Too many young people are unprepared these days.
This week my business participated in a job fair in Peel. I expected it would be swamped but it was not.
We met totally unprepared applicants who seemed to be struggling with many challenges – emotionally and behaviourally.
This is not the first time this has happened over the last several months. We participated in a job fair in Toronto a few months ago with the same results.
The unemployment rate among youth aged 15 to 24 rose by 0.5 percentage points in April to 14.3 per cent, continuing an upward trend that has left an increasing number of young people struggling to find work since the pandemic. This is markedly above the pandemic rate.
What some may hope to be a busy summer hiring season, separate data released this week suggests that Canada has officially slipped into what economists describe as a “technical recession”, following consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth.
Just like what happened in the early 90s, young people must focus and be prepared to find gainful employment. Gone are the days of simply applying online and easily getting a job.
It is a competitive marketplace and those who lost their communication and presentation skills during the tech boom are now at a definite disadvantage.
Many young people ask me what they can do to overcome this economic climate. The first thing I explain to them is that you will live through eight to ten boom and bust periods in your lifetime and to be successful you must create business and personal strategies to overcome these.
Make sure you are adaptable to your environment and do not create rigid strategies that cannot change. The second is to be prepared.
So here are a few observations from an elder statesman who has hired over 30,000 people in his life. And when I mean hired, I mean I have signed each and every letter of offer to these people.
Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch wrote some great books about leadership and one of the key premises was hiring the right people. Welch emphasized that leaders must spend the time recruiting the right team and not delegate this responsibility to others. I make it my responsibility to attend and meet all new hires for our teams.
Observations from a CEO to younger job seekers:
Do your research on the companies attending the job fair before you attend – read their last annual report, website and review their social media;
- Dress for success: attending a job fair in jeans, sweatpants, t-shirts or other casual wear is not acceptable and leaves a terrible impression. Dress in business attire, get a fresh haircut, comb your hair, etc.
- A firm handshake is a must while looking the recruiter in the eye and greeting them clearly and slowly
- If you are struggling with challenges, please get some help and work on overcoming your anxieties about interviews prior to coming to a job fair. Attending with apparent challenges is not helping you nor future employers
- Plan your presentation to the recruiter in advance – tell them why you would like to work for their company and why you would be a good candidate to work with them.
- In the new world of AI, social and online – there are over 1,000 good videos you can watch to increase your interview skill level. My observation is that most people who are attending these job fairs are at a very basic level and should start watching beginner videos to understand they are simply way below the hiring level with respect to interview preparation and general skill level.
Life before the internet required people to learn by watching others or asking questions directly to peers and mentors. Find a mentor if possible.
Applying for a job online is fine but eventually the potential employer will want to meet you, so you must work on your presentation and communication skills.
Jobs will not come to you – you have to be qualified in many ways to earn them.
By Paul Micucci, local business owner
