SmartGirl interviews:
Beverly Slomka
Author of Teens and The Job Game

SmartGirl had the opportunity to interview author Beverly Slomka via email after one of our editors read her book Teens and The Job Game: Prepare Today-Win It Tomorrow. Here's what she had to say!

SmartGirl: The book is titled Teens and the Job Game. Can you explain what you mean by "The Job Game"?

Beverly Slomka: I use the term "Job Game" to compare the act of searching for work, and being on the job, to a complex game that involves preparation and strategy. Just as a professional athlete prepares months and years for the "big game", and has a strategy to win, so must teens begin to prepare and strategize for the workplace.

When a young person goes on a job interview, the employer will look at the candidate from many perspectives: does he or she present themselves well; how is he or she dressed; does he or she have a resume prepared; is he or she enthusiastic and ask questions about the job; is he or she really seem prepared to work at this particular job?

When an individual is hired for a job, the employer will look at how that individual works. Does he or she really understand how to behave in an office environment? Does he or she use good judgment? Does he or she know how to communicate well and interact with others?

All of these things involve an understanding and preparation for the workplace that doesn't happen overnight. It takes more than just preparing the resume or preparing for the interview.

SG: Why do you think teens should start playing the job game now?

BS: When you are in your teens, you are really at the beginning of adult life, and the habits you form now will very often continue into adulthood and be taken to your job. If you care about your studies and take them seriously, and you act respectfully to others, and are accountable for your actions, you will carry this type of behavior to the workplace. If you are conscious of your image now - how you present yourself to others - it will be much easier for you to understand the need to dress appropriately for a job interview and on the job. It's much more difficult to make the transition from school to work when you do not have any understanding of what the work environment is like, and when you don't have your "self" together for work.

While preparing for college may be in the forefront for most high school teens, most teens will also be doing some type of part-time or summer work while in high school, and especially during the years in college. Even for the most humble of these early jobs, and even if you do some type of community service without pay, you need to prepare to be the best employee you can be. It will lead to your receiving good references for your future work, and you will be that much more prepared for your future career.

SG: What inspired you to write a book about jobs for teens?

BS: After working for 22 years as a business manager and recruiter in financial services, and then managing staff in a hospital, I realized that it is not just one's talents, skills and education that he or she brings to the workplace. Rather, it is one's "whole person" - one's personality, feelings, attitudes, communication skills, work ethic, and many other characteristics - that come to the workplace. The workplace is full of relationships, and employees need to know how to interact appropriately with one another in order to be productive on the job.

I focused on teens in my book because, as I mentioned above, this is the time that all of one's habits and feelings and attitudes come together. As a teen, you begin to form solid friendships, and when you are in middle school and high school, you are more on your own with responsibility for school work and other activities. It is a time to become confident of your abilities and form good relationships with others. You are beginning to think about your career and make important decisions. Therefore, how you live your life today, the feelings you have about yourself and others, and how you approach difficulties will help form your future.

I wrote the book to help guide you through this challenging time so that you are encouraged to succeed and know how you can succeed.

SG: "Teens and the Job Game" is very encouraging and sends a strong message that anyone can succeed at work if they put in the effort and the energy. What has made you believe this?

BS: I believe this because I have experienced it, and I have also seen others succeed against all odds. While in some cases, people succeed by being in the "right place at the right time," I have never seen someone who truly makes an effort at something totally fail at that thing.

While I was in school, it took many hours study each day to do well. My IQ was just average going through school, but I always looked ahead and persisted in everything because I wanted to succeed at something. When I started out to write this book, I knew nothing about what it takes to publish a book, but I did everything I could to discover the steps I needed to take. Once I knew what to do, I was determined to do it. I considered the message something important that I wanted to share with teens. Once I knew what to do, I was determined to do it. I considered the message something important that I wanted to share with teens.

This doesn't mean that you won't have disappointments in your life and in work. You may not get as far as you want to go, but I guarantee that you will be somewhere comfortable. And, it's far better to be determined and to fight the good fight and know you have done everything possible to succeed.

SG: What was your very first job and what did you learn from it?

BS: I had two "first jobs" in a way, in that I worked at the first job for only two days, and then went on to work for a month in another job in my first summer after high school. The first job was as a "temp" telephone operator in a large communications company. The job lasted only two days. In the second job, I was hired to do clerical work - filing, answering phones, a little typing - for an insurance company.

I remember feeling a little nervous when I first started these jobs, but I think the first thing I learned was that I had to be professional and take my cues from those I worked with. I listened carefully to instructions from my managers and co-workers, and as I became more comfortable with what I was doing, I felt more confident. I learned that I had to finish my work on-time, and speak a certain way to my manager and co-workers.

SG: Looking back on your entry into the workforce, what do you think was the biggest mistake you made? What did you learn from it and how did you move on?

