Everyone’s hiring, but are they?

[athena1277]

Dd just graduated high school and needs a summer job to help with college expenses.  She went to the store she worked last summer.  They want her, but aren’t hiring at the moment.  Supposedly there are people leaving “soon”, but no idea when that will be.  She left an application on file.  She applied to 3 other stores with signs says they were hiring, but hasn’t heard anything from them.  How do you get a job when you can’t even get an interview?  Are places not hiring teens?  She’s going to apply to some more places, but we are getting frustrated.

[TexasProud]

My area is. My daughter had 4 job offers. Many places in our town cannot find workers.

[JustEm]

I've heard lots of places can't get people to work and their current staff are getting burnt out. Not sure what your area is like though.

[pinball]

6 minutes ago, athena1277 said:

Dd just graduated high school and needs a summer job to help with college expenses.  She went to the store she worked last summer.  They want her, but aren’t hiring at the moment.  Supposedly there are people leaving “soon”, but no idea when that will be.  She left an application on file.  She applied to 3 other stores with signs says they were hiring, but hasn’t heard anything from them.  How do you get a job when you can’t even get an interview?  Are places not hiring teens?  She’s going to apply to some more places, but we are getting frustrated.

Do you have any connections to any of the places she would like to work?

i think that knowing and connecting with people who do the hiring is the key to getting most any job.

id start brainstorming everyone you know that you can reach out to. Have DD call them or email and let them know she is looking and that if they can point any leads in her direction or could pass on her name, she’d appreciate it.

[Emba]

Around here I’m seeing a lot of help wanted signs, and I’m seeing a lot of hiring. But I don’t think they’re looking for help just for the summer.

[lynn]

I have found the more open your availability is to work the better your chances to get hired when it comes to retail.

[Ausmumof3]

Different country obviously - There’s a lot of job ads around here but not many of them are for anything flexible or short term.  There is apparently fruit picking work if you’re happy to move although I think many farmers would rather go back to using backpacker/immigrant labour because it’s cheaper.

 

or there are ads for 10 hours a week but need you to be available to be called in at a moments notice the other 50.   Um no!  If you want someone on call you pay for them.

Edited May 19, 2021 by Ausmumof3

[Selkie]

I just read an article in our local paper about how desperate area employers are to find help. A local resort (our county’s largest employer) has only been able to hire 10% of the employees that they usually do by this time of year.

[PeterPan]

Maybe try something other than stores? Fastfood, Target, businesses. I see signs up regularly for signing bonuses and much higher wages than normal.

[prairiewindmomma]

If you are over 18 and willing to take <20 hours with no benefits, there are jobs. Not much for the teen crowd, or those who want entry to mid level full time employment.

[Loowit]

We have a lot of places with signs stating that they are hiring, but most are fast food places and some stores (grocery, hardware, etc).  My nephew got hired in a fast food place recently, but I am not sure how many places he applied.  DS has an interview tomorrow for a summer job.  If that doesn't work out he is going to try places like Home Depot and Lowe's I think.  He would like to avoid fast food if possible.

[HeartString]

It’s similar in my area.  Lots of hiring signs up.  Passive aggressive messages about “people not wanting to work”. But my 18 year old can’t get a call back.  And the online applications are ridiculous.  They practically want an essay begging for the job.  

Edited May 19, 2021 by HeartString

[prairiewindmomma]

3 minutes ago, HeartString said:

It’s similar in my area.  Lots of hiring signs up.  Passive aggressive messages about “people not wanting to work”. But my 18 year old can’t get a call back.  And the online applications are ridiculous.  They practically want an essay begging for the job.  

Yes, personality testing survey to work at Subway? Ridiculous.

[athena1277]

15 minutes ago, HeartString said:

It’s similar in my area.  Lots of hiring signs up.  Passive aggressive messages about “people not wanting to work”. But my 18 year old can’t get a call back.  And the online applications are ridiculous.  They practically want an essay begging for the job.  

Our situation exactly.  Before my mom retired in Feb, she did work permits.  Last year places that didn’t normally hire 15 and 16 year olds were hiring them to stay open.  Now an 18 yo can’t find anything.  Can they really afford to be picky?

[itsheresomewhere]

Here they are desperate for workers. Especially ones who will actually show up. 

