What Employers are looking for in Teen Workers
Experienced employers know the attributes they want a teen employee to have aren’t likely to be displayed by every candidate who applies for a job. To make sure they don’t make a costly mistake and hire the wrong person, they go through a mental checklist when carrying out interviews in order to help them pick the most suitable teen to fulfil requirements. Understanding the most likely attributes sought after by potential employers can help teens make sure they do their best to fit the bill.
Reliability
There’s no point hiring a teen who doesn’t show up, or says they are able to work on a certain date and then changes their mind. Most businesses can only run effectively if employees turn up when expected and can be relied upon. This is why reliability is a top priority when it comes to seeking a new employee.
Punctuality
Not arriving on time, or skiving off before a shift is completed is a major cause of lost working hours during any given week. Not all teens are mature and responsible in this way. When hiring new staff employers, see punctuality as being important.
Flexibility
The need for extra staff can fluctuate, and this is especially true in the summer. Many employers can’t afford to pay employees to sit and wait for customers who never come. Instead they prefer to hire teens open to having their schedule changed as required. At the same time some staff members may let them down, leaving them desperately in need of employees to fill in at a moment's notice. Teens willing to be flexible in this way are more likely to be successful at finding and keeping jobs.
Manners
A great deal of the working positions teens fill involve dealing with the general public. It’s essential that employees are polite, personable and have an efficient manner when communicating. Swearing, monosyllabic speech, slang terminology, and poor social skills render some teen’s unemployable, according to employers who want their business to succeed. A polite, well spoken individual is far more likely to bag a good job.
Appearance
Employers can usually tell a lot about a teen during an interview from the way they present themselves. Those who bother to wear clean, pressed, smart clothing and polished shoes fare better than those who don’t make an effort.
Behavior
Employers favor teens who show maturity and respect. Those who spend too much time messing around and amusing themselves instead of taking a job seriously, or who have a poor attitude aren’t seen as good workers. They can spoil staff morale and encourage other employees to waste time. For these reasons, employees opt to hire teens who don’t regard working environments as playgrounds, and who behave more like adults than children.
Common sense
While some teens have bags of common sense, others are not so useful. Teens without practical skills take a long time to train and rely heavily on other employees more capable than them to take up the slack. Many jobs teens are employed to do require them to be able to think on their feet. Employers look for teens who show initiative and apply common sense to tasks.
Honesty
Employees want teens who are honest. Those who are nonchalant about wasting business produce or light-fingered are not usually tolerated. Therefore, honesty is an important required policy.
Efficiency
Teens who understand how to use time wisely at work are worth far more to their boss than those who only achieve the minimum level of work required. The ability to work fairly quickly and efficiently is an attribute which is highly sought after.
Friendliness
A little warmth and charisma goes a long way when it comes to successfully acquiring a job. Once all the basic skills needed are checked off an employer's list of requirements, they are likely to look for candidates who are also pleasant to be around. Likable teens attract more customers.
Employers want to hire teens who are pleasant, honest, flexible, and reliable. They also expect teens to be practical, honest and efficient and to make an effort to be well-groomed and friendly. Teens who can demonstrate these requirements stand a good chance of finding a job.
