Monday, March 28, 2016
Gap CEO: Giving Young People Their First Jobs is A Double Bottom Line Investment For Companies
We all remember our first jobs.
Art gained his first work experience in high school, painting houses and as a grocery store clerk.
One of John’s first jobs was in a summer camp in a high-needs community in Boston. It is part of the reason that he became a school teacher.
Particularly when you’re just starting off in the workforce, the prospect of finding a job with a blank resume and limited network and connections can be daunting. This process is tough for college students and even harder if you’re one of the one in seven young Americans who are out of school and work.
Here’s the thing: one of the main things employers are screening for in the hiring process is work experience. It allows them to call references who can vouch for a candidate, assess what someone can do based on demonstrations of what he or she has produced in the past, and many of the skills they are looking for can only be gained on the job. In a recent survey, 66 percent indicated that work experience is a crucial factor in hiring decisions and employers across nearly all sectors ranked it as one of the most important factors for recruitment. . .