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Humane Society volunteer Christina Bower, 17, is spending her summer volunteering while she continues to look for a job. Bill Wagner / The Daily News

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Search for summer jobs is difficult, but not impossible

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 3:14 PM PDT

By Carrie Pederson

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Christina Bower, 17, hoped to spend the summer saving up money for college. But after almost two months of searching she still can’t find a job. “It’s difficult to save up money when you can’t get a job,” said Bower, a student in the Running Start program at Lower Columbia College and Kelso High School.

Bower said that being under the age of 18 limits her options. With Cowlitz County’s jobless rate up to 8.2 percent in May, summer jobs have been hard to come by for the area’s teenagers.

“Restaurants will probably be down a bit from a year ago, and overall unemployment is up quite a bit and jobs are down overall,” said Scott Bailey, Southwest Washington Regional Economist for the Employment Security Department.

“It’s going to be tougher for kids because you’ve got adults out there looking for work.”

Bower is getting help with her job search from an Americorps volunteer at Worksource Cowlitz/Wahkiakum. The volunteer position, dedicated to helping people under the age of 25 find jobs, ends July 15 but will be reinstated in September, said Carrie Straub, supervisor for re-employment at Worksource Cowlitz/Wahkiakum.

Worksource job postings are listed at  www.go2worksource.com

“Hot Jobs” are posted on a bulletin board in the hallway at Worksource, 305 S. Pacific Suite A in Kelso.

These are jobs that need to be filled quickly or provide a good opportunity, said Colleen Hankins, intensive services supervisor at Worksource. If a “Hot Job” is a youth job it will say so on the posting, she said.

Hankins and Straub recommend young people look for jobs in retail, fast food, grocery stores, care giving and child care. These are the most likely places young people find jobs, they say.

In the 14 to 18 age range, employment numbers in Cowlitz County only increased by 190 positions this summer, Bailey said. “We sort of have this myth of kids going to school and school lets out and they look for a job,” he said.

For teens who can’t find jobs, Straub says it’s important to continue to gain experience. “The main thing is an opportunity to build your resume,” she said.

Dick Mueller, superintendent of the City of Longview Recreation Department, agrees. He said he looks to hire high school and college-aged people who have a history of community service in their resume.

“They don’t have a lot of work experience, so it’s to their benefit to have community service,” said Mueller, who hires youth all year round for recreation programs.

Bower, who wants to be an animal trainer someday, is using her time to volunteer at the Cowlitz Humane Society in Longview. “It gives me job experience,” she said.

Worksource staff is also helping her to determine the education she’ll need to get a job as an animal trainer.

Every day at Worksource there are workshops in writing resumes, filling out applications and searching for jobs. A schedule of all classes is available at http://www.worksourcecowlitz.com/workshops_classes.htm

Three tips for kids looking for jobs:

1. Get a volunteer job to improve your resume or help work towards a career.

2. Go to Worksource Cowlitz/Wahkiakum to get job leads and help writing resumes, filling out applications and looking for a job.

3. Broaden your search for summer work to other areas.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story listed an incorrect address for Worksource Cowlitz/Wahkiakum.

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ann123 wrote on Jul 15, 2008 9:39 AM:

" i have tried to find kids to work at my place i have yard work(mowing lawn, weeding, etc.) bucking hay jobs. Every kid i have asked does not want to do the work. I guess it is to hard for them to work in the sun. Oh by the way i pay $15 an hour. "

K wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:08 AM:

" Kids can't work in childcare...you have to be 18. "

KelsoLesbian wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:17 AM:

" Anybody else remember picking fruit for pennies a flat? Just curious...it was one of the things everybody did as a teenager when I was going up. But then, I think the Puyallup valley had more berry farms than here. "

KelsoLesbian wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:20 AM:

" Oh yeah to Ann123, wow we only pay our house help $10... but then we do not need any hay bucked. That's a tough job, but a great one for a footballer looking to stay in shape. "

KelsoLesbian wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:21 AM:

" Sorry folks, spell check is not my friend. Please change going to growing in my first post. My apologies. "

tacompton wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:22 AM:

" ann123 I am a fulltime worker right now and have been looking for part time evening work all summer. I used to work as a landscapper during my summers in college. I would love to do yard work. Let me know if you are still intrested in getting somebody to work. "

who am I? wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:35 AM:

