The other day, I met a very nice mom who'd relocated to help her daughter make it in show business in Los Angeles. The daughter is ultra-talented, a model, and an accomplished theater actress. In any case she has quite a little resume shaping up, and that's a good thing.
Still, what if your son or daughter doesn't have that level of talent, or a degree yet? How do you make a resume that is apropos to their unique situation - that is to say very little work experience, but hard-working smart, talented, and a go getter nevertheless - indeed, exactly what every business needs. Okay so, let's talk because I read something somewhat troubling the other day.
The Huffington Post had an interesting piece recently titled; "Kids Count Youth And Work Report: Number Of Young Adults Out Of School, Work Hits Half-Century High," by Emmeline Zhao published on December 2, 2012 which stated in the first paragraph;
"Nearly 6.5 million U.S. teens and young adults are neither in school nor working, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The report warns of a future of chronic unemployment due to a continuing failure to educate and train America's youth in needed skills."
You see, as a former employer, I didn't always look for degrees, and some experience was often better to me than years in the industry, perhaps using some other company's methodology, usually an inferior competitor. Rather, what I wanted was someone who was trainable, talented, and hard-working. So, how do you write that on a resume? Well, the reality is that you simply state it as fact, providing it is true and correct of course.
Hard work ethic, high-energy, and a willingness to learn and do what it takes to progress are all bonuses of youth. Those are pretty high up on my list as important attributes so don't sell your resume short - if you have those qualities - you are needed, wanted, and even preferably desired by an array of employers.
So, what I am saying is this, even though younger adults, teens, and even kids are hurting by percentage worse than all the other age groups looking for work - that doesn't mean you need to join that statistic. These companies need new blood, and the energy of youth. They know it, and you may as well too. Sure the competition is great, just as the mom and daughter who've come to Los Angeles to make it in Hollywood, but they aren't giving up, nor should you. Please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative eBook on Career Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
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