[Loowit]

8 minutes ago, athena1277 said:

Our situation exactly.  Before my mom retired in Feb, she did work permits.  Last year places that didn’t normally hire 15 and 16 year olds were hiring them to stay open.  Now an 18 yo can’t find anything.  Can they really afford to be picky?

I have found sometimes it is knowing people that helps you to get a job.  But, also, if a place is swamped and doesn't have enough workers, it might be hard for the managers to get the time to do call backs and set up interviews.

[Pawz4me]

45 minutes ago, HeartString said:

It’s similar in my area.  Lots of hiring signs up.  Passive aggressive messages about “people not wanting to work”. But my 18 year old can’t get a call back.  And the online applications are ridiculous.  They practically want an essay begging for the job.  

Exactly what seems to be happening around here, too. The grocery store where DS22 works has had a handful of openings in the past few weeks. But they were able to fill them relatively quickly with people who have experience. From what I hear on the community FB page, despite all the places that are supposedly hiring, lots and lots of teens are getting the cold shoulder.

[HeartString]

45 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Yes, personality testing survey to work at Subway? Ridiculous.

Have you seen the one for Walmart?  It’s so long! 

[Farrar]

48 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Yes, personality testing survey to work at Subway? Ridiculous.

It's to weed out inappropriate behavior from spokespeople. They've been burned before. (Sorry, Jared joke...)

Seriously, I am seeing a lot more we're hiring signs up around me than I've ever seen. I have no idea if places are being weird about it though.

[mommyoffive]

Not sure but I was just reading the local paper and the classifieds are really long and they are advertising getting a signing bonus at places that I have never seen before.  Like being a newspaper delivery person.

[TABmom]

Around here, the fast food places are closing early or opening late or closing on Sundays because they can’t get people. I drove through Arby’s the other day and there was a flyer in my bag saying they were offering a sign on bonus and if you stayed 3 months, you got another bonus. (Not a big bonus- but I bet they have never offered that before!)

[RootAnn]

There are definitely places actually hiring in some areas. My DD had several offers for seasonal temporary work both part time & full time for the summer. Places like home improvement, retail, & fast food.

[Hilltopmom]

Here, upstate NY, all the factories are desperate for staff- have to be over 18, pass a drug test, show up every day, & the Kay is pretty good for entry level, imo

[whitestavern]

Lots of openings by me. S went had lunch with a friend at the restaurant he works at. The manager came over and asked his friend if he wanted a job and hired him on the spot. 

Edited May 20, 2021 by whitestavern

[Faith-manor]

In our area they do want to hire. But what they want are experienced adults or at least adults who are not summer only help, and on my part time, and low pay. So they aren't getting takers. If they were full time and competitive pay, then they would have a lot of applicants. But, we also have many adults going to school full time using the tuition incentives that Governor W offered to essential workers who put their lives on the line often at low pay through all of this. They are training for better jobs with benefits. I think places like Wal-Mart and several other businesses are going to have to suck it up and offer living wage, 40 hour a week in order to attract workers. The high schoolers are absolutely not getting hired around here.

[cjzimmer1]

1 hour ago, Hilltopmom said:

Here, upstate NY, all the factories are desperate for staff- have to be over 18, pass a drug test, show up every day, & the Kay is pretty good for entry level, imo

We've got several manufacturing companies here desperate for workers.  starting pay is over $20 an hour, plus a signing bonus, plus another $2.00 an hour raise after 6 months, plus performance bonuses.  Dental insurance is free, health insurance is some of the cheapest employee rates I've ever seen (and the coverage is pretty decent) as well as an in house clinic that costs nothing to use, free fitness center, 401K etc.  All they ask is you pass a drug test and actually show up for work everyday, no work experience required, no reference checks, seriously all they ask is that you pass a drug test and actually show up to work on time everyday.  And they can't find enough people.  Either they can't pass a drug screen or the idea of showing up to work everyday is too difficult and after 3 no shows, they get let go.  It's kind of mind boggling to me.

