This story was written by Bob Mook of the Coloradoan and originally appeared in the Fort Collins newspaper on January 9, 2004.

For less than what a new PlayStation game costs, Lee Swanson says he can show teens and young adults how to get a job.

Swanson, co-owner or Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop, 1 Old Town Square, is offering a series of two-hour workshops under the brand name The Job Guy.

After working with youngsters for about 20 years, Swanson says he can provide helpful tips to help them seek and find work.

Workshops include real-life lessons on how to look, how to ask for a job application, how to fill out applications, get an interview and ultimately find the right job.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Statistics show about 3 percent of applicants get the job they apply for, Swanson said.

Some of Swanson’s tips sound suspiciously like common sense. He advises young job seekers to visit the desired location and kindly ask for a job application instead of calling to inquire whether a prospective employer is hiring.

He also tells young people to be chameleon-like in the pursuit and acquisition of employment.

“It’s OK to wear pierced jewelry and bug tattoos , but when you go into a place, you need to adapt to their environment,” he said.

Young people will be asked to leave their “coolness” at home. Swanson requires them to wear funny looking hats throughout the class to illustrate that in many part-time employment situations, they will need to do things they might consider “uncool.”

Young people will also stand for much of the two-hour session and then sit on tri pod campstools to make another point about the realities of the working world.

“How many part-time jobs can you think of that you get to sit in a La-Z-Boy chair and drink sodas or hot chocolates?” Swanson asked.

Swanson admits he’s gearing the business to parents, who might not have the time or patience to teach kids the basics of job hunting.

For more information got to www.jobguy.net.