" actually, teens CAN work in childcare but they are limited as to the positions they can do. therefor, I'm sure the positions available for them are limited also. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's a matter of they can't be alone with the children before 18 but can be an assistant WITH an adult. "

who am I? wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:36 AM:

" OH, and I do think there are still often fast food positions to be found but kids these days seem to think they are above working at those places usually. too bad, it's still experience working with public and coworkers, money, etc. building a resume showing work ethic if nothing else. "

Ltown wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:49 AM:

" Maybe if these jobs were posted, (yard work, bucking hay) then the teenagers would show up. My son would love to do these jobs but finding them is tough. "

bmoc wrote on Jul 15, 2008 11:02 AM:

" Lots of jobs out there for teens, but most make excuses not to work. Here is one lead for those who do - Dairy Queen off of 15th had a help wanted sign in the window the other day when I was there. Teens who think they are above fast food jobs need a reality check. My first job was at fifteen and I washed dishes after school. Now I have a college degree and a grown up job, but my work ethic was established at a young age, with help from my parents. With an unemployment rate of 8%+ in this county, and all the welfare, drug addicts, and undocumented individuals, what are the examples that kids have to learn from. Certainly not from most of their parents. Too sad, but I don't excuse their lack of motivation. "

stargoddess wrote on Jul 15, 2008 11:49 AM:

" My daughter who's almost 17 went to Dairy Queen to apply for a job and they told her that they're only hiring kids who are at least 18. "

longview citizen wrote on Jul 15, 2008 12:01 PM:

" I agree with ann123, there are so many kids that WILL NOT work a job that involves physical labor. To kelso lesbian yes we also had berry fields in the area and I as a teen would get up at 4:30 am to catch the berry bus pick all day then come home and buck hay, mow lawn and care for the livestock. Kids today want everything handed to them on a silver platter. They think work is where you go to stand for 8 hours and have customers interrupt you while you are trying to text a friend or surf the web on their cell phones. The young people of today need to wake up and realize there are lots of folks that will pay to have a lawn mowed, flower beds weeded etc. Just go out and look print flyers or something. "

KelsoLesbian wrote on Jul 15, 2008 12:30 PM:

" This article bothers me since I just recently posted an add on Craigs list and the only replies I received were sexual advances. No one really actually wanted to do the work. I posted it for $10/hour. "

littlered wrote on Jul 15, 2008 12:34 PM:

" Who do you people think are raising these lazy kids ! "

openeyes wrote on Jul 15, 2008 1:33 PM:

" To ann123

I love to do landscaping work. I can work weekends and evenings. let me know please.. "

ann123 wrote on Jul 15, 2008 4:23 PM:

" i posted the job at the high schools not one responce. this goes to ltown "

Ms. Z wrote on Jul 15, 2008 4:29 PM:

" At my place of employment, the problem we have are people (of all ages) who come in claiming to be desperate for work but then list a stack of requirements, they need to work weekdays only, only morning shift but not too early, never on a Saturday, oh well Fridays are inconvenient too and Thursday is my night with my friends, what? I can't have full time so what if I just demanded three days off before I am hired. Oh and let us not forget coming in to apply with their friends while wearing flip flops and shorts. "

trucknferlife wrote on Jul 15, 2008 8:45 PM:

" I know everyone is saying stuff about lazy kids and what not from, news article about a 17 year old looking for work. Who is currently volunteering work for free and looking for work. My child and I have been out to talk to the employers and most are saying 18 or older or are full with college students. They say to return after summer when the college students go back to school. My child has strawberry colored hair, the manager at that Dairy Queen said they would not hire her until she dyed her hair to a "Natural" color.

But back to the positive, how bout some positive comments about a teenager volunteering while looking for work instead of playing Playstation, Skateboarding, or watching tv. Or spending their day on the internet.

Kudo's to those teens that do volunteer their time while either working, looking for work or are just volunteering their time because they want to. "

Common Sense 24 wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:56 PM:

" My first job was at Hollinger Const. at 16 years old. After looking unsuccessfully for half the summer, I took a weed pulling spot job that was to last 3 days. The people at worksource asked me if I really wanted to apply for it because it was a little kiddie job. I did it in a day and a half and they kept me on for the rest of the summer. I was working 40 hours a week as a shop helper or washing cars and as a laborer at the owner's property until the day before school. I'll never forget it and thanks Terry for the opportunity to work with Butch, Ron and the rest of the guys there. "

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