SCHOOL’S OUT ’86 : Summer Jobs Reported Wide Open for Students

Erik Lyberg, 17, of Costa Mesa describes himself as the “wrappin’ man.”

Lyberg, who makes $4.75 an hour wrapping hot dogs at the Pacific Amphitheatre, also hopes to land a second job this summer at a record store.

Lyberg is among thousands of high school students who are beginning the search for summer jobs. And according to career counselors and job search agencies, there are plenty of opportunities.

With the county’s robust economy, they say, coupled with enrollment declines in high schools and fewer teen-agers competing for more jobs, the job possibilities this summer are almost limitless for 14- to 18-year-olds.

“If they want to work, there’s jobs there for them,” said Bill Ridenour, coordinator of the work experience office at Edison High School in Huntington Beach.

There are openings at Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, at fast-food and other restaurants. There are clerical and retail openings, jobs in house sitting, yard work and even dog walking--everything from cabinetry to word processing to shipping and receiving.

A computer in Ridenour’s office shows 80 available jobs that range in pay, he says, from $3.50 to $6 an hour.

Teen-agers who “are qualified get jobs,” Ridenour said. But he and others concede that teen-agers with no work experience or job skills will have a more difficult time finding work. Jerry Shea, a labor market analyst with the state Employment Development Department in Los Angeles, said that some teen-agers “don’t have job experience and they don’t have any skills the employer can buy. Often, they don’t know how to look for work.”

The only way to overcome that is “with great difficulty,” Shea said, “usually by working at entry-level jobs and gaining experience in the job market.”

But there are agencies that specialize in helping teen-agers land jobs. For example, 15 Youth Employment Service centers are scattered throughout Orange County, sponsored by state and local governments and nonprofit agencies such as the United Way. At those centers, employees work individually with teen-agers, coaching them in interviewing techniques, personal appearance and resume writing--free of charge.

Lynne Graham, director of the YES office in Costa Mesa, said that besides discussing proper work attire, punctuality and phone skills, the staff members walk teen-agers through exercises to pinpoint strengths.

“The fact that a kid is never tardy or has never missed a day of school is a strength that shows dependability,” Graham said.

At the Los Alamitos High School career center, assistant Olga Alvarez seconds Graham’s advice. Employers want “people who are dependable and punctual, courteous,” Alvarez said. “Be polite; that’s really important.”

The most popular jobs listed at high school career centers appear to be those at Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm. Disneyland hires about 3,000 workers every summer and pays $4.25 to $4.50 an hour. But applicants must be high school graduates.

Knott’s Berry Farm hires fewer summer employees, but the minimum age is 16.

But Graham of the Youth Employment Service said that there are plenty of opportunities for 14- and 15-year-olds willing to do housework or baby sitting. She cautions that teen-agers under 18 must have work permits.

Jobs also can be found at swap meets, said Graham, who has an almost “continual order” for people willing to inflate balloons.

Sue Picking, coordinator of the Brea YES office, says she steers applicants away from fast-food service--one of the classic summer jobs available to teen-agers. Picking said she thinks young people should seek jobs with “a feature related to a chosen career.”

In contrast, Paul Mitchell, vice president of public relations for Carl Karcher Enterprises, owner of Carl’s Jr. restaurants, said fast-food work has advantages. “If (a teen-ager) likes people, the restaurant business is a great business to be in, because it’s purely a people business,” he said.

Mitchell estimates that the Carl’s Jr. restaurants in the county will hire 300 to 350 people this summer at the minimum wage.

The overall goal for a teen-ager with a summer job, Graham said, should be “to leave with good references and maybe a place to work next year.”

Graham said her philosophy is that if a teen-ager is not set on a career, “any kind of work experience is positive. I think it’s important for young people to do a lot of different things, “so they get a feel for the kind of things they enjoy.”