Do your research, start early, and don't ignore unpaid opportunities

As we get closer to summer, young people start looking for internships to build skills, enhance their college applications, and to find out what they might want to do (or not do) later in life. We asked Ed Oh, Communications Specialist with MatchBridge, a United Way community project for some helpful tips for young job seekers. Via email, here are five helpful things to keep in mind:

Tip # 1. START EARLY! Recently, the average duration of unemployment has reached a whopping seven and a half months. While looking for a temporary job or a summer internship might be easier than looking for full-time employment, competition is at an all time high. Start early, because job hunting entails much more than simply looking for a “hiring” sign.

Tip #2 RESEARCH! Research opportunities and set your expectations accordingly. If you started early enough, you’ll have time to find multiple opportunities, prepare your applications, confirm your schedule, and get answered any questions that may delay your application.

Tip #3 CONFIRM YOUR SCHEDULE. Ensure that you can be present for the entire period that you are expected. Don’t commit to a six-week  internship if your parents made plans to take that five-week family vacation to Greece to see your grandmother that you all go on every  year. If you will be taking significant time off, confirm everything ahead of time and let your employer know.

Tip #4 HAVE A BACKUP. Select from amongst a few different employers and opportunities that interest you. Make sure the internships are all positions you can commit to, that can teach you a variety of things you want to learn, and have similar deadlines.

Tip #5 EXPAND YOUR OPTIONS Do not ignore unpaid opportunities. If you have little-to-no work experience, consider unpaid internship programs. There is more freedom of choice because those businesses are getting a motivated worker at no cost, so you have a better chance at learning exactly what you want to learn and at a company or organization of your choice. Unpaid internships may also allow more flexibility in terms of scheduling as well. If you’re still in school you can most likely get credits and there are even positions around that offer grants to students working in unpaid internships.

Keep these tips in mind while searching for an internship this summer and feel free to call on MatchBridge to assist you with any opportunities you come across.

Read more >> Options >>

Besides helping hard-working families save money, the free tax sites also provide low to moderate income households with access to asset building and income support resources such as public benefits, low or no cost bank accounts and financial education. We also make sure they take advantage of the numerous changes in tax laws and credits such as:

• Increased Earned Income Tax Credit – a larger credit for low-income families

• Making Work Pay Credit – possible $400 or $800 for married couples

• American Opportunity Tax Credit – partially refundable credit for education expenses

• New Vehicle Sales Tax Deduction – on top of your standard deduction

Those credits can add up quickly – especially for families with children– and make the difference for a family on the edge.

And even if you might owe, taxpayers should visit a free tax site to discuss their options. The IRS can be flexible on payment plans, short-term extensions, enforcement, and offers-in-compromise in situations where there is financial hardship.

Taxpayers can call 2-1-1 or 800-358-8832, or go to www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org, to find a free tax site near them.

As we enter yet another holiday season, I reflect on how much we have to be thankful for here at MatchBridge. Despite a very challenging recession, so many generous and caring employers have stepped up this year to offer their support to the youth we serve. This past summer, MatchBridge placed over 200 youth into summer employment and paid internships though the generous support of employers and community partners like you.

Many employers generously gave their time and energy through volunteering with MatchBridge at various job-readiness events; such as BRE Properties, whose CEO Connie Moore told an awe-inspiring story of her own incredible journey toward her eventual rise to CEO of one of the top property management companies in the City. Wells Fargo coached our youth on the importance of financial responsibility and savings, a training well received by both youth and staff!

As we think about the many gifts we have to be thankful for, I invite you to think about your first job: who opened the door for you? Who helped you with your resume and coached you on the job interview? My guess is that the mentoring and coaching you received carved the pathway toward the current success you enjoy today in the workplace and your career. My guess is that there are a couple of key folks who come to mind as you recall the coaching, support and encouragement you needed to help you learn right from wrong, to set career goals and to increase your confidence as you entered the workforce in your early adult years.

Today you have earned the opportunity to pay it forward- to give back the coaching, support and encouragement that all youth require to succeed in college and careers. As you make your holiday shopping list this year, please consider the gift of sponsoring a youth in a 2010 summer internship in the industry of their choice.

The gift of sponsorship provides a youth a living wage for a six-week internship this summer, plus the support of weekly professional development training, provided by MatchBridge staff. Professional development focuses on job readiness basics- such as resumes, cover letters and interview preparation- as well as industry-specific curriculum, education and career goal setting, and other skills critical to succeeding in today’s complex workforce. I hope you will lend your support as we build the future workforce of San Francisco.

I encourage you to check out our website, where you can learn more about ways you can sponsor a youth and pay it forward. Happy Holidays to you and thank you again for your support of MatchBridge. Your investment in the youth of today will surely make a lasting impact that will pay dividends for a lifetime.

