Today, many young adults believe that flipping greasy burgers, cleaning dirty sheets, and dealing with disgruntled customers is the only way to break into the current job market. Whether teens are needing money between the beginning of the school year and graduation, or wanting experience to break into a professional career, students are in need of quality employment. Often times, this can be a stressful undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Recruit HIPPO to the rescue! Their goal is to Help Individuals Pursue Professional Opportunities (HIPPO). 

With Recruit HIPPO, students are placed into jobs or internships that ensure real experience in the industry they choose. No matter anyone’s work life, Recruit HIPPO can assist in improving their knowledge and experiences for future job opportunities. Even if one isn’t quite sure what they want to pursue, the staff at Recruit HIPPO make it their job to guide students through one of the hardest decisions of their lives. 

“By exploring, students get an idea if they like a specific career, and the program helps decide on which degree they want,” said Sylvia Lydick, adviser of Talent Search and Upward Bound.

She contacts Recruit HIPPO frequently when working with students who are pursuing career goals in their teenage years. It is her goal to help students gain college readiness, and part of that is giving them experience to pursue their college and career dreams.

“We have six specific sectors that students can get paid in to do work experience, but I’ll help students even if they don’t want to do an actual job, or they just want to do volunteering or any of that stuff,” said Youth Employment Adviser Chloe Emberlain. “The sky’s the limit!” 

From resume building to touring the industry, Emberlain is the one to trust. She works with young adults individually, getting them into a workplace they’ll love. 

Those deciding to get involved can look forward to also being trained in CPR, as well as obtaining a food handler’s card. Participants will also be expected to go through Occupational Safety and Health Administration training, which is ten hours long, and you must complete it on your own time. Additional training is also required, but there is a perk: participants get paid $15 an hour. 

“Something I really love within the Recruit HIPPO program is the way Chloe helps everyone personally and works so hard to put everyone in their right spots,” said Kimberly Vierra, a student who has participated in this course. “The program has been a good thing to add to my life. It helped me be more motivated and work towards goals I have set for myself.”