Hiring youth can help employers stay relevant

Companies, organizations vie to appeal to younger generation

Once they finish their postsecondary education or trade schooling, the first thing on most graduates’ minds is, now it’s time to get a job.

In some cases, that’s easier said than done.

On the Canadian government job bank website, there are 1,251 postings for opportunities to work in Newfoundland and Labrador. Indeed.com has 95 pages of available jobs in the province.

With opportunities for work in the province, some may wonder what these businesses or organizations are doing to attract younger workers like those fresh grads in search of work and, hopefully, experience in their field of study.

Local non-profit organization Thrive recently received funding to add three new positions to its team. The catch? Those hires must be youth.

“These new positions are under the federal government summer jobs grant program,” explained Angela Crockwell, executive director of Thrive. “It is annual funding and each year we apply. This year we were fortunate enough to receive three positions.”

Thrive is a grassroots charitable organization that works to fill gaps and services in the St. John’s area. Crockwell says they are also committed to working with vulnerable people from a trauma-informed harm-reduction perspective.

Under the funding guidelines, the new positions with the organization will last eight weeks. Each role is different and will give younger workers real-life work experience. One position will support the street team, while another will support their CASEY group and the other will do resource updating.

Although it wasn’t their idea to direct these jobs at youth, Crockwell said applying for this funding was crucial because of the benefits younger workers can bring to the organization.

“I think the youth perspective is really important,” said Crockwell. “One of the positions that we consistently hire for is around our directory of services, which is an online platform. Young people are — certainly more than I am — engaged online. So, I think there is a youth culture that we need to make sure that we are in tune with if we want to stay relevant.”

Creating a better online presence shows the work carried out by Thrive and exposes the organization to a new demographic.

While these younger workers bring something valuable for the organization, Crockwell hopes to provide them with something as well.

“It is important for us to give people a positive work experience and, hopefully, an opportunity so people can develop their skills and gain new skills,” said Crockwell.

Although the positions might not be permanent, Crockwell emphasizes to the temporary youth workers that, when they do hire, their listings are aimed toward youth regardless.

The most important thing for Thrive is creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

“We always, in our hiring practices, have a clause in all of our advertisements seeking persons from diverse backgrounds and are committed to diversity. We believe the more diverse our workforce is within Thrive, the better we are as an organization,” said Crockwell.

While Thrive is doing its part in creating jobs for youth, a local media company is also playing a role in creating new opportunities.

Braeden King is the founder and creative director of There Media Inc., a brand-building agency that specializes in digital creative content. King had noticed an influx in younger workers, especially in the form of freelance.

“Nowadays, with the younger generation and social media popping off, a lot of people are becoming freelance specialists in their field,” said King. “They know their value because they know what they are good at. They know if they chose to brand themselves, instead of work for a brand, they’ll find success financially and emotionally as well.”

King adds he has seen passion from these younger freelancers and that is the reason he chose to hire them through this form.

Through this original hiring model, King is giving opportunities that not only appeal to youth, but give them

an environment to excel.

“People see us having fun daily,” he said. “That is so attractive for people who are freelancers and people wanting to get out of their day jobs. It’s not about being at work, it’s about living your life and being able to find a balance between work and enjoyment.”

King says promoting this kind of work environment makes his company more approachable, and it is why younger workers approach him with projects.

“It’s not a concrete hiring process. I can hire them for one project, or I can hire them for 10,” he said. “These younger individuals don’t see as much risk involved. They are not nervous to come forward because the job fits their agenda.”

King has experience as a freelancer and knows the dedication and work that goes into the creative process. In his experience, producing a body of work is the most important step.

“I saw all these opportunities coming up and the only way that they ever were presented in front of me is if I was a freelancer,” said King. “So, I always tell people now the way to get started is put yourself out there. (But) not as someone who works at a company. Stop putting your resume out there, people don’t want to see work history anymore, they want to see your portfolio.”

King considers himself fortunate to be able to help these workers get their start, and says the feeling is rewarding.

“Being able to advise a youthful generation is beneficial to me and it is a full-circle learning experience. Every time I hire someone, I always learn something new, no matter what, because people always know something you don’t,” he said.

King says more companies could excel if they adopted this model of hiring, because freelancers can bring many benefits to a company.

“When you hire freelance, you only have to hire when the time arrives,” he said. “When you have full-time staff, they’re always there, no matter what. That can be beneficial in ways, but everyone knows how the company is already doing. So, to me, it’s beneficial to a company, costwise, time-wise and opportunity-wise.”