Local students get insight on work ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?
SAMOHI Armed with a batch of “sexy resumes” and a desire to get hired by just about anyone who pays minimum wage, 15-year-old Daniel Galvan said he felt confident about his chances of landing a job at the third annual Youth Job Fair here.
“It’s my first time [looking for a job] so I don’t really know what to expect, but I’m willing to do just about anything,” said Galvan, whose mother helped him put together his resume, complete with a section about himself and his hobbies.“I need something to keep me occupied and so I can earn some money to save up for a car.”
Galvan had some competition. Hundreds of youths passed through the Santa Monica High School cafeteria Wednesday afternoon in search of employment. Most were as eager as Galvan to “get paid,” and use that money for transportation, to go shopping or to hit the town with friends.
“A summer job or just after school, anything’s good at this point,” said Vanessa Garcia, a 16-year-old who was also applying for a job for the first time.
Garcia sat with three of her girlfriends filling out applications from businesses like Adidas, Pottery Barn, Perry’s Beach Cafe, Albertsons and Hot Dog on a Stick.
“It’s really cool that the school’s doing this because it brings these businesses to us and makes it easier to find a job,” Garcia said. “Instead of having to go out and spend days trying to find those looking to hire you, you can come here and talk with 10 or 15 people and possibly get hired right away.
“I was really surprised by all the big names,” Garcia added. “There are some pretty cool companies here.”
The job fair, which is a collaborative effort involving Virginia Avenue Park, Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and Jewish Vocational Services, was created as a way to improve the lives of the city’s youth through employment. The fair came out of a series of meetings between residents and city officials who were concerned about the rise in gang violence and the dangers facing youth. By linking them up with jobs and mentors, it is the hope of those involved that kids will steer clear of violence and learn the skills necessary to succeed in life.
“This is a great opportunity for students to get a summer job and keep them actively engaged in their community,” said Hugo Pedroza, principal at Samohi.“This saves kids a little wear and tear and teaches them about how to obtain a job, how to dress for success and the importance of being organized and responsible. It’s a great community effort.”
Pedroza said he has fond memories of his first job, when he worked as a custodian. There he learned the value of hard work and the importance of being smart with money.
“Once you see that eight hours equals some amount of money and then that amount of money equals certain things you need to buy, it really gives you a sense of what it’s like to really take care of yourself,” Pedroza said. “It builds character.”
No one knows this more than Gina Smith, a supervisor with Centinela Feed & Pet Supply who hired several students last year and was back again for more. She said the students she hired from Samohi and other local schools have been some of the best who have worked for her, and many are still employees.
“They are a great group of kids,” she said. “They really understand the value of team work, more so than most of the adults.”
At the booth next to Smith was Kim James, a representative of BowHaus Inc. a printing company specializing in photography. James was looking for a few youth to work in customer service and help prepare prints for sale.
For many students, it was the first time they had put together a resume, applied for a job and sat through an interview. Others had participated in the fair before and found the experience helpful and would apply lessons learned the second time around.
“It’s a very good experience for kids to have,” said Justin Williams-Green, a 17-year-old who was dressed to impress with a yellow dress shit, tie and slacks.
“I’m not nervous at all,” Williams-Green said. “I’ve been through this before so I know what people are looking for. I’m very friendly, I like to talk with people and I’m a hard worker.”
Willams-Green,who earned a part-time job working at Jack In The Box thanks to last year’s job fair, said he hopes to get hired by Circuit City or Radio Shack because of his fondness for electronics, and the employee discount.
To make sure students were prepared, organizers held 10 job readiness seminars — three at Samohi, one at Olympic High School, another at St. Anne’s as well as Virginia Avenue Park, and two at the Community Day School.
Last year, 80 students found jobs after participating in the fair. Great numbers considering the overwhelming majority of students did not have resumes to begin with nor had held a steady job that wasn’t mowing lawns or baby-sitting, said Moira McCormack, who works with youth at the Virginia Avenue Park.
“A lot of them needed to work one on one,” McCormack said. “We provided them with sample resumes and had guest speakers to talk about various aspects of applying for a job, how to interview and what employers expect.”
The park even provided attendees with copies of their resumes on high-quality paper.
If there was one criticism of the event, it was that there needed to be more employers who could work with students under the age of 16, said Kiah Carr, a 15-year-old who attended last year’s fair and got a job working at the Santa Monica Swim Center.
Other than that, she was very pleased with the number of businesses that attended and hopes she can earn enough money for a down payment on a car by the end of the summer.
“I’m feeling pretty good about my chances,” Carr said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 26, 2007. Read the original PDF.