Offers Advice to Teens About Getting Good Jobs

By Marie Elena Giossi

If you’re looking for a practical Christmas present for your favorite teenagers, give a gift that will help them invest in their future – “Teens and The Job Game:

Prepare Today – Win It Tomorrow,” Brooklynite Beverly Slomka’s newly published handbook to prepare young adults for the working world.

“Young people today are not getting the preparation they need for the workplace. It’s not just talent or education you bring to a job, you bring your whole person,” according to the author, a former Merrill Lynch vice president and business manager who recruited all levels of personnel for over 20 years.

Written in a conversational tone, Slomka’s 101-page guide is designed to help 13-18-year-olds develop as “whole persons” so they will eventually possess a comprehensive set of tangible and intangible skills applicable to any part-time post, summer internship, volunteer activity or full-time job.

The author decided to write the book after seeing young men and women with “high potential” – polished resumes, proven skills and previous experience – overlooked for jobs because they didn’t know how to conduct themselves in a professional environment.

Appearance, demeanor, communication skills,

deportment, judgment, perseverance, flexibility and work ethic, Slomka says, will not only determine whether or not someone is hired, but also his or her future success in the company.

An October, 2006, study from the Society for Human Resource Management, supports that argument. When over 400 U.S. employers were interviewed regarding job candidates’ readiness, 70% said high school and college grads lacked advanced workplace skills, such as good communication abilities, work ethic and professionalism.

Putting Yourself Together

Slomka begins the first of five concise chapters by encouraging readers to discover who they are – their hopes, dreams, feelings, and attitudes – and how they present themselves to the world.

Slomka then talks readers through the process of discerning their unique niche in the world as she reveals the link between school and work and the equation for choosing a suitable career.

Personal preparation is followed by professional preparation as the author readies readers to go out into the world by offering a model for job hunting and “workplace behaviors 101.”

“I try to be inspirational,” Slomka said. “These are the future leaders of the world. If they try and persist, they can succeed.”

Chock full of real-life job experiences – hers as well as those of high schoolers and college grads, the book also has sample resumes, cover letters and each chapter concludes with reflection questions and blank pages to “encourage introspection.”

As background for the book, Slomka interviewed two directors of volunteers at two Brooklyn hospitals. Both agreed that 14-18-year-olds overwhelmingly lacked job readiness and communication skills when they signed up as volunteers.

The author also surveyed 17 volunteers, aged 16-18, at one Brooklyn hospital. Three responded that they had received workplace preparation in their schools; 14 admitted they had not.

Slomka completed her book in 2005 and received fourth place in the 2006 National Writers Association’s Non-Fiction Book Award Contest for recently written and unpublished books.

She decided to self-publish her work in October, 2007, through iUniverse.com.

The author, who was educated at St. Patrick’s School and Fontbonne Hall Academy, both Bay Ridge, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in education/rehabilitation counseling. After retiring from Merrill Lynch, she moved into a human resources position in the healthcare field.

She and her husband, Edward, have lived in St. Bernadette parish, Dyker Heights, since they wed 31 years ago. For almost six years, the couple has volunteered as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and on-call chaplains at Lutheran Medical Center, Sunset Park.

While the book doesn’t have a spiritual aspect per se, the author does incorporate Christian values, such as volunteer service, a strong work ethic, constructive conflict-resolution, and respect for oneself and others.

“I say in the book that you are a precious, unique person. No matter what you’ve done in life, you can move ahead,” said Slomka, who’s also a breast cancer survivor.

Although she’s always enjoyed writing – she currently works as a content producer for AssociatedContent.com – she never before thought about writing a book.

“I decided to write this and it was like words were spilling on the page,” she said, adding that she believes “it was God or the Holy Spirit’s influence.”

Available to Speak

Slomka exhibited her book at a N.Y.S. Dept. of Education Career and Technical Education Resource Center Conference in October and she is available to present it at local high schools.

“Teens and The Job Game” is available on iUniverse.com, Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. The book is also downloadable in Adobe eBook format from iUniverse.

Slomka’s also has a website, www.teensandthejobgame.com, which serves as an introduction to the book and as an ongoing resource for readers.

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