Help Needed
I was sitting inside a Pizza Pizza when a girl walked in. She approached Raj, the cashier, and introduced herself as Catherine.
Raj opens the store, takes orders, operates the cash, makes the pizza and sometimes does delivery. All very important tasks, none very technical. Nothing really needing “3+ years of experience with customer service.”
Though it seemed like Raj did everything around the place, he didn’t process resumes and facilitate the hiring process. And yet, Catherine unloaded a relatively blank resume and expected something to happen. Raj politely thanked her, and without another word Catherine exited just as quickly as she had entered. The resume was placed under a pile of flyers and I sat there bewildered at what I just witnessed.
Awkward.
Catherine was a grade 10 student looking for her first job. She didn’t have too much experience, but she was on a few clubs at school, and she likes to cook at home, hence her interest in Pizza Pizza.
Raj was a part-time employee and didn’t know how to handle the situation. He just applied online and was told to come in for an interview — isn’t that how it works these days? Students don’t want to come in for that awkward over-the-counter resume submission, and employers don’t want their applications to go to the wrong place either.
Let’s look at Ontario. Youth unemployment keeps increasing and suppose the minimum wage increases too. Employers will be able to afford fewer employees, even at entry levels, where that invaluable 3-5 years of experience is gained. Without it, students will be stuck in that employment-experience paradox where you need a job to get experience, but can’t get experience without a job.
Pizza Pizza might not have problems sourcing candidates for their job openings, they’re a well-known brand. But what about Fossil? I love that brand, but it’s less ubiquitous than a fast food chain, and I’d bet it isn’t top of mind for a student in their first job search.
I’ve noticed that private equity and venture capital firms source candidates on behalf of their portfolio companies through straight-up job postings or fellowships. In the same way, couldn’t Cadillac-Fairview have an offering to help their tenant stores find candidates? Leasing store space in a big mall is expensive. Finding, hiring and retaining candidates can be costly and time consuming for most firms too. Without employees, some stores can’t run, and during holiday seasons it gets chaotic. In the spirit of retaining their tenants, I’m sure Cadillac-Fairview can source and maintain a militia of on-demand sales associates or store clerks with the skills to help out tenants who struggle to find employees.
My point is, Catherine is capable and willing to arrange a pizza, and she’ll be more than happy to pull a pair of size 10 Nikes from the back. While stores have been putting up the help wanted sign, students are showing signs of help needed.
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