[Faith-manor]

57 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

We've got several manufacturing companies here desperate for workers.  starting pay is over $20 an hour, plus a signing bonus, plus another $2.00 an hour raise after 6 months, plus performance bonuses.  Dental insurance is free, health insurance is some of the cheapest employee rates I've ever seen (and the coverage is pretty decent) as well as an in house clinic that costs nothing to use, free fitness center, 401K etc.  All they ask is you pass a drug test and actually show up for work everyday, no work experience required, no reference checks, seriously all they ask is that you pass a drug test and actually show up to work on time everyday.  And they can't find enough people.  Either they can't pass a drug screen or the idea of showing up to work everyday is too difficult and after 3 no shows, they get let go.  It's kind of mind boggling to me.

Could it be that management has a bad reputation?

I also know a lot of people who will no longer take factory work because the factories are constantly moved overseas, or as fast as they expand, they get downsized. Manufacturing work in our region has been very unreliable work, and shifts changed constantly which is very hard on the body.

[cjzimmer1]

15 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Could it be that management has a bad reputation?

I also know a lot of people who will no longer take factory work because the factories are constantly moved overseas, or as fast as they expand, they get downsized. Manufacturing work in our region has been very unreliable work, and shifts changed constantly which is very hard on the body.

I'll admit I'm not completely in tune with this sector but when my DS applied, I did poke around a bit.  The only complaint topic I saw for the last 2-3 years was people being brought in as temps and then being upset because they weren't offered permanent spots.  But from what DS says, there are an amazingly high number of people, who are unable to work a shift without "extra" breaks, or without pulling out their cell phone and messing around on it even when they are slowing down the line doing so and the consistently showing up on time is HUGE problem and the company will only bring on people as permanent employees if they can at least fairly regularly meet their quota numbers (and if one spot seems too hard for an individual they will move them on different spots to see if one is a better fit).  I couldn't find anyone complaining about management online and DS says everyone he has worked with has been super helpful and friendly in helping him get up to speed and fit in.  But our city is highly educated/white collar population (over 60% hold a bachelor's degree) and I suspect there are many who wouldn't even consider this type of work which leaves a much smaller pool for the company to draw from. 

[frogger]

All 4 of my kiddos have jobs. 2 were holdovers from last year though. I mean they were rehired but the hiring managers knew them. DD did have to settle for part time fast food as stores seem to have plenty of employees. 

I do think online apps leave something to be desired though but sometimes it's difficult to go into and talk to managers in the big stores or if places are too busy. 🤷

[Carol in Cal.]

I remember reading about those ‘fake openings’ years ago already, in “Nine to Five” by Barbara Ehrenreich.  It seemed like some of the big chains just are fishing for a continuous supply of applicants to call in.

[Bootsie]

Near me there are places that have signs that say "we are looking for workers...ask to see a manager...we will interview you on the spot"  

[popmom]

My dd is 20 but had never had a job other than working in the church nursery. She got a job on the spot last week. She’s working 3 days a week at an aquaponics farm. 

I also hate all these online job applications. I think that on top of the online application, it’s important to show up with a resume in hand for the perspective employer. Sometimes you have to make some phone calls to figure out who is weeding through those online apps. My other kids have had luck w this approach with small businesses. And networking/knowing someone definitely helps.

Edited May 20, 2021 by popmom

[Pawz4me]

5 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

I remember reading about those ‘fake openings’ years ago already, in “Nine to Five” by Barbara Ehrenreich.  It seemed like some of the big chains just are fishing for a continuous supply of applicants to call in.

The Target nearest me was notorious for doing that. For years they were (supposedly) always hiring. Except they really weren't.

[HeartString]

8 hours ago, frogger said:

All 4 of my kiddos have jobs. 2 were holdovers from last year though. I mean they were rehired but the hiring managers knew them. DD did have to settle for part time fast food as stores seem to have plenty of employees. 

I do think online apps leave something to be desired though but sometimes it's difficult to go into and talk to managers in the big stores or if places are too busy. 🤷

I don't know about right now, but so far I've experienced that talking to managers does no good.  "Fill out the app online" is what you get told.   Unless you know them it doesn't do much good to try to talk to them.

It's really frustrating that you need to know someone to get an entry level job. in an environment where the managers are posting passive aggressive signs about cutting hours because too many people don't want jobs.  I've only been in my area for a short time, I don't have connections with the manager at Lowes or Kroger.

