Children and teenagers often dream about becoming adults faster so that they could do things (or don't do certain things) only adults can do. For example, when we were in school most of us dreamed of being an adult who didn't have to go there. Or teenagers very often want to be as independent as adults deciding on their own where to go or what to do anytime they want. Obviously, as years go by people understand that those times were not actually that bad and past challenges were not that tough. But young people can't know yet what it is like to be an adult so their own challenges are tough for them at their own level. And today we would like to help young people who wish to start a career have a successful first step in their job search efforts. We all know that it is quite difficult for young and inexperienced candidates to get a foot in the door for an interview. The thing is that employers almost always prefer hiring those who can demonstrate a track record of success. They have stereotypes that young candidates may not be as stable and reliable as their older opponents.
How to Get a Job For Young Job Seekers?
While hiring authorities may find your young age a weakness it doesn't necessarily have to be so. Yes, the lack of experience is not an advantage but the fact that you are young and don't have any experience doesn't automatically mean you won't match the requirements. In fact, a young age can also be turned into a competitive advantage if you can skillfully explain how useful you can be for the company. Passion, motivation, and desire to succeed is something young candidates should concentrate on. If you were a hiring manager you would think twice between a highly motivated candidate and an experienced employee who may not have the same desire and passion to succeed. So your cover letter and preparation for an interview should be oriented on demonstrating this kind of things. It will be hard for employers to dump you if you prove to be a highly motivated candidate with a strong potential to become one of the key players in the company.
One of your primary task of young candidates is to overcome possible objections employers may have. For example, most hiring managers would assume that young candidates are not responsible enough to take on the job. Knowing about this common assumption prove hiring managers wrong by presenting facts that state the opposite. If you have been in the position where you were responsible for something more than just yourself then mention it on your resume and cover letter. Anything from work experience to volunteering could help you gain some advantages over your job application competitors. Even some of the school projects or sports could help you demonstrate that is a responsible person and can be trusted with certain duties. The point is to show that you were responsible for something in the past and it would be no problem for you to be responsible for things in the future. You could make a list of such objections and address them in your job application package. Responsibility is just one of the things, but we all know there many other things...
Speak To Their Needs
In order to be selected for an interview young candidates have to offer some relevant skills and speak the employer's language like all other candidates (like we showed in this college student resume). In order to do that you have to read carefully the job ad, the employer's website and understand fully the requirements. If you know what kind of career you want to pursue it will be beneficial if you could attend some seminars or undergo training - these things would help you speak the employer's language better. Besides, it is always good to develop and grow professionally when attending this kind of educational events.
