by Mike Ward
http://SnagAJob.com
© 2007
Sooner than later, the lines at your local fast
food joints will be filled with more summer job seekers than hungry customers.
Mallrats will be replaced by well-mannered students with résumés
in hand. And your parents will begin a steady, annoying cadence that will only
end when you've got a place to finally stamp your timecard:
"Have
you've found a job yet… Have you've found a job yet? Have you've found a
job yet?!?!"
Well, have you?
Sure,
you can choose to diss the job search (http://SnagAJob.com/)
all together, and spend the summer bored, broke and having to do mom and dad's
laundry every morning just to pass the time. But that's just awkward for everyone.
In
other words, you need a job. And in order to beat the flood of slackers that will
spill onto the `Net and into stores once we work our way into June, you need to
start looking now. According to a recent Junior Achievement summer jobs survey
(http://www.ja.org/files/polls/summer_jobs_2006.pdf),
more than 85 percent of students ages 15 and older plan on looking for jobs. And
if you do the quick math, you'll realize not everyone is going to get their first
choice of jobs (or second, or third). Someone is digging ditches, but that someone
doesn't have to be you.
So, here are a few tips to make
sure you're not stuck folding dad's boxer shorts in the middle of July…
Have
realistic summer job expectations
Everyone has that one
friend with the dream summer job – the one who makes more than you, works
less and seemingly possesses an unlimited amount of sick days. (And by sick days,
we mean days spent tanning by the pool while reading a copy of US Weekly). It
may seem like that friend has won the summer job lottery, and we don't want to
be the fun police, but what is he/she really learning? Even if a summer job may
not appear to be the yellow brick road to your dream career, you'd be surprised
at what you can take away from the right job.
Here are a
few ideas of how summer employment can lend credible experience to your future
dream job…
•Cashier: Investment banker
Before
you start investing millions of dollars belonging to Fortune 500 big wigs, you're
going to need to master making change for a $20 purchase. And those pesky penny
rolls are a pain to break open.
•Arts & crafts
retail store stockperson: Designer to the stars
It's doubtful
that designing a dress for the Oscar red carpet walk will require you to know
which kind of glue works best for attaching googly eyes onto pipe cleaners. But
such a job can be the first rung on the ladder to establishing that prized and
posh skill set.
•Camp counselor: Professional coach,
athlete or trainer
Making sure that a dozen rug rats playing
dodgeball don't deliver each other black eyes is a good warm-up for playing with
the big boys and girls. Here you can hone your understanding of game fundamentals
and polish your locker room communication without worrying about upsetting any
big league prima donnas.
•Pizza delivery driver: Musician
Hear
us out first! Carpooling pizzas in your hatchback through strange neighborhoods
at a responsible speed may not be the same as doing an acoustic set at the House
of Blues, but answer us this: How many other jobs let you listen to any music
you want to, as loud as you want to (without headphones)? That's what we thought.
Sound
advice
Job hunting and workplace clichés are a dime
a dozen. You've probably heard to "dress for the job you want, not the one
you have" or to "work outside the box." As annoying as these are
to hear – and as hard as that pesky "box" is to find – clichés
serve a purpose in that there's usually a meaningful nugget of truth at the core
of each. Conversely, the time to serve up clichés is not during a job interview.
When speaking with a potential employer, be candid but be careful. Likewise, be
yourself but be sure to filter out the just plain weird stuff (your potential
employer doesn't need to know about your boy band fan club), and be one more thing…
Be
honest with potential employers
This starts with being honest
with yourself. If you're a proud vegan who isn't sure you could stand handling
meat patties and prime-cut filets all day, then skip the restaurant summer job
route. Being honest also includes your initial conversations with potential bosses.
Don't over-commit to the amount of hours you'll be able to work up front and then
back down. Also, don't claim you posses certain skills and experiences even if
you don't. We know it's exciting to be on the cusp of landing a job, but the quickest
way to crash and burn in your new gig is by fibbing.
Don't
be "that guy" or "that girl"
When dozens
and dozens of your peers are vying for the same coveted job, don't make it easy
for a potential employer to take you out of the running early. From having crass
cell phone ring tones blowing up during an interview to dropping off a résumé
while wearing a tuxedo T-shirt, the list of these embarrassing faux pas is long.
When in doubt, pause, and then exercise a little common sense.
Start
now
Seriously...right now. And save yourself some time and
gas money by browsing for summer jobs (http://www.snagajob.com/job-resources/summer-jobs.aspx)
on http://www.snagajob.com/.