Edited May 20, 2021 by HeartString

[BookMamaLade]

10 hours ago, cjzimmer1 said:

We've got several manufacturing companies here desperate for workers.  starting pay is over $20 an hour, plus a signing bonus, plus another $2.00 an hour raise after 6 months, plus performance bonuses.  Dental insurance is free, health insurance is some of the cheapest employee rates I've ever seen (and the coverage is pretty decent) as well as an in house clinic that costs nothing to use, free fitness center, 401K etc.  All they ask is you pass a drug test and actually show up for work everyday, no work experience required, no reference checks, seriously all they ask is that you pass a drug test and actually show up to work on time everyday.  And they can't find enough people.  Either they can't pass a drug screen or the idea of showing up to work everyday is too difficult and after 3 no shows, they get let go.  It's kind of mind boggling to me.

We have a similar manufacturing situation here. Here at least, it's less about the drug test/showing up everyday than it is about the chronic pain and excessive overtime that usually comes with it. It's also difficult to find childcare for such long hours, and most people actually want to see their kids once in a while.

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

The Target nearest me was notorious for doing that. For years they were (supposedly) always hiring. Except they really weren't.

We have a lot of that too. The main employer, related to healthcare, for the county always claims they are hiring, but aren't. They just want to keep an up to date list of hcw's available just in case. This place pays well and has great benefits so people apply with hope and never get called. I feel bad for folks because these jerks waste their time and never call back.

Mostly though, local employers want people with post high school education, several years of work experience, work hours flexibility tolerating getting the next week's schedule on Saturday night, people willing to work eight weekends straight, and only 31 hours so they are not classified as full time and therefore never have to offer benefits, and sign a non compete clause so the worker cannot get another part time job in the same type of business in order to survive financially all for $9.00 an hour, and then when interviewed by the newspaper, claim everyone who does not want their lousy job are lazy, welfare recipients.

Ask me how I know. My brother and his wife have a business and they are just one representation of these kinds of employers. We have a plethora of them in my county. GenX has enough work experience to get good jobs elsewhere if they lose theirs for some reason, Millennials and GenZ, refuse to be treated worse than dogs, and seek employment all over the state and country, and when they find a good job, move. Thus this county and its surrounding environs has a massive brain and worker drain which is talked about all the time by the county commissioners in the region, and yet the conclusion is never that the employers are the issue. It is always that Millennials and GenZ are ungrateful, lazy twerps who are not loyal to the area they were born and raised in. It is disgusting.

In 2019, I was at one of the commissioner meetings to testify to the importance of not cutting the county contribution to 4H, and told them to their faces that I would not be "loyal" to a location that talks smack about my generation and demeans me constantly, showing no loyalty to me, constantly cutting youth programs, and offering no employment opportunities that an adult can live on either, and reminded them that the only reason my dh and I live here was being forced by eldercare issues. Nothing else. And it was sad that I had been forced to raise my kids in a place where the boomer generation  hated them from the time they were born and had already written them off as "ungrateful, lazy idiots", and where every damn year we had to fight for the right for 4H to continue to survive in an place with practically nothing else for kids. So me, a GenX hard working, tax paying, upright citizen would have given anything to have NOT had to raise my children here, and I have actually advised them to leave for college and not look back. I also told them we would not retire here as there is nothing for our kids or grandkids except the scenery - which to be fair is absolutely gorgeous! They were not amused.

The place was filled to the max with parents, teachers, even law enforcement fighting for the program because it does so much good. People filled the parking lot because there was no room inside. Support was overwhelming. The vote to keep the 4H funding required by law in order to have the program was 5-4 against. So 5 of these jerks still wanted to eliminate it, and wanted the 1300+ youth of the county involved in the program to be happy about it, and stay here when they turn 18. We took it to the next level and fought for a millage dedicated to 4H for the next ten years that cost $2.00 per business, and $1.00 per house. The businesses fought against it!!!!!! Thankfully, it still passed so it will be a while before anyone has to go to bat for it. But the kids involved in campaigning for it, never forgot that the business community fought against. Not surprising they don't want to live here and work for that community. We don't get transplants here. So you reap what you sow is very much in force.

