In recent years, as the dipping economy has made it harder to find jobs, young adults have been hit hard. Of greater concern are the employers who report that these candidates lack many skills to make them successful in the workforce. The recent Job Outlook 2011 survey conducted by The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that employers ranked verbal communication skills, strong work ethic, teamwork skills, analytical skills, and initiative as the top five desired skills in candidates. However, according to the press release from NACE, those surveyed

“reported being “very satisfied” with the teamwork and analytical skills of new college graduates, but verbal communication skills, initiative, and a strong work ethic all fell below that level, with ratings hovering between “somewhat satisfied” and “very satisfied.”

Employers also valued GPA and previous internship or work experience. With all of this in mind, it seems that today’s recently graduated candidates often leave potential employers wanting more – and not in a good way. As a mother of two teen boys, the founder of TeenLife, and a businesswoman with experience interviewing and hiring, I have given some extra thought to how we can give teens a running start and ensure their successes on the career path. Here are some ideas:

1. Help teens understand that how they spend their time now and the skills they gain can help them achieve long-term goals. Talk about how volunteer work, internships, and school can all teach important and interesting skills that can help them make their dreams realities.

2. Encourage teens to use community service, summer jobs, and internships to experiment with different areas of interest. This way, they’ll have a better idea of what they want to do and potentially, significant experience before they arrive on the job market.

3. Help your teen find a mentor. Having a role model to answer questions and brainstorm with can be an invaluable experience for a teen. Allison Cheston wrote about this last week. Check out her post for more on the positive influence a mentor can have on a teen.

4. Involve your teen in a career development workshop. At the recent EdNet Conference, I heard a presentation on one program called LearnDoEarn designed to help teens understand what specific choices they can make in high school to enhances their resumes and get them on the track to career success.

Do you have any other ideas about how we can help foster marketable skills in our teens? Please share!