Posted on: Sunday, May 2, 2004

Teens urged to consider jobs with Uncle Sam

By Andrea Coombes
CBS MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO — Teens and college students on the job hunt might instinctively head to the familiarity of the mall, but they shouldn't neglect federal and local government agencies in their search.

Although government-run Web sites such as StudentJobs.gov and USA Jobs don't make the search particularly easy, there are some gems hidden among the governmentese.

"Government jobs have a reputation for low pay, not being very exciting and even impractical in terms of career development or advancement," said John Challenger, chief executive of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

"Nothing could be further from the truth. These are great places to start a career."

The FDA is hiring high-school and college students for its summer intern program, paying $9.65 to $11.82 per hour for clerical jobs in Washington, according to the listing on the federal government's site, USA Jobs.

A search last week for Hawai'i jobs yielded 11 student temporary positions, including several as computer or office clerks.

Generally, the minimum age to work at federal agencies is 16.

Teens might find it easier to find work this year compared with last year, said Renee Ward, principal of The Forward Group, publishers of Teens4Hire and Seniors4Hire, which list private-sector job ads.

"Our job openings are up 20 percent over last year," Ward said, with much of the growth driven by small-business owners and hospitals.

Still, "we're not in a situation where we're in a tremendous job-growth mode. Things are not like they were back in 1999, 2000," Ward said.

Back then retailers would hire 16-year-olds, but now "most retail stores won't even consider anyone under the age of 18. They have enough older workers they can pick from."

Many teens are already gearing up for the job search: "We had 70,000 teenagers log on in March. April is already over 100,000," she said.

"Teens should be getting ready now."