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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Greg Snoddy helps David Lind schedule a time to tour UPS and set up a job interview.
NOVA links teens with employers
More than a dozen companies meet with students eager for short-term work
By Kelly Wilkinson
Ushering in the upcoming summer job season with music from local teen bands, food, and door prizes, NOVA Youth Employment Office held a fair last Wednesday at the Town Center Mall to link students with potential job providers.
More than a dozen companies set up booths and tables in NOVA's office in the mall to meet with nearly 150 kids and collect their resumes or set up interviews for summer positions.
"This is a chance for us to let the youth know that jobs are available and that these are the employers hiring," said Chris Familetti, NOVA's Youth Program Supervisor.
This year marks the 15th year of the youth job fair, and Familetti said students from Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara, and San Jose are targeted. NOVA's employment service is available to youth ages 14-24 throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Through the service and website, employers can post job listings on a database where students and others in the age bracket can search for job opportunities. This fair marked the kick off of a brisk season that begins when schools let out.
Last year, Familetti said that the NOVA office posted 46 jobs in April and May, and thet number jumped to 362 in June and July, when schools let out for the summer. He also said that NOVA tracked 111 jobs filled by students through the office, but said that number may not be accurate because of people not informing NOVA of the connection.
Mike Rondon, manger of Leslie's Swimming Pool Supplies in Sunnyvale, went to the fair and collected about 150 applications for part-time jobs this summer. Since swimming pool service tends to be largely seasonal, he said students out for vacation tend to be a good match for the company's bulking up during summer months.
"It was excellent," he said of his first experience with the fair. "We have numerous stores in the area so can transfer people around."
Linda Walser, employment specialist with Le Boulanger Bakery and Cafe, said she has worked with the NOVA Youth Program for over a year and a half.
"This allows us to hire young, responsible, vibrant, job-ready employees," she said. "And we're very pleased to be working with this population because we're always excited to be working with youth. We see them as a very resourceful population."
Kelly Chen, a junior at Homestead High School, said the fair "was good and everyone was really friendly."
"I talked with a lot of people and went around to all the tables where I was interested and they gave me applications," said Chen, who also participated in another NOVA job-training program two years ago. "They all had a lot of information about things like hours and pay, and seemed really eager."
But 14-year-old Jessica Wu said she thinks she missed out on a lot of opportunities because she falls in the lowest end of the age bracket. As a freshman at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, she said she found out about the fair through flyers at her school, but thought the employers at the fair were looking for kids at least 15.
"There weren't a lot of job openings for me," she said. "I only wrote my name down for two companies, but I'm not really hopeful. But I think if I were older, it would have been good."
In addition to the job fair, students also had the option of signing up for free workshops about filling out applications, developing job skills, and interviewing. Once the youth attend a workshop, they are then paired up with a counselor to review their skills and ambitions before making a referral.
For more information on the program, call the NOVA Youth Employment Office at (408) 522-9845, or email youth@novapic.org.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
