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Youngsters check out the job market
  
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Third annual Youth Job Fair provides local first-timers a chance of getting into the work force.
By Angela Hokanson
Glendale teens and young adults milled around the Youth Job Fair at the Verdugo Jobs Center on Wednesday, many looking for leads as they prepared to enter the job market for the first time.
Most of the visitors were local high school students, and the approximately one dozen potential employers were companies and agencies with Glendale locations.
“The main purpose is just connect the youth with the employers,” said Michael Kiaman, a program specialist with the Glendale Youth Alliance.
It was the third year the Glendale Youth Alliance, in partnership with a variety of other youth-oriented organizations, had put together the job fair to help young people find jobs for the summer and beyond. The Glendale Youth Alliance trains low-income Glendale youth for employment.
During the fair, students asked questions of recruiters and picked up applications and informational materials.
The businesses represented included The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Aflac, Universal Studios and the agencies present included the city of Glendale.
The prospect of spending the summer working at Universal Studios was particularly enticing for 16-year-old Sevak Stepanian, a student at Hoover High School.
“I could really picture myself working at Universal, cutting up some tickets, saying hi to people,” he said.
“Who wouldn’t want to work at a theme park?” he added.
Roberta Jefferson, a recruiter for Universal Studios, said jobs there appealed to young people because they had good memories of visiting the theme park.
Paulette Aghaian, 16, sat with two friends and filled out some job applications during the fair.
She was looking for a summer position — her first real job.
“It’s sort of hard. Since you haven’t had a job before, it’s less likely you’ll get hired,” she said.
Hakop Aladzhadzhyan, 17, said the process of finding a first job was exciting but also a bit nerve-racking.
First-time employees bring a willingness to try things and a motivation to succeed, he said.
“If you give it to us, we’ll try and do our best,” he explained.
Representatives from the city of Glendale were there to present students with summer job options as well as to discuss longer-term possibilities.
“Our job is to not only talk about current openings, but also a career path,” said Steve Nersesyan, a human resources analyst with the city.
Getting young people into jobs helps them build skills and sets the stage for future career development, said Karine Grigoryan, a program supervisor with Glendale Youth Alliance.
Most of the visitors were local high school students, and the approximately one dozen potential employers were companies and agencies with Glendale locations.
“The main purpose is just connect the youth with the employers,” said Michael Kiaman, a program specialist with the Glendale Youth Alliance.
It was the third year the Glendale Youth Alliance, in partnership with a variety of other youth-oriented organizations, had put together the job fair to help young people find jobs for the summer and beyond. The Glendale Youth Alliance trains low-income Glendale youth for employment.
During the fair, students asked questions of recruiters and picked up applications and informational materials.
The businesses represented included The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Aflac, Universal Studios and the agencies present included the city of Glendale.
The prospect of spending the summer working at Universal Studios was particularly enticing for 16-year-old Sevak Stepanian, a student at Hoover High School.
“I could really picture myself working at Universal, cutting up some tickets, saying hi to people,” he said.
“Who wouldn’t want to work at a theme park?” he added.
Roberta Jefferson, a recruiter for Universal Studios, said jobs there appealed to young people because they had good memories of visiting the theme park.
Paulette Aghaian, 16, sat with two friends and filled out some job applications during the fair.
She was looking for a summer position — her first real job.
“It’s sort of hard. Since you haven’t had a job before, it’s less likely you’ll get hired,” she said.
Hakop Aladzhadzhyan, 17, said the process of finding a first job was exciting but also a bit nerve-racking.
First-time employees bring a willingness to try things and a motivation to succeed, he said.
“If you give it to us, we’ll try and do our best,” he explained.
Representatives from the city of Glendale were there to present students with summer job options as well as to discuss longer-term possibilities.
“Our job is to not only talk about current openings, but also a career path,” said Steve Nersesyan, a human resources analyst with the city.
Getting young people into jobs helps them build skills and sets the stage for future career development, said Karine Grigoryan, a program supervisor with Glendale Youth Alliance.
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