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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Need a job? Check out the mall

By Tony Dondero
Enterprise reporter

It may seem daunting for young people to find summer jobs in the still struggling economy, but it can be done.

Washington State University student Cynden Hayden found not one but two retail jobs recently.

Hayden, a business major at Washington State, went around Alderwood Mall dropping off resumes and filling out applications, and she soon found work.

"There are jobs," said Hayden, during a recent shift at her new job with Alley Kat, a fashion clothing store for young women at the mall. If you have a good resume and don't wear shorts or jeans when you pick up an application or interview, you'll have a good chance of being hired, she said.

"I came in slacks and a nice shirt," said Hayden, who is in a business fraternity at WSU. "I was in professional dress."

Hayden also plans to take a job at Blockbuster soon and transfer to the movie-rental chain's Pullman store after the summer break is over.

Yon Sin, manager at Alley Kat, said she plans to continue to take resumes and hire more sales associates.

She said she's hired a lot of teenagers already and is looking for college students in particular to hire.

Other retailers at the mall are hiring, but no employers posted jobs in the career center this spring, said Pam Keese, a career counselor at Lynnwood High School.

Career educators encourage students to be entrepreneurial. That may mean not simply finding one company to work for, but offering your skills to many different employers.

"With the lack of traditional jobs in the marketplace that's what we're advising here," said Jill Gwazdauskus, a career specialist at Shorecrest.

Meanwhile, some schools are scaling back positions in career education. Gwazdauskus lost her job this spring after the bad economy resulted in state budget cuts and layoffs in Shoreline.

Gwazdauskus, who had been in the position for two years, provided help to students looking for jobs and paired them with mentors in careers.

"It was one of those extra, but valuable, things we provide," Gwazdauskus said.