Consumers : Summer Job Competition Heats Up

If you’re a teen-ager looking for a summer job, the news in Los Angeles/Orange counties is optimistic--there are plenty of positions available in various fields. But don’t wait much longer to apply, or many of the good, better-paying jobs may be taken.

And not necessarily by your peers. Although today’s teen-age work force is much smaller than that of the Baby Boom era of the 1960s and ‘70s, and the youth unemployment rate has dropped significantly from 18.9% in 1986 to a current 13.9% in California, teen-agers face increasing competition from what may seem like an unlikely quarter: retired people looking for entry-level, minimum wage ($4.25 in California) positions.

“There are more jobs out there for high school students, but their competition is senior citizens,” said Gilbert Pacheco, job opportunity counselor with the El Monte Union High School District. “And the seniors are experienced, approach work seriously and carry a good image for the company. I tell students they need to present that kind of image when they’re job hunting.”

Remember, too, that if you’re 16 to 18 years old, according to state law, you must have a work permit, which you can apply for at your school. Fourteen- and 15-year-olds can get permits for summer work. To get a permit to work, you are required to have a federal Social Security number. If you don’t have that by now, it will take you about two to three weeks to get one, a Social Security Administration spokesman said.

Applications for Social Security numbers are no longer available at post offices, he explained, but you can pick them up at your local Social Security office or call Social Security’s toll-free number, (800) 234-5772, and request that one be sent you by mail.

You must then take proof of age and citizenship (a birth certificate or immigration documents), and proper identification (a school I.D., report card or immunization record), along with the completed application, to your Social Security office, or return it by mail. If you mail the application, you must include the identification documents, so you may want to send it registered or certified.

Be aware that, since the federal Tax Reform Act of 1986 was passed, any child being claimed by parents or guardians as a dependent must have a Social Security number if he or she is over age 5. And that limit will drop to age 2 when parents file their 1989 tax returns next spring.

In the Southern California area, jobs seem most plentiful at amusement parks and recreation areas, and at individual restaurants and fast-food chains, hotels and retailers. But even though they may include perks such as free meals or discounts on clothing or equipment, these jobs often entail night, weekend, and holiday work.

“The perception is that we don’t have jobs left, but there are lots of opportunities here,” said Disneyland’s Bob Roth, explaining that of the theme park’s 2,000 summer positions, several hundred are not yet filled.

“We’ve been seeing a change this year in the kids’ attitudes toward jobs,” said Al Dave, Los Angeles district administrator for the state Employment Development Department. “It’s a phenomenon. The kids don’t want just jobs. They want jobs that are career-oriented. A job for the sake of a job is not the way to go any more.”

Whatever kind of employment you’re looking for, job availability also may depend on where you live.

If you reside in a neighborhood where there are many malls and fast-food restaurants, all you have do is look around. There probably are help wanted signs all over the place, in shop and store windows or posted on the jobs board at your school.

Late last week at Santa Monica High School, for example, the jobs board was crammed with dozens of job advertisements from local businesses. Some offered above minimum wage salaries, with little or no experience required. Others, such as delivery jobs that include driving a car or truck, stipulated age 18 or above.

Santa Monica junior Rena Mundo was searching for a summer waitressing job “because you make a lot of money in tips and get to meet lots of people.” But several other students were looking for office or computer positions, something they might want to get started in as a career.

“Employers will have a hard time filling the minimum wage jobs here because the kids will go for the higher paying ones,” said Santa Monica High jobs counselor Rebel Harrison. “But a lot of the higher paying office jobs will go unfilled, too, because kids also work for social reasons. They like to be where there are other young people around.”

If you live in a less affluent area, such as the inner city, there may be fewer jobs of any kind to pick from.

“Although there are fewer young people in the labor market than there used to be, there also are a lot of areas where there are high pockets of teen-age unemployment,” said Suzanne Schroeder of the Employment Development Department in Sacramento. “They (employment opportunities) are just not there in many areas where kids need jobs.”

In Los Angeles, where transportation from one side of the city to another--say South-Central to the San Fernando Valley--is difficult without a car, some summer jobs may go begging because teen-agers simply can’t get there to work.

Business Offers Buses

For that reason, some companies have begun to assist disadvantaged kids in getting jobs by offering busing to bring them to work from different areas.

Universal Studios, for instance, which employs about 2,000 people each summer, began a busing program three years ago in conjunction with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Company representatives interview interested students at their schools. Then the students, most from inner-city schools, who get jobs at Universal are picked up by bus at designated schools each day and taken to work, then home.

Both the city and county offer summer employment programs for disadvantaged youth, funded through the federal government’s Job Training and Partnership Act. Students interested in these jobs should go to the state Employment Development Department near their homes for applications.

Also, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with Los Angeles Unified, funds a program called First Break, which employs about 10,000 disadvantaged youth each summer in private-sector jobs at about 5,000 participating area companies. Information regarding these positions can be obtained in work-experience offices of your local high school.

No matter what kind of job you want, employment analysts generally recommend the following when you go for your interview:

Wear clean, conservative clothing that’s neatly pressed. No flashy shirts or blouses, no shorts or tennis shoes or thongs. Don’t show up with messy hair or wear an overabundance of jewelry. Young women should go light on the makeup.

Take It Seriously

Have your proper papers and identification with you and go alone to apply for the job so the employer will get the idea you’re taking his available position seriously. You don’t need three friends and a loud radio for moral support.

Offer the interviewer a firm handshake, a smile and project a positive attitude. No negatives--employers are quickly turned off by job applicants who complain about former bosses, teachers, parents, etc.

Be prepared to give your qualifications for the job, any previous work experience, and if you have a good scholastic record in school, mention it.

Be familiar with the company where you’re applying, and have your own questions ready about the position for which you’re applying. What are the responsibilities, hours, pay? Who would you report to, Are there advancement possibilities?

“Many job applications now ask students to please briefly explain why they want to work for the company. That wasn’t the case 12 years ago when I was in high school,” El Monte’s Pacheco noted. “But companies are asking that, so students should have a ready answer. If it’s a supermarket, they might say something like they think they would enjoy the grocery business, and they’re familiar with the store because their family shops there. That they also like working with people and helping them to find things.”

Remember that if you earn more than $3,000 in one year, you have the same requirements as any adult for filing an income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service. According to an IRS spokesman, your parents may still be able to claim you as a dependent on their return, if they can prove they provided more than half of your support during that year. But you still must file a 1040 for your own earnings.

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