How to Find a Summer Job

Whether you're a high school student looking for cash, a college student trying to make tuition payments, or a teacher trying to supplement their income, summer jobs may be tougher to find during a tough economy. Businesses are cutting back on hiring, and you have more competition for the few jobs available because of the high unemployment rate. This guide on how to look for a summer job will provide you with tips and strategies that should make it easier for you to find a summer job.

Businesses typically take on summer help to do special projects, staff up during their busy season, or as part of a recruiting program for future college graduates. People look for summer jobs to provide experience and income during a season that they are not working or out of school. Although summer jobs may not be as plentiful during a recession, there are still some available. The tips on this page will help you be one of the lucky ones who lands a job this summer! For more tips surrounding the job hunting process check out How to Follow Up After a Job Interview, How to Get a Job, How to Write a Resume, How to Get a Seasonal Job, and How to Find Lucrative Part-Time Work.

For more specific tips on special kinds of jobs check out How to Get a Job at a Public Library, How to Get a Disney Job, How to Get a Blockbuster Job, How To Get A Dairy Queen Job, How to Get a Target Job, How to Get a Hardees Job, Home Depot Job Application, How to Get a Home Telemarketing Job, How to Get a Burger King Job, How to Become a Walmart Greeter, Brass Mill Center Jobs, and Joann Fabrics Jobs.

Checklist for Summer Job Hunting Skills and Preparation Needed

PAPERWORK

To save your job references time give them all necessary information for your recommendation letter:

How to Write a Letter of Recommendation
How to Write a Resignation Letter (if needed)

INTERVIEW

Howcast: How to Find a Summer Job

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How to Find a Summer Job

source: www.youtube.com

A quick 2 minute rundown of key steps & what you need to find a summer job. They say you will need a resume, professionalism, appropriate clothing, persistence and optionally help from family and friends. Then quick bullet points are given for steps to take. Once you hear it you will realize that it is all common sense with a few interesting facts thrown in. But it is a good idea to review what you know and are doing so that you can double check to see if you are on the right track in your summer job search and not missing something important. For more steps and tips read the page below and related Mahalo pages in links to the right.

Step 1: Start Your Job Search Early

Many companies beginning hiring for the summer season in March, so you should begin your job search in January, doing research and making preliminary contacts. It's never to late to start looking, but understand that your competition may have been pounding the pavement for several months, so you may need to work harder to get noticed by employers.
You'll probably begin your search by perusing local newspaper help wanted and online job sites, but when you're ready to get serious, you need to network.

Step 2: Use Your Connections and Network

Many summer jobs are found through personal referrals. You'll want to inform everyone you know that you're available and eager to work.

Your list of contacts should include:
1. Parents
2. Other relatives
3. High school teachers (even if you're in college)
4. College professors
5. Neighbors
6. Your friends' parents
7. Past employers
8. Colleagues at previous jobs
Attend locate meetings of business networking groups such as BNI. Most of these organizations welcome visitors, and you'll be able to connect with 30-40 employers at a time.
Visit your local Chamber of Commerce and Rotary chapters.
Identify local businesses in fields that interest you and send them a personalized cover note and resume. Use organizations like LinkedIn to identify contacts at those target companies that people who know can introduce you to.

Step 3: Be Well Prepared

If getting a summer job was easy and they were plentiful, everyone would have them! The truth of the matter is, that finding and getting a summer job can be a real challenge. The following tips may give you an edge over the other candidates that are applying, and good luck in your search!

View the Checklist and Fast Facts sections for additional tips on the job hunting process.

Finding a job to apply for is not the only step you need to take before your application process and interview. Research the position and company well. This is made much easier today with the Internet. Start with looking at the company website and do some Internet searches. You may also benefit from visiting a public library online or in person to see what additional information sources are available. This could be business directories, magazine or news databases, and asking the librarian for any help you need.

Preparing the paperwork well, dressing well, researching the company well is still not enough. Take that extra few steps to make yourself really stand out and competitive in this job market. Prepare interview questions that you think might be asked and practice the answers by telling a friend as if you were in the interview. Ask them for suggestions as to how to make your presentation clearer. Get the friend to ask you some pretend interview questions that you have not prepared for to help with your interview skills. If you have a video or phone or other camera, it is helpful to film yourself talking and then playback the tape. You will be surprised to see that you are not interviewing as you think and can pick out some flaws that you can easily fix with practice also your friend should be able to pick up on some obvious things you may miss. For example you may not know it but say umm, or and, or repeat some other word in the conversation that makes you sound like you don't know what you are talking about. You may also have some kind of mannerism that could be annoying to the interviewer like fiddling with your hair, squiggling around in your chair, or never looking at the interviewer which makes you look uninterested or to introverted to work with other people. Practice makes perfect!

Practice answering interview questions to become more at ease with what you are going to say and to improve your persuasiveness that you are the best candidate. You need that other person watching, because you may not know that you get so intense in answering that you don't smile or look into the eyes of the interviewer once and it may make you look unfriendly, cold, or overly tense when in fact you may just be focusing too hard on the content of what you are saying and missing the importance of the presentation itself.

Step 4: Be Flexible

Don't be too specific about what you'd like to do. Consider a wide variety of jobs and opportunities. If you're working for cash, apply for anything you may be qualified for. If you're working for experience, consider jobs that are in anyway related to your field, even if you think at first that they may not be an exact fit.

Step 5: Consider Internships

If you haven't been able to land a paying position, consider volunteering as an intern. You'll gain experience, add to your resume, and position yourself to be first in line for a job with that organization next summer.

Conclusion

Don't get discouraged! Starting early, working your connections, and being flexible about the work you'll accept will increase the odds of you landing a summer job.