Tips on getting a summer job

Several years ago, my wife and I needed occasional help with our “chores”. The young man we hired worked for us for about two weeks, when other neighbors started asking him to help them also. While none were able to have him work fulltime, a neighborhood provided sufficient opportunities to keep him in spending money.

My college daughter went to her old High School job board postings and found a great job with a PR firm. The woman was thrilled to have a college student and now she has something else solid to add to her resume.

My children - late teens both work at different retail stores. I hope they can find decent summer jobs other than retail. There has to be something better. They are often scheduled as a “call in” - which means you probably aren’t working that shift, but have to call in just in case. Makes for a lot of wasted days - when your call in is a 1:00PM and so it kind of blows any plans you have - just to wait around to call in and find out you don’t have a shift that day. Also,seems neither retailer considers the availability you inform them of. For instance, they schedule the teen to work during the time they are in a summer school class, or have them work till 2 AM when they have a morning class at 7 AM etc. Where are the good summer jobs???

My college-age daughter got a job by applying through her school website. It pays $10.00/hr. My high school-age son got offered a job in a sushi bar by being a frequent customer and becoming friendly with the owner. Last summer my daughter got a job (internship) in NYC, expecting to work for free, she landed a $10.00/hr job.

I can also recommend having your teen apply at Temp-Agency’s in thier local area. I started working at a law firm that the Tem-Agency placed me at as a data entry clerk that was really only suppose to last through the summer. Because of doing a great job, had a great attitude, and worked hard; they hired me on as a permament employee now and have been working there for 3 years.

It will sound obvious, but teens should look to their networks the same way full-time job seekers do. If the teen has a particular interest in some sport or hobby, simply making it known within their friends in that field that they are seeking summer employment may be the answer. It is easier to ask for work in a field that particularly interests you, and you are more employable if your you bring some kind of skill or know-how to the table. My personal experience was that this got my foot in the door at a local golf course at 15, by 18 plenty of other interesting opportunities had cropped up within the same industry. Upon graduation from college I chose a new industry, but there were full time offers there to fall back on.

I had a job at sears & roebuck in their catalog department taking catalog orders over the phone, that was a good job but since sears does not have catalog no more.

I sold Cutco for several summers. I made great money, had fun, and learned sales skills that later helped me get into the financial services industry. Since it’s a network marketing company, they’re not limited on how many people they can work with, so there’s a better chance of getting hired. When I worked there, they had a solid base pay and provided the training. I think you have to be at least 17 to work there. http://www.workforstudents.com

As an owner of a convenience store, I am often reluctant to hire a teen as they (by law)cannot perform several duties at all and several more without an adult supervisor so when I do hire one their attitude and willingness to do(and learn) whatever it takes to support the operation is their ticket to continued employment.

While it’s smart to find a job that looks good on college applications, you can take this advice even further. Why not look for a job in an industry that you are interesting in working in AFTER college. If you are interested in healthcare, pick up some hours as a receptionist in a doctors office, if you are interested in computers, get a job that may include some exposure to them. It’s never to early to start gaining knowledge and learning skills that are in demand.

Annie, you are right on. As a Mom who have helped my fist teenager land on a job last year, and now my second teenager going through the same process this year, it is important to assist the teen in planning and allowing them to think through by asking them questions. I tried to clear the summer of any family vacations to only a week or weekend so that the teen can be available mostly anytime. Taught the teen how to ride the bus to get to work and did a live sample run on a day. Role played the teens on how to interview. In other words, I did a lot of coaching since I have been a professional manager myself in the computer industry. Lastly, it sure places your teen in the top running if they have an excellent resume, both academic and extra-curricular activities. The chances were definitely far higher than the average teen … after all, the job market will always be a competition of who is most fit, qualified & inexpensive for the job regardless of the age. Oh, prayers can only help to your probability (if anything a sense of calmness & optimism). Good Luck Everyone!

I am looking for a teen - preferably high school to come home and look after our two kids…..but so far I’ve had no luck……to the point that we may end up sending both the kids ot daycare for the summer. That would suck since then they have to keep the same routine as normal school days…..

So where then are the teens and those looking for summer jobs…..

We will pay well……if you see this and live in Milwauke, WI, get back to us……our kids are 9 & 5.
(summerjobs100@gmail.com)

My best summer job was working in a surf shop the summers that I was in high school. As a teenage girl what could be better than working where the boys were hanging out?

I should clarify something about availability — you might get away with saying you can’t work mornings IF you’re willing to close every shift you’re given, or that you can’t work nights if you’re willing to work opening every shift. Saying you can’t work Saturdays still pretty well kills it, though.

From someone who once was in charge of hiring seasonal employees:
- Accept the likelihood that now is probably too late to get a good summer job. All the good seasonal jobs tend to be booked by mid-March. Better luck next year.
- Kris in Washington nailed it: Do NOT wear a suit or a tie to apply for a job that requires shorts and a t-shirt. You will probably get laughed out of the place, and even if you don’t, you’ll look like your parents still dress you, which is not an attractive quality in a seasonal employee. I would say “dress like you care about what you look like.”
- You MUST be available. Other than religious services, the only scheduling your employer will be willing to work around is if you have a second job. (Some jerky managers won’t even do that - be careful.) Saying you can’t work nights (or mornings, or Saturdays) is a great way to make sure you don’t get a job.

As for what kind of jobs — if you’re willing to work lousy hours and/or lift heavy things, you can land some jobs with great pay (FedEx and UPS in my area paid particularly well). If you have the energy and pick the right restaurant, waiting tables can make you a lot of money as well. But any job can be good if you work with a decent group of people — I’ve had some jobs that would have been real $#!& if it weren’t for having fun coworkers.

try speaking with a Mexican accent and say you will work under the table for less than minimum wage

I spent a summer working in a fireworks distribution warehouse moving piles of 40 pound boxes from one spot to another and then back again. Counting individual fireworks with interesting powders all around. The work was hard, but what made it the worst were the hours, 10am to midnight, 6 days a week, but paid great.

I spent a summer working in a fish cannery in Alaska- it was tough work but if you can deal with the long hours it is worth it- the money you make is actually significant enough to warrent the cost of travel. In addition, some people get placed in leadership roles right away simply because they are native English speakers. It’s worth looking into.

restaurant work.. pays well, fun atmosphere. why work for minimum wage when you can work in a restaurant for 10, 12, 15 dollars an hour and up? (sit down places, not mickey d’s)

i only ever worked in restaurants through high school and college and i loved it. it’s high paced and fun, and you meet all sorts of new people

I have never had a problem getting a job, as every job (summer or full-time) has been suggested by someone I know. Having a good network of friends, fellow coworkers and community members is a great help. With that, having good references who can be reached is a definite must. As a former store manager the second most important part of the hiring process was checking out references. Sometimes it is the people you know.

I disagree about needing to wear a suit and tie. If the job requires shorts and a t-shirt, wear khakis and a button down shirt. If the job requires khakis and a button down shirt, throw on the tie. Severe overdressing signals that you don’t know what type of job you’re applying for. Frankly, you’ll look unintelligent and uninformed, the opposite of how you want to look.

Ill be a junior in college this coming fall semester. Since I was 16, I have always been able to land a summer job each summer. I always tried to apply before my spring breaks for school. You have to start early and be available. Most seasonal employers I have worked for were ok for a week of vacation, but other than that I worked when they needed me. I think the biggest attraction for a seasonal employer is availability. Kids have all summer to hang out, giving up a few nights and weekends wont hurt them.

Start looking early, if you want a job for the summer, you should already be talking with hiring managers and getting interviews. If you wait until summer starts, the better jobs will already be filled.