Young man can’t land job in small town

Q I’m 20, living with my parents and trying to get my first job since I graduated high school. I live in a small town with a few businesses and have no car.

I’ve applied at these stores multiple times, with no responses. Two of the stores accept only online applications through the corporation. I called another place every week, but the manager eventually yelled at me and hung up.

I’m trying to get money so I can buy a car, get my driver’s licence, and save for college.

My family says I’m not trying hard enough.

I’m starting to get heavily depressed and angry. I’m not sure what’s causing me to not get hired. Jobless and Depressed

A Because your town has limited businesses and your education is limited to high school, you need to try to go beyond those limits and expand your opportunities.

Start with yourself. Upgrade your computer skills with an online course, also take an online business course for practical use. And develop any special interests you have, with research into possible online workshops or courses — e.g. better math skills, retail sales techniques and even another language.

Tell your parents you need time to make yourself more employable in such a small community.

Meantime, don’t hesitate to take on any part-time jobs that can give you spending money and get them off your case — tutoring young students, babysitting, doing errands for the elderly, etc.

Also, volunteer jobs look good on a resumé and make your application more interesting among a pile of others.

Aim for what’s doable, initially. A first job is to get you into the working world and learn how to conduct yourself well.

At this point, it’s unlikely to afford you a car. It’s a step on the ladder toward paying for college, which will open up more job possibilities and a potential career.