For more information, please visit our website at www.matchbridge.org or contact Emily Linaman, Executive Director, at (415) 808-4313 or at elinaman@uwba.org.

MatchBridge member Chris Black on his way to his new job at BRE Properties

At 17, Chris Black was living on the streets of San Francisco. Today, three years later, he works at a technology company, interns with a real-estate firm, and is pursuing a degree in computer science with aspirations to attend law school. Chris shares how MatchBridge — a youth employment project of United Way, and the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families — provided him with opportunities that put him on track to a successful future.

United Way: Can you describe how you ended up homeless?

Chris Black: I come from a good family. My mom was an executive for United Airlines, but after 9/11, with most of our money in the stock market, we basically lost everything. My mom had to sell our home and went to live with family in Virginia. I was at a point in my life when I was kind of getting into trouble. So, I stayed on the west coast. Things are tough when you’re sleeping on the streets in San Francisco. It’s not pretty, you know? You’ve got to grow up fast.

United Way: How did you come in contact with MatchBridge?

Chris: I had moved into the Larkin Street Youth Services shelter. A representative at Larkin Street’s job training program, HIRE UP, put me in touch with Mayela (Gutknecht) at MatchBridge. She got me a two month paid internship working for Golden Gate Disposal and Waste Management. I would go out with the garbage collectors in the morning and put up fliers to promote their new summer internship program. I made a couple of bucks, got a little apartment in the Tenderloin, took my G.E.D. and got enrolled in school.

United Way: What was the MatchBridge process like?

Chris: Mayela interviewed me at the Hire Up center, and from there I became a MatchBridge member. They have job bulletins, job fairs; things along those lines. For that first job, MatchBridge called me. They said, ‘Hey listen, we need somebody who can get up at 4:30 in the morning and hand out fliers.’ Given where I was, I had to take what I could get. But all in all, it was a really good experience. The next time I contacted Mayela, I had been enrolled in college for a few months. So I went from being a guy with a general interest in computers and technology to a computer-science major. She knew of a start-up company that was looking to fill a Quality Assurance position. After two interviews, I got the job. That was the cornerstone. Of everything that United Way and MatchBridge have done for me—once I had that corporate experience on my resume, it was like, ‘Okay, now I can do anything.’ That was the door opener.

United Way: What are you doing now?

Chris: I have two jobs: a paid internship at real estate firm, BRE Properties, which I found through MatchBridge; I also found a job on my own at a company that designs software for iTunes. And I’m studying computer science full time at San Francisco City College.

United Way: Your life sounds pretty full! What are your plans for the future?

Chris: Next year I’m going to transfer to either San Francisco State or UCSF. I want to get into an ROTC program, because that would help pay for law school. After law school, I plan to get into politics or civil service, because that way I can enact change — to create more opportunities for people from all walks of life.

United Way: What would you say to someone who is considering supporting United Way?
Chris: United Way and MatchBridge helped me get my first corporate-sector job; that was the job that enabled me to take my career to the next step. MatchBridge has given
me a lot of viable career opportunities that have enabled me to leverage my educational background and pursue my passion. I think that everybody deserves a chance, and community organizations that reach out and try to help young people are a necessity.

Janet Lamkin visits business owner Teena Johnson, a graduate of the Women’s Initiative, a United Way grantee

Following her successful term as vice-chair during the 2008/9 fundraising year, Janet Lamkin, president of Bank of America California, takes the helm as chair of United Way’s 2009/10 Bay Area fundraising campaign.

“This is a critical time for the nonprofit organizations that United Way supports,” Janet says. “Contributions are down at precisely the time when the need for vital services is at an all time high. No organization is better equipped than United Way to meet this challenge and ensure the continued vitality and sustainability of our communities.”

Janet is working with United Way to create brighter futures for Bay Area families. United Way creates pathways to prosperity, promoting long-term recovery and self-sufficiency for people in need in our community. People like Teena Johnson and her family.

A graduate of the Women’s Initiative, mother of-three Teena Johnson went from a frustrated, food-services worker to a proud owner of a successful lunch counter in downtown Oakland, “Catered to You.” Not only did the program offer her the business training she needed, but it also provided a positive environment,and support

The Women’s Initiative is one of several partners in United Way’s SparkPoint Oakland Center. SparkPoint brings together nonprofit organizations that promote financial stability and
business ownership for low-income individuals and their families.

Teena is now living her dream of running and growing a business, while also giving back to the community. Last year, she distributed Christmas dinners to 148 families in need, partnering with neighboring businesses to prepare food, solicit financial donations and organize volunteers. She hopes to expand the program to feed more families this year.

For Janet Lamkin, as it is for all of us at United Way, stories like Teena’s are the reason why we love what we do, and why, especially in these trying economic times, we are motivated to push harder and reach higher in our fundraising goals.