On the Job Training

 

Jada is dead set on getting a job this summer.  She's 16 and highly values having some spending money.  And she knows from her demanding parents that getting some experience - not just in working a job but in managing money - is something she needs to take on now.

I've been proud of the initiative she has taken so far.  She got her work papers all by herself last year.  She's researched places and physically gone to them to inquire.  And she's followed up on applications and correspondence.

All of this yielded a few inquiries about interviews, which she was initially not super enthusiastic about responding to, in terms of the hassle of figuring out how to schedule around school and extra-curriculars, traveling to the locations (none are in our neighborhood), and having to dress up and talk serious talk with a grown-up.  

I could have empathized or said nothing.  Of course, being a Tiger Dad, I instead used the opportunity to launch into a speech about the importance of showing enthusiasm and reliability.  

But seriously, no one gives you a job; you have to go get it.  And the way you convey you are worth hiring, especially at the entry level, is that you demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in the job and possess the ability to show up to the location on time.

To even get to the interview, then, requires responding promptly and enthusiastically, and in doing so conveying both a willingness and an ability to be in the right place at the right time.  Conversely, being slow to respond and barely being able to hide your lack of enthusiasm?  That's going to be a hard no for most employers.

 

I'm proud of how Jada has internalized this advice and thought of things we didn't even go over.  As she starts her journey towards being a working adult, there's much more we'll need to go over.  But ultimately, this is on her, and so far she is making me a proud papa.