‘Can you help me with my resume?’ I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard this from many young people who often face demoralizing situations of rejection or silence in a tight job market. In a world where youngsters are happy to get a ‘smiley’ on social media, it is becoming difficult for them to face even the slightest rejection. Especially, when they feel that they are doing everything right, but are not able to get employment despite continuous efforts. Amidst the scorching heat, when final exams are over or about to take place and getting a job is the biggest priority, many youth are forced to seek help from parents, counselors, professors and mentors due to the disappointment of not getting a job. When this conflict is visible in many families, we cannot live like ostriches with our heads buried in the sand. For the youth who have recently passed out from college or are studying in their final year, finding a job is no longer the same as before. The path is not clear. The qualification bar has become higher and the first step itself has become difficult. Despite all these problems, we should appreciate that this generation is still looking for a job and not saying, ‘You find a job for me, I will start from tomorrow.’ After Covid-19, not only has the way of working changed, but the expectations of employers have also increased manifold. If you have a young person looking for a job this summer, you, as a parent, are probably encouraging them to keep trying and empathizing with rejection. But this is not just a matter of motivation. So experts also give some more tips on how you can help them in finding a job. These tips range from improving resumes, connecting them to your network, or letting people know where hiring is going on. This is something beyond that. Here are some suggestions. 1. Be involved in job search, but do not take away the freedom of the youth. 2. Show them the reality of the market that jobs are less and competition is more. This will reduce feelings of self-blame and increase realistic expectations about the market. 3. Based on your experience, keep telling them when and how they should make a follow-up call. 4. Not getting a response to an application can be a difficult situation for a young applicant, especially when your child is overthinking. It is important as parents to understand this, so that they do not over-interpret rejection. 5. Acknowledge their small successes. Appreciate if the HR talked to the child for more time during the interview. Ask them to recall that conversation and help them understand why HR showed interest in the conversation. This will help the youth to know the reasons for failure in interview. Take the time to understand what went well in the interview and where they can improve next time. Remember, the path will be more difficult after you get your first job. When they return from work, sit with them every day and talk about how the day was and what they learned. Just as a teacher tries to connect the student with his subject, similarly parents should also make the child proud that he is now employed. The bottom line is that especially when the child is looking for a job or is in the initial days of probation, if the parents emphasize on exposure more than job success, then it will help the youth in getting a job and he will be able to become a better employee.
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N. Raghuraman’s Column: The first step of job is no longer easy for beginners
