Kate Ross: Swivel Careers founder on the rise in teenagers struggling to find work

There's belief the job market is tougher for teens without any experience than ever before.

Hawke's Bay local Kaitlin Elsworth has spent two years searching for her first paid job.

The 18-year-old says rejection letters usually blame it on a lack of experience.

Swivel Careers founder Kate Ross says that's always the hardest aspect for teens - but they shouldn't give up.

"I encourage people of that young age to actually walk in and present themselves, because it's far better to be seen in person than it is on paper." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Bryan Bridge. Right.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Teenagers, if you've got one, you might know about this story.
They're in search of employment at the moment, and it's
obviously a hard job trying to land a job with
the current employment conditions. Some have been searching. In fact,
there was an example of one over the weekend in
the papers. For as long as two years, a lack
of experience has been a main reason for rejection. But
how do you get that if you are never given

(00:25):
a shot in the first place, How on earth do
you get experience without being given a job. Kate Ross
is the founder of Swivel Careers, which helps seventeen to
twenty five year olds fine work, and she's with me
this afternoon.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Hi Kate, Hi Ryan. How's it going? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Really good?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Thank you. Is this something that you're seeing a lot
of young people who, you know, they've got everything going
for them, they've got everything, doing everything right, but it's
just not landing.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
I think it's mixed. I think it's tough and now
than what it ever has been before. I mean it's
always hard for a person leaving school. I mean I
left at sixteen as well, not pass getting works. It's
always hard when you're sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, leaving skill, going
into the market and finding work because you do really
don't have any experience, so to get experience, honestly, it's
about just not giving up. Attitude is number one. So

(01:13):
making sure that you know when you're going into a
potential place of employment that you're coming and well presented.
In fact, I encourage people of that young age to
actually walk in and present themselves because it's far better
to be seen in person than what it is on paper.
It's a completely different reflection. So turning up and just
you know, presenting yourself nicely, heading over the CV and
saying listen, I'd like to apply for the role. The

(01:34):
employer then gets a bit of a look of what
that person is like, and you know, sometimes they can
take them to the back office and have an interview
right then off the cuff. So there's other ways of
doing it. But right now, with the economy as it is,
it is tougher.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
What you mentioned that people should young people should sort
of take initiative and all of that, it sounds like
this particular person I was reading about it at the weekend,
it sounds like they were taking all the initiative applying
for loads of jobs. But if you haven't got a
job in two years of trying, surely there's going to
be something else going on.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
I think to answer that question, well, I would actually
need to have a chat to that person. And also,
you know, see what kind of roles they're applying for.
I'm not saying that person applied for, you know, the
wrong job, but you've got to make sure that the
roles you are applying for are aligned to your skill
set or what you want to do, you see what
I mean. And also when you're putting your CV forward

(02:25):
or cover letter forward, making sure that the cover let
or the email if they don't want to read it,
is to actually have the things on that are transferable.
So for example, if someone's looking for a receptionist or
a customer service role, then you can give experience or
some idea of how you've done that in a limited
way in your past, so it's some kind of transfer
relatable skills. So you know, I'd really have to have

(02:48):
a chat to her to see what she's done to
really have an educated answer.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yeah, when I my first job, I think was when
I was nine, Mom made us get a paper round
and then you went from your paper. You went from
your local paper. You could deliver the evening post. This
was in Wellington, and then you graduate to doing the
milk run, and then you would graduate eventually to be
able to work in a cafe or the supermarket. I mean,

(03:12):
I mean, obviously newspapers probably aren't a thing anymore, there's
no one delivering those. But there must be jobs like
that that young people can start with.

Speaker 3 (03:21):
Absolutely. I mean my first job was picking strawberries, which
I think I actually got size from. But anyway, so
you know, there's always some kind of role out there.
But right now, you know, I'm in their defense. Even
people leaving university are really struggling to find their first job.
So it's kind of falling back. You know that there

(03:42):
are people who still be making redundant. There're still definitely
uncertainty in the market. Don't get me wrong. I hope
it's going to be better than last year, but you know,
I have no so many university leavers this year who've
actually packed up and gone to Australia, who have gone
to America, to Camp of America or some kind of
short owe because it's us nothing for them in New
Zealand right now, and that's even in the biggest cetties.

(04:04):
Typically the regions do find it harder because obviously it's smaller,
less opportunity, but the biggest cities like Auckland and Wellington
are struggling just as much.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, Kate, thank you very much for that. Kate Ross
the swivel careers who looks after help seventeen to twenty
five year olds find.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
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