A lot has been said about City Council’s recent approval of a bill introduced by Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr. on Mayor-elect Michael Nutter’s behalf to encourage the hiring of ex-offenders. This is a great policy and business owners should heed the call to hire these ex-offenders.
However, local business owners should also use this holiday season (a time of increased part-time employment) to hire Philadelphia teens.
Every employer from retailer to restaurant is currently looking for part-time help. These are not necessarily the type of jobs that ex-offenders need to build a more stable life -- rather these are the jobs that teach young people about the importance of working, and keep them busy and productive.
As one of the co-founders of MyFirstPaycheck | Jobs for Teens, an employment site for high school and college students, I often hear adults complain that teenagers these days are not interested in working, but it is just not true – every day our site is overwhelmed by local teenagers looking for jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities. And teens are often great employees.
However, there is often a disconnect between local business owners and this large potential labor force. If you are looking for part-time employees (or volunteers or interns), the first step is to put a sign in your window. But by taking the quick and easy step of placing ads on sites like ours, craiglist.org, and facebook.com, you can greatly increase your presence in the teen market. You can also use many city-wide programs that help connect local businesses with young people eager to work.
Businesses are run to make money, but if you run a business, you also have a chance this season to give an opportunity to somebody who can repay the favor. Please make the extra effort. Those who benefit will remember your help their whole lives.
