positions the company as an "Employer of Choice." Do they now get to stand back and enjoy a sharp increase in applicant flow? Not necessarily.

To many HR professionals, "Employer Branding" suggests company-focused messaging:

"We are the leading provider of widgets for the past 100 years."
"We are the giant in our industry. Feel fortunate we invited you to move your career here."
"We have been named a 'Top 100 Employer' for the past five years running."

What quality candidates are looking for, however, is candidate-focused messaging. They want employer's to answer, "What's In It for Me?" How will life become better if the candidate chooses to move their career to the new employer?

To begin enjoying an increase in your applicant flow, be sure to address some or all of these areas in your hiring messages:

Work/Life Balance
Points of Difference. Show candidates things you offer that they cannot get with other employers in the area.
Commitment to personal and professional growth. Share examples.
Show me the money! If you are not a top salary provider then share examples of how the company compensates in other ways, like flexible scheduling, enhanced benefits package, or rapid advancement.

You don't always need hundreds of thousands of dollars to engage quality candidates. Just show them how much you care.

Recruitment That Works®