Chances for growth

YOUNG WORKERS: The recession has been hard on young people in the US, with youth unemployment rates of nearly 20 per cent. Yet the news isn’t all bad. The financial crisis has also provided young workers with a chance to gain useful experience, as companies reduce labour costs by giving them more responsible jobs.

Quite simply, less experienced workers are usually cheaper, according to Steve Gross, a senior compensation consultant with Mercer LLC in New York. Ambitious young people who are eager to learn and willing to work extra hours can use this situation to their advantage. “When times get bad, what companies are looking for are those employees that will go above and beyond,” Gross told The Wall Street Journal.

Genna Mazor, 26, has had her duties increased since she joined Channel V Media, an online marketing agency, in November 2008. The company acquired new clients without hiring more staff, which meant Mazor had to learn how to make presentations and become involved in strategy decisions. “I had to jump in head first,” she says. Mazor did extra work in her spare time to learn more about online marketing and publishing. As a result, earlier this year she was given a 25 per cent salary rise and promoted from project manager to senior director.

"I had to jump in head first." Genna Mazor

Eileen Habelow, a careers and human resources specialist at the recruiting firm Randstad US, says Mazor’s strategy was the right one. “If you capitalize on [added responsibility] and see it as an opportunity to build your experience and build your résumé, you can definitely get a lot out of it,” Habelow comments.

Still, it’s important to know your limits. Without proper guidance, inexperienced workers can easily feel overwhelmed, according to organizational psychologist Steven Lurie, author of Handbook for Early Career Success. Lurie recommends asking colleagues for help at the beginning rather than trying to do too much on your own.

Genna Mazor agrees. “If I’m not comfortable with something, I’ll have it revised or looked at and we’ll talk it out,” she says. “If I didn’t have any guidance I think I would have not had the structure to keep building on my experiences.”