Notes About Business

Getting a Summer Job is a ritual for all College students and most High School students but with this extremely bad recession even Middle School and Elementary School students are getting in on the act.

It is necessary so you can earn extra money as well as gain valuable job experience that can be used later in life. The problem with 2009 summer jobs is that there does not seem to be as many because of the recession. You should not let this frustrate you because there are jobs available, you just have to know how to get them. Knowing this will put you ahead of everyone else who will wait until the very last minute to find one. But don’t think because it’s July that you can’t get one. Many students will leave their summer jobs for many reasons and this leaves you with a great new summer job opening!

You won’t find them in Elementary School or Middle School, but if you are in High School or College your surest bet to getting a 2009 Summer Job is talking to your Guidance Counselor or your Career Service Representative. These professionals should be the first people you talk to because they can put you touch with many local employers that are hiring now!

Your Guidance Counselor will most likely have a bulletin board in his office with new daily to monthly local job openings. This is the obvious place to look for a summer job, and it is also the best place because not all local jobs are printed in your local newspapers. Some employers just need a student to do some part-time work and they don’t want the whole town or city coming in for a job interview, so they only post on school bulletin boards. Remember the school’s Guidance Counselor is a professional who is there to help you, so use his or her resources to help you land that 2009 Summer Job.

High School students did you know that even if you have no job experience you could still put down on your first job application that you are or were a Boy Scout or Girl Scout. Employers are impressed with this because it shows team leadership. For Elementary School and Middle School students, if you help around the house you could put that down too, do you help dad with painting? this could impress a painting contractor and do you help mom planting roses? this could impress a landscaping business. Lastly for College students, you most likely have many summer jobs under your belt, so don’t forget to update your resume to include all of your previous jobs.

This is the internet age and maybe you’re thinking you will just sent the job applications through the internet or snail mail? But don’t do it, employers want to see a live body with a face standing and looking at them. Many summer job seekers will apply on-line, but you will get that job when you apply in person.

One other good summer job seeking idea would be to list ALL of the busineses that you patronize. Do you go to the local drug store, candy store, pet shop or dinner to shop or eat? If you do, then you are a valuable customer to them, and as such they will listen to you and they may take you on as their new employee. But even if they are not currently hiring, remember these people are business people and business people always know other business people who are hiring. With a possible job contact and a good word or two from them, you will have a better then average chance of getting that job at another business they know. The key to always be working, is to always be making contacts! This rule applys not only to summer jobs but to your whole working life.

Making contacts and talking to grownups is the key to a summer job, and contacts can come from just about anywhere. When I was a 16 year old girl, I desperately wanted a summer job but I didn’t know any grownups who would give me one in the small town we lived in. But one day my 10 year brother had his new friend sleep over in our house and the next day his father came to pick him up. Well I was sitting in our kitchen looking so sad when he walked in and he asked me what was the the matter with me? So I told him I needed a summer job, and he said he was looking for a girl to work in the snack bar in the Miniature Golf Course he owned in the next town. Well, I got my new summer job that day just by talking to a grownup and you will get yours too! (c) 2009 Sandy Kenton Ph.D.