Students learn how to find a job at workshop

Fourteen students in the Huntington Beach Union High School District learned how to apply for jobs Saturday at an employee readiness workshop presented by Councilwoman Jill Hardy and the Costa Mesa nonprofit Youth Employment Services.

The day included sessions dealing with employment skills, financial responsibility and mock interviews. Participants also had the opportunity to meet with potential employers.

Hardy, a math teacher at Marina High School, said she was inspired to start a program like this five years ago when she noticed that students didn’t always know how to go about making a proper impression on prospective employers and landing a job.

“I had a student in class who told me he was going for a job interview that day for the loading dock at Sears, and we talked about what he needed to wear,” Hardy said. “He thought he didn’t need to dress up, and I told him he absolutely did. He came back and said he was the only one who dressed up, but he also said that he got the job.”

After meeting with Youth Employment Services — also known as YES — leaders, Hardy decided to hold Huntington Beach’s first workshop of this kind Saturday at the Murdy Community Center.

Youth Employment Services, which has been around for 46 years, has held events around Orange County but never before in Huntington Beach, said Wendy Weeks, executive director of the organization.

“This gives students a comprehensive understanding of all the steps it takes to get a job,” she said of the program. “Not only is it having the courage to apply for an interview but also knowing the other steps, like a follow-up, for example.”

Mike Jani, vice president of The Ice Cream Way, which has a location in downtown Huntington Beach, said he received a job application from one of the students he met.

“We like connecting with people who want to know about us and would hopefully like working with us,” he said. “I think it’s a very good exercise for them to have some face-to-face time with potential employers and take the fear out of the unknown.”

Rebecca Anderson, a junior at Marina High School, said she is hopeful about landing her first summer retail job after attending the seminar.

“I learned how to talk about myself highly for an interview but not sound like I’m bragging,” she said. “I feel prepared with questions to ask and how to answer certain questions in an interview. This will help so much, because when I’m put on the spot I get nervous and might not say the right thing.

“The mock interview was my favorite part, because it turned a scary situation into something very simple and easy.”

The 16-year-old said she also learned basic money management skills as well as how to perfect an application and use examples to show her skills when asked a question.

Hardy, who hopes to make this an annual event with local employers, said she wants her students to grow from the experience.

“My hopes are that they have a lot more confidence in seeking a job and that they have an idea of how to start looking for a job,” she said. “When they’re approaching businesses, I hope they have an idea of appropriate dress and they not only feel more prepared but are more prepared.”