Why Employers Avoid Hiring Teens and What Teenagers Can Do About It

Teenagers who are looking for jobs might be receiving a lot of rejection. Part of the reason for teen unemployment is due to employer’s perceptions of young workers. With this in mind, it could be helpful to know what these preconceived notions are. A way to overcome a hiring manager’s doubts is to come in with the skills and attributes that they want. Here is some insight as to what these recruiters are looking for and why they are not hiring teens.

Academic Skills

​Employers expect teens to have comparable writing, reading and math skills on par with adults. In many retail or restaurant jobs, the ability to add and subtract is important. Being able to read written instructions is also very important. These are skills that a teenager can emphasize that they possess in an interview just by talking about their grades and accomplishments. The job application and resume should be impeccable and without errors.

Behavior

Here is an area of the highest doubt. Supervisors expect that teens will not be on time, they will quit early and will have poor attendance. Staffing is a big issue for companies. When someone does not show up as scheduled, the entire operation can be affected. Armed with this knowledge, a young person can go to an interview and reassure the employer that they are and will be very reliable. He or she can give examples about instances in their lives when they were punctual and dedicated.

Other behaviors that an employer values in adults and teens are self‐control, manners, and cooperation. Ultimately, a manager wants to feel that if they hire someone, they will not be a liability, but they will be an asset to the company. An interviewee’s behavior in a job interview represents how they will behave towards customers and clients. 

Employment Laws

​Some businesses don’t hire people under the age of 18 because they don’t want to deal with all of the labor laws that prohibit the hours and types of work that a minor can do. To reassure an interviewer, the job candidate can readily discuss the hours that he or she is available and his or her understanding of the rules and regulations.

Preparation

Unfortunately, students are not versed in filling out applications and attending interviews. Applications can include personality tests. Interviews can also include questions that are intended to determine a person’s character. A candidate can become quickly eliminated in the process if they are deemed to be untrustworthy or unable to work well with others.

Additionally, a job candidate should know that they will be judged by their appearance. This is just a fact of life. So coming to an interview with body jewelry, sloppy clothes and tattoos is not advised.
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Another way to prepare for an interview is to know all about the business. The interviewer will surely ask the candidate why he or she wants to work there, and what they know about the company and its products. 

References

​Teenagers should gather business references rather than endorsements from family members. Business professionals value the opinions from other professionals. A good reference might be all the assurance an interviewer needs to take a chance on a 16, 17 or 18 year old.

Soft Skills

A supervisor or manager really looks for great communication, problem solving, creativity, organization, self-motivation, comprehension and customer service skills. A candidate for employment can demonstrate these skills by listening carefully to interview questions, and by acting and speaking with confidence and positivity.

Ambition with a willingness to learn is another soft skill. Someone who can learn quickly and adapt is going to be an attractive job applicant. In a busy work environment, there is not a lot of time for hand holding. An employee who will go the extra mile and take on responsibility is invaluable. Unfortunately, another preconceived notion about teens is that they are lazy. A manager might think that a young person has to be pushed and prodded to work. This notion can be combatted in an interview by just showing a little ambition.
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Along with ambition, a skill that is requested in many job postings is a friendly attitude. Service businesses really need upbeat associates because their customer’s experience is very integral to the success of the company. 

Technology Skills

​Employers perceive that teens will be able to use technology in a much superior way than adults. This might be because kids grow up with computers, Apps, video games and phones. This is an advantage that teens have over adults and they should highlight this in an interview.

The Meeting

​The job interview can be compared to a sales meeting. It is the job of the applicant to know what the concerns of the interviewer are and to come prepared with persuasive arguments to combat the negative perceptions. A candidate for a job has to sell himself by highlighting his skills and traits that best match what the job requires. Very often, a job posting will explicitly say which qualifications and soft skills are desired. Armed with the job posting and with the knowledge of what employers typically think about teens, an applicant can approach an employer from a much better stance.