Summer Jobs

Student Lounge College Life
21

<p>The best advice I can give is to apply somewhere that fits in with your interests and one that you'll enjoy. That's what I did, and now I'm working on the sales floor at Best Buy, which for me is fun and I'm getting paid to do it!</p>

<p>Interviews are definately a HUGE part of getting a job, I see so many people coming in everyday for interviews and yet we hire very few of them. I was advised to dress like the manager, and in the interview he specifically commented on that. Think about your target audience and try to please them; as one man said, don't come in with red streaked hair and facial piercings expecting to get a job.</p>

<p>You'll probably have to be a cashier, secretary, or some other entry position to start out, so don't think you're above that type of work. You have to start somewhere, and work experience is the most important factor during the job search.</p>

22

<p>Marketing Coordinator. </p>

<p>Decent.</p>

<p>Craigslist. </p>

<p>//Looked for paid internships for 6 months. Went on 10 thousand horrible interviews and no one hired me because they wanted people for May and my school doesnt get out til mid June. Finally randomly responded to internship listing on Craigslist at 6 pm one night, interviewed THE NEXT DAY, hired 5 days later. Received a title promotion on my first day of work, from intern to marketing coordinator. It took lots and lots of luck and lots of perserverance (really...I had some serious interviews from HELL). And Craigslist, because Craigslist is amazing.</p>

<p>Love my job so I'm glad none of the other companies hired me. Plus I'll probably have a spot after graduation. So yay.</p>

<p>*Oh but I was super qualified for the internship, had experience in the field. Last year I worked at Starbucks. Which just makes me appreciate this job even more. Everyone has to start somewhere.</p>

23

<p>Graveyard shift security guard. Pay is good, hours are long and I can fit in some extra studying. I honestly can't complain, considering I work in air conditioned offices. The stereotype about sleeping on the job really does ring true, a lot of security guards work 12 hour shifts, one of my supervisors once had to do an emergency 16 hour shift. After the 8th hour and no significant activity, you begin to doze off.</p>

24

<p>All of my friends who "can't find jobs" have eithier only applied to a couple or didn't apply to places that were hiring because they didn't want to work in fast-food (not a "college" job, etc.), basically, they made excuses for themselves. And also, you CAN still get a job that will end in two months. My friend got hired last week scooping ice-cream at Baskin-Robbins and will be leaving in 5 weeks. She had been on a summer abroad program before then, but came home and worked hard to get a job.</p>

<p>Oh, and...Job: Target Clerk (er..Team Member)
Wage:state minimum +.10/hour (at least I get an employee discount)
How I got it: Filled out the computer application thingie, showed up for my interview, dressed nice and pretended to worship target and it's great prices, high quality, and friendly staff.</p>

25

<ol>
<li>What is your job? Usher/concessionist/box office at a movie theatre</li>
<li>What is your salary? $6.50/hr</li>
<li>How did you get your job? Through a parent? A friend? Your school's career counseling office? etc. Friend.</li>
</ol>

26

<p>Job: Legal Assistant @ local law firm ($11.00/hr. + $16.50/hr. OT) and "Team Member" @ Jamba Juice ($6.75)</p>

<p>How did I get the job? I was a summer intern at the law firm last summer and was asked to return this summer. The Jamba Juice job simply came from old-fashioned application and charm.</p>

27

<p>
[quote]
CNP, where is your company based?

[/quote]

I own a pet shop in Fairfield County Connecticut.</p>

<p>Commenting on summer help again -- I don't generally want to hire someone for 8 weeks because as soon as I get them trained, they are gone. There's exceptions however, so it doesn't hurt to ask. If you are home in June, but not returning to college until mid-September, let me know. With so many kids zooming off mid-August, the mid-September thing is a plus.</p>

<p>And on the hours bit. I KNOW you all want a lot of hours. If you like the company, take what you can get. There's people who will leave over the summer and if one of the newbies (that's you) is working out well, there's an opportunity for more hours. (