BS: I remember two mistakes I made in my early years in the workplace. One was when I was employed in a Wall Street summer job the summer after freshman year of college. I worked in a brokerage firm library and had to deliver Wall Street Journals to the floor brokers every morning at 8:30 a.m. I put a piece of gum in my mouth as I was always conscious my breath was good, and I picked up the Journals to deliver them to the floor. My manager saw I was chewing gum and she grabbed the papers from my hands and told me to get rid of the gum. She was not very happy with me. Needless to say, I learned that when you are interacting with others at work, it is not professional to chew gum, or have candy in your mouth, unless it is a situation where workers are sharing food around the lunch table or in an informal meeting that may include some refreshments and snacks. I'll never forget the look on my manager's face when she saw I had gum in my mouth.

I have made many other, more serious mistakes as I moved forward in the workplace. Workers will always make some mistakes and hopefully can learn from them. Another mistake in my early years had to do with checking details on a major magazine article that was to feature our department and my manager, who was chairman of the department. I was an Assistant Vice President at this point in my career in financial services. A reporter who was checking details of my manager's title asked me if my manager had more than one title in the company. My manager actually did have two titles, a department title of chairman, and a legal title of Vice President. I tried to emphasize with the reporter that the chairman title should be used, but instead he used the Vice President title and it made my manager appear lower in rank than he actually was. He was very upset with me as I had been given the responsibility to ensure that he was represented correctly. I realized I could have handled the reporter's inquiry in a different way, by just focusing on the chairman title, or reviewing the reporter's question with my manager before I gave a final answer. While my manager was very upset with me, I apologized for the mistake and learned how every small detail means so much in the workplace. In the future, when I was asked to confirm titles or other information about staff members who were to be profiled in the media, I checked with those staff members first before I answered the reporters' questions.

SG: Some SmartGirls are in high school and some are in middle school or younger. For girls who can't apply for jobs yet, how can they use this book at this point in their lives?

BS: I think this book is most relevant for those in middle school on, because by middle school, many girls will be almost 12 or 13 years old. In one or two years, this group will certainly be in high school and facing the prospect of some type of work - it could be volunteer work - and they are still old enough to hear the main message of the book on the importance of beginning to mold their work image. Things like polishing your communication skills, being aware of the image you present to others, getting your feelings and attitudes in line, treating others with respect, applying yourself to your studies, etc. are messages that are universal for those who have reached an age to comprehend these concepts. The attributes I support in the book; the preparation of one's whole "self" applies to everyday relationships, as much as it does to the workplace.

SG: What can they do to learn the skills that might help them to jobs in the future?

BS: Some of the skills that will help them get jobs in the future are those intangible skills or personal attributes that I mention in the book. Some of these skills are not so much learned as practiced. For example, if you are teen starting to think about your first job, and you want to work in a retail store, think about the people you see working there now. How do they conduct themselves? Do they make you feel comfortable when you come in the store? Do they smile, and are they helpful to you?

Among the first things teens have to be aware of when trying to get a job is that first impression that employers will have when they see a job applicant. You will need to learn how to dress appropriately, walk with confidence, have a smile on your face, and be enthusiastic.

Two very important skills that can be learned and improved upon, and that are very important for almost any type of job are verbal and written communication skills. Every job requires verbal communication. The better you communicate - using good vocabulary and speaking clearly - the more likely an employer will hire you. Good communicators are asked to take on more responsibility on a job than those who don't communicate well.

Following the importance of verbal communication skills is writing skills. Even if your first job involves just answering phones, you need to know how to write a clear and concise message. When you write e-mails, the way you write them is just as important as if you were writing a formal letter or essay.

Both verbal and written communication skills are those you learn in school. If you have problems writing, you should take advantage of opportunities to improve your skills either by asking for extra help from teachers or tutors, attending a writing seminar, or investing in materials that will help you improve this skill.

SG: In the book, you mention the importance of viewing babysitting as a job and putting it on resumes. What can babysitters do to demonstrate how professional they are?

BS: This is a great question. Obviously when you're babysitting, you are alone with a baby or young child. Since you are alone with a precious human being you have a tremendous responsibility. The parent or parents of that baby are depending on you to take the utmost care of that child so that the child is safe. Some of the meanings of a "professional" refer to someone who is expert, qualified, proficient, skilled, or practiced. Your "professionalism" in babysitting is shown when you follow the instructions of the parents as to feeding, changing, making sure older children go to bed on time, etc. In other words, you show your proficiency in this task. When you baby-sit, you are also accountable for what happens to that child while they are in your care. Accountability is one of the basic requirements of the workplace. No matter what type of work you do in life, you will always be accountable for the outcome.

SG: If you could name one skill or quality that you think is most important in finding a getting a job, what would it be and why?

BS: I would have to say the quality of professionalism is the key skill that employers look for when interviewing and hiring a job candidate. As mentioned in the previous answer, professionalism encompasses many attributes that exemplify skill, character, qualification, and competence. When an employer says that you appear "professional" he or she is saying that you exhibit those qualities of character, skill and education that will translate into success in the workplace. He or she will consider a professional to have good work ethic, be dedicated, respect others in the workplace, and communicate well.