Starter Jobs Give Teens the Real-World Experience Employers Increasingly Expect
In the last post we introduced The Starter-Job Advantage and the four World-of-Work Assets that teens can begin building through a starter job.
Today, we're going to look more closely at the first asset: Workplace Experience.
Things Ain't What They Used to Be
And this matters because the people making decisions about entry-level career-path jobs increasingly prefer applicants who already have some real-world experience before applying.
Did you know that nearly 70% of employers now expect students to have real-world experience before they graduate?¹
Not after graduation.
Before graduation.
That is a significant shift.
For generations, the path into the workforce was fairly straightforward:
Go to school.
Graduate.
Get an entry-level job.
Gain experience while working.
Continue advancing.
Entry-level jobs on a career path were once designed to help young adults learn workplace expectations, develop skills, and gain on-the-job experience.
Today, that order has changed.
Many employers now prefer that young people gain experience before applying for these roles.
As a result, workplace experience is no longer something many employers expect young people to gain only after entering the workforce.
Increasingly, it is something they prefer applicants to already have.¹
Workplace Experience Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage
This creates a challenge for young people who wait too long to begin building real-world work experience.
When employers evaluate candidates, they are not just looking at grades, coursework, or credentials.
They are looking for evidence that a young person can function successfully in a real work environment.
Workplace experience helps provide that evidence.
It demonstrates that a teen has learned how to:
Show up on time
Follow directions
Handle responsibility
Work with others
Solve problems
Communicate professionally
Adapt when things do not go as planned
Those experiences tell employers something a transcript alone cannot.²
One recent report found that graduates who worked during school landed jobs at twice the rate of those who did not.³
Workplace experience does not guarantee success.
But it often creates opportunities.
Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that young adults who participated in experiential learning opportunities reported stronger professional networks, greater career satisfaction, and better career outcomes than those who did not.⁴
The Earlier, The Better
A starter job gives teens the opportunity to begin building workplace experience before that experience is required.
The earlier that experience begins accumulating, the more valuable it can become.
A teen who starts building workplace experience at age 16 could accumulate hundreds, or even thousands, of hours of real-world experience before many of their peers ever submit their first resume.
That is a meaningful head start.
A starter job is not just a source of income.
It's a place where workplace experience starts to become an advantage.
The Best Time to Build Experience Is Before It Is Required
One of the biggest mistakes young people make is waiting until employers start asking for experience before trying to get it.
By then, they are often competing against others who started earlier.
The best time to build experience is before someone starts requiring it.
A starter job allows teens to begin building workplace experience while the stakes are lower and the lessons are incredibly valuable.
Every shift worked.
Every customer helped.
Every challenge solved.
Every responsibility handled.
Those experiences compound over time.
When future opportunities arise, your teen will not just be able to claim they are ready.
They'll have examples that prove it.
The Bottom Line
Workplace experience gives teens an advantage because it shows they have already functioned in a real-world work environment.
Entry-level jobs were once understood as places where young adults could gain experience after entering the workforce.
Increasingly, employers now prefer applicants who already have some real-world experience before they apply.
A starter job gives teens the opportunity to begin building that experience years before many of their peers, giving them a true advantage.
Sources
¹ PeopleGrove summary of NACE Job Outlook findings: "69.5% of employers expect students to have real-world experience before graduation."
[https://www.linkedin.com/posts/peoplegrove_highered-experientiallearning-careerreadiness-activity-7396592049396850688-5R6j](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/peoplegrove_highered-experientiallearning-careerreadiness-activity-7396592049396850688-5R6j)
² National Association of Colleges and Employers, Career Readiness Competencies
[https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/](https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/)
³ ZipRecruiter Annual Grad Report
[https://www.ziprecruiter-research.org/annual-grad-report](https://www.ziprecruiter-research.org/annual-grad-report)
⁴ National Association of Colleges and Employers, Impacts of Experiential Learning on the Gen Z Early Career Experience
[https://www.naceweb.org/talent-acquisition/trends-and-predictions/impacts-of-experiential-learning-on-the-gen-z-early-career-experience](https://www.naceweb.org/talent-acquisition/trends-and-predictions/impacts-of-experiential-learning-on-the-gen-z-early-career-experience)
Your Free Resource
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Why Your Teen Needs a Job ASAP Series
Part 1: The Starter Job Advantage
Part 2: Starter Jobs Give Teens the Real-World Experience Employers Increasingly Expect (CURRENTLY READING)