This is how it is here. Businesses in my region want them to work for nothing for forever, unable to fully support themselves, and be grateful for it, and endlessly without health insurance. It is not sustainable, and no one should be vilified for refusing to do it. It is why the areas of this country with either more business regulation to prevent this abuse or simply a different work culture among employers regularly receive new transplants, and why areas like mine will eventually be filled with only agriculture and ghost towns.

The high school students really can't get summer jobs here though. Nothing is offered except detassling corn for a couple of farmers. This is grueling work in the heat, and hard on back, feet, and hands for $7.50 an hour. It is not uncommon for parents to tell the farmer that their child will not be coming back after seeing the condition of their kid at the end of the day. I never let my own teens even think about doing it.

[Faith-manor]

14 minutes ago, BookMamaLade said:

We have a similar manufacturing situation here. Here at least, it's less about the drug test/showing up everyday than it is about the chronic pain and excessive overtime that usually comes with it. It's also difficult to find childcare for such long hours, and most people actually want to see their kids once in a while.

Yes. It is cheaper if the job is full time with health insurance, to pay over time than hire another full time worker. It becomes overwhelming.

[BlsdMama]

Our area is - DS22 decided to leave CFA after several years.  He applied at two places (Fareway and Costco) interviewed with both and had offers to both.  He only applied for part time because he is a student.  Friends, who are contractors, are hurting for help.  They are letting DS16 help them this summer.  DD19's work is offering her bonuses if she'll consider part or full time.  Currently she's PRN (as needed) CNA, but it gives her freedom to turn down shifts while she is a student so she is foregoing the fixed shifts.  DSIL is offered 12 hour days, six days a week.  DD17's work is hiring...  Yes, in our area, if a kiddo wants a job, finding one is not an issue.

[Zebra]

OP I am glad you posted this.    DH and I have been pretty surprised at how hard it was for DD (17) to find a job.   I've been shocked at how rude and unprofessional potential employers are.    Had I not watched DD go through it, I would have (naturally) thought, the news is saying they need all kinds of workers, there are signs everywhere there must be plenty of jobs out there!  

DD turned 17 last summer.    She worked for a local coffee shop, and they were desperate for workers because no one was willing to work last summer.  Suddenly in October, when things slowed down, they decide they didn't want to deal with the restrictions of a 17 year old anymore.   I don't honestly know what restrictions they were talking about, that they didn't mind dealing with all summer when they were busy.   There are no state restrictions.   They didn't fire her, they just "couldn't" give her any more hours.   I mean, WTH.   She's well-spoken, reliable, flexible, and has been taking college classes.   I got no indication they didn't like  her, and they gave her a good reference when she started looking for work this spring.   

DD had to apply for a lot of jobs this spring, and didn't hear back from many of them.  2 different coffee shops emailed her this and offered her a job, without meeting her, over email.   Because of the other debacle, we advised her to first tell that she wouldn't be 18 until July.   Both places completely ghosted her after that.   Ignored her!   Couldn't be bothered to reply "no thanks" after literally asking her when she could start.   I was confused the first time it happened, and the second time it was clearly a pattern.

She ended up getting a job she likes, but it was like pulling teeth for awhile.   It's 15-20 hours a week and a completely unpredictable schedule.  She keeps getting called in because they are short staffed!  She wanted full-time hours for the summer, but that's not how anyone seems to operate anymore.   They want 737 part time employees they can constantly call in.   It seems like teenagers would be their DREAM employees.   Especially ones that prove to be reliable!   They will come in whenever, and be treated like crap!

So, don't believe the hype, is what I have learned.    Maybe you can't find workers because your standards are too high.    Or maybe the system is so broken at this point it's just a mess for everyone involved.   

[Jenny in Florida]

The young people I know here are not having any trouble finding jobs, but I will admit I don't know anyone looking for work just for the summer. Also none of "my kids" are quite as young. 

I happen to be familiar with the employment situations of a group of early-20-somethings. A few are working in restaurants, where the turnover is frenetic because workers keep leaving when they find better jobs. The restaurants literally can't hire enough good workers (show up on time, actually do the job, are pleasant to customers) and can't hold onto the ones they find. The money stinks, but the jobs are easy to get.

Some of the restaurant workers (cliché alert) are performers. Some have part-time jobs at the smaller, non-theme park, dinner show-type venues in the area. Some just take the gigs that come their way.

One of the group recently left one of those terrible restaurant jobs when she was hired to teach lessons at a music store. She's getting paid more than twice the hourly rate she made at the restaurant for doing something she actually likes and gets treated like a human being while doing it. The store was absolutely delighted to get her and offered her the job the same day she interviewed.

Another is working at a bank, supposedly part-time but they can't hire and keep enough tellers. So she gets scheduled for more hours than she actually wants every week. Again, the employer doesn't treat the workers especially well, but there are jobs to be had and the hourly rate is decent. 

One of the young men works full time in entertainment at one of the theme parks. He is in such demand that he also books outside gigs on top of the full-time position.

My own son is the weirdo of the group (no surprise there). He juggles multiple positions at the same entertainment venue. He's a part-time performer, part-time armorer (providing and caring for the prop weapons used in the show) and also makes the souvenir weapons sold in the gift shop. He does outside entertainment gigs and sells prop weapons to other performers on the side. He recently turned down a part-time job at an axe throwing club because he couldn't commit to the regularly scheduled hours they wanted. But he basically walked into the club to say hi to someone he knows and walked out with a job offer. 

Edited to add: Oh, I forgot that we actually have one of the group working for Target, too. He's been there for a while and is quite happy. I think he is part-time, because he's still taking some classes at the community college, but he doesn't seem to have any trouble getting as many hours as he wants to work.

Edited May 20, 2021 by Jenny in Florida

[frogger]

1 hour ago, HeartString said:

I don't know about right now, but so far I've experienced that talking to managers does no good.  "Fill out the app online" is what you get told.   Unless you know them it doesn't do much good to try to talk to them.

It's really frustrating that you need to know someone to get an entry level job. in an environment where the managers are posting passive aggressive signs about cutting hours because too many people don't want jobs.  I've only been in my area for a short time, I don't have connections with the manager at Lowes or Kroger.

I understand the frustration. It honestly felt like stores weren't that desperate but more food service places were hiring. I think most stores, especially grocery stores, kept running at regular capacity for much of the year so kept the majority of their employees. I might be wrong there but this is why DD ended up at fast food rather than a big store.

2 of my children have been contacted months after they applied at big chain stores. DS it was almost 6 months later and he already had a better paying job so I can't see how keeping constant applications on hold would be helpful. My DD was told WalMart can't find employees by someone she knows who works there but between their pathetic online app and not getting back to you, I'd blame their hiring practices not the lack of willing employees in the economy.

Edited May 20, 2021 by frogger

[Jann in TX]

My DD19 is home for the summer-- she attends college out of state.  It took her a while to find a summer job (lots of applications and a few interviews)--mostly because they see her as a temp.  She finally focused on stores that also had a presence in her college town-- BINGO-- she was hired on the spot after her first interview and is assured a job when she gets back to school this fall-- plus the store there is right next to her apartment! 

[City Mouse]

There are plenty of seasonal jobs where I live - restaurants of all kinds, housekeeping for hotels and rental homes, very large summer camp type operation - all tourist related stuff. The summer camp does provide room and board, but pay is lower than minimum wage. Our Family Dollar store may close because it cannot find/keep employees. They are currently advertising for a manager and 2 assistant managers. I know the store does require drug testing which does eliminate a certain population, but I suspect that there must be something wrong somewhere in the system for it to have such high turnover. 

[frogger]

55 minutes ago, Zebra said:

.  Suddenly in October, when things slowed down, they decide they didn't want to deal with the restrictions of a 17 year old anymore.   I don't honestly know what restrictions they were talking about, that they didn't mind dealing with all summer when they were busy.   

Every state is different but it feels like teens are super restricted and it is a wonder anyone wants to employ them. Even in restaurants there are restrictions on things like meat slicers, grinders, basically if you aren't allowed to do anything that requires following instructions and using common sense then you become worth less to the employer. If they have to hire someone to come in and do parts of your job for you, why would they bother with you? 

Also, in most states there are more restrictions once school starts. You aren't allowed to work anytime school is in session (even if your school hours are different than the public schools) so employers now have to keep track of school calanders and make sure you don't go over or are fined. Why would they want to bother with that?  Some states drop some hour restrictions at 17, others 18. 

[pinball]

19 hours ago, athena1277 said:

Dd just graduated high school and needs a summer job to help with college expenses.  She went to the store she worked last summer.  They want her, but aren’t hiring at the moment.  Supposedly there are people leaving “soon”, but no idea when that will be.  She left an application on file.  She applied to 3 other stores with signs says they were hiring, but hasn’t heard anything from them.  How do you get a job when you can’t even get an interview?  Are places not hiring teens?  She’s going to apply to some more places, but we are getting frustrated.

I was just thinking...can she do her own thing?

tutoring

music lessons

lawn care

babysitting

nanny

dog walker 

house sitter

House cleaning

[Zebra]

3 hours ago, frogger said:

Every state is different but it feels like teens are super restricted and it is a wonder anyone wants to employ them. Even in restaurants there are restrictions on things like meat slicers, grinders, basically if you aren't allowed to do anything that requires following instructions and using common sense then you become worth less to the employer. If they have to hire someone to come in and do parts of your job for you, why would they bother with you? 

Also, in most states there are more restrictions once school starts. You aren't allowed to work anytime school is in session (even if your school hours are different than the public schools) so employers now have to keep track of school calanders and make sure you don't go over or are fined. Why would they want to bother with that?  Some states drop some hour restrictions at 17, others 18. 

But, they somehow managed to keep her on through October when they started getting less busy.   The school-day restrictions would have started in September.   It had nothing to do with the restrictions, they were less busy and made an excuse.   If you are DESPERATE for people you keep on the 17 year old (good employee) you have had working for you for months now, and deal with the restrictions.   That's all I am saying.   

All I can think is there is some sort of vicious cycle we're all caught in right now.   You can't find employees, but in every stage of the process you treat them like crap and they can't trust you, so therefore you can't find employees...

[Faith-manor]

6 hours ago, City Mouse said:

There are plenty of seasonal jobs where I live - restaurants of all kinds, housekeeping for hotels and rental homes, very large summer camp type operation - all tourist related stuff. The summer camp does provide room and board, but pay is lower than minimum wage. Our Family Dollar store may close because it cannot find/keep employees. They are currently advertising for a manager and 2 assistant managers. I know the store does require drug testing which does eliminate a certain population, but I suspect that there must be something wrong somewhere in the system for it to have such high turnover. 

I suspect it is Family Dollar. The company was bought not by Dollar General, and while DG is not actively seeking to close those stores, it is also working against them being successful so that eventually they will one by one close up. Policies and management for workers at FD are much worse than DG. So it is an internal political game at the corporate level. It is not the fault of the workers.

[QueenCat]

Around here, they are interested in permanent employees,  not those that will leave at the end of the summer. 

[NewnameC]

Around here they are definitely hiring. My high school/college kids have been hired for 6 new jobs in the last 15 months. (All but one job was during Covid; two jobs replaced ones lost due to the pandemic.) Another interviews next week for a grocery store job that she applied for online. 
 

None of my were looking for summer only work right now, but I have older ones who lifeguarded or worked at summer camp or did full time babysitting. Those jobs were all summer only jobs.

These 6 jobs were found in different ways. Two employers had signs saying interviewing now my kids went in and interviewed/were hired on the spot. (One was a retail store and one was a fast food) Two were hired, because they had friend, working there, who recommended my kid. I don’t know how a college kid was hired at one place, but I do know he never heard back from two places he applied for online.)
 

The last one was hired after walking into a new store and asking if they were hiring. This food place was in a large shopping center and he went into 3 other places the same afternoon. One wasn’t hiring. At the other two he was given an application to fill out and told to bring it back or told to apply online. He didn’t do either since the 4th store hired him on the spot.

 

 

 

 

[hippymamato3]

On 5/19/2021 at 6:14 PM, prairiewindmomma said:

If you are over 18 and willing to take <20 hours with no benefits, there are jobs. Not much for the teen crowd, or those who want entry to mid level full time employment.

We live in a wealthy beach town. Every place is hiring - for at least double minimum wage. They are still having trouble finding workers. They are now putting up signs that say "Are you 14? Come in for an application!"