Rant #1,181: The Job Hunt

My son is now fully involved in his job hunt, and things are not that easy.

I thought it was tough when I was looking for a job when I was a teenager, but it seems to be even more difficult in this environment that we live in.

If I remember correctly, teenage unemployment is between 15 percent and 17 percent. That, of course, is a hard figure to judge, because not every teenager is looking for a job, so I guess they calculate this by those teens who have had a job who are now out of work and are looking.

My son is graduating high school in June, and he won't be going to college, at least not right now, so he needs something he can hang his hat on, so to speak, of a full-time nature.

You might think that that would be a plus, but so far, it isn't.

Companies would prefer to hire part timers, simply because they don't have to pay out the benefits that they do to full timers.

That is a wall he is going to have to climb, and my wife and I are going to do everything we can to help him out.

Since he is considered to have a disability, there are programs that he can participate in that can help him, and we are pursuing those initiatives.

Another problem he has is that in New York State, he will graduate high school with a certificate of completion, and not a diploma.

Don't ask. You can blame whoever you want, but it isn't fair, and this is the first year that Special Ed kids will have to take a certificate home, not a diploma, for their years of study.

Some employers will question kids with this degree, and it is unfair to put these kids under that burden, but this is the way New York State handles these kids now, ghettoizing them into their own unique category.

So he also has that hurdle, and him and other Special Ed kids have been thoroughly prepped about answering questions about their certificate versus a diploma, and that they are equal, not on the GED level.

Anyway, the new world in which we live has thrown another curve into those looking for employment.

It seems that employment is now done almost entirely online.

You have to apply online, answer a variety of questions, send the thing out, and sit there with your hands folded waiting for a reply.

Possible employees don't even want a resume, they just want you to answer questions.

This is so unfair that I cannot believe that this is being done this way, but on the other hand, it is an inevitable byproduct of the high-tech world in which we live.

One on one contact is not preferred anymore, and to me, that is just plain wrong.

How can you get into the nuts and bolts of a potential employee and what he can bring to your company by simply reading answers off a screen?

I don't get it, but my son has to play this game like others do.

Over the weekend, we discovered that a new, small fast food chain will be opening its doors in a few weeks, and my son wanted to apply for a job with them.

But they are so new that really nothing has been set up yet for potential employees.

So I put on my detective cap and found out the parent company of the restaurant. I called them up, and asked them about hiring procedures.

They were nice enough to give me a head's up about when they were going to hire, and my son will pursue this company now that he has some inside information.

Anyway, if anyone out there is looking for a willing and able 18 year old to join your team, and if you are based on Long Island, I have the perfect person for you.

He is bright, responsible, wants to learn, and wants to work.

Please give him a chance. You will not regret it.