From school to socializing - screen time is how most teens have been engaging during the last year.
But as many look to find their first job, do they have the communication skills needed to nail an interview, or do they know what to put on a resume?
The city of Tempe is looking to help support teens and young adult job seekers by offering two free online workshops with their Career Ready Tempe program.
"For most teens, they weren't able to get those summer jobs or get those part-time jobs going into the school year or last year because of COVID," said the city of Tempe Public Information Officer Melissa Quillard. "So, there's really been a lag in this basic skill set for resume-writing and for interviewing and all of these things that are such a huge component about getting that first job."
Quillard explained to the Rebound Arizona team what teens and young adults would learn in their Career Readiness Series that offers two-hour-long workshops.
The first topic is on resume-writing on Wednesday, March 24 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and the focus is to help participants create a resume that stands out to a company, even if they do not have past work experience yet.
"You want to show that you've... been a part of something consistent to show that you have reliability... your extracurricular activities can help to show that in a resume," Quillard said. "So they're very important for that first-time resume."
Experts from Arizona State University and the city's Workforce Development professionals will teach participants how to tailor their resumes for the job they are applying for because there is no one-size-fits-all template.
"So, this resume is a very important piece of paper," Quillard said. "A very important document. It's a reflection of you, in essence. So, you really want to get this right."
In the next event on April 7 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., they will discuss how to prepare for a virtual or an in-person interview.
"Generationally, they're much more digitally focused," Quillard explained. "So that in-person experience can be a bit of a challenge for someone because we're so used to doing everything from behind our phone or from behind our screens, so honing in on those interpersonal skills is still as important as it was way back during my first job interview."
To register for one or both workshops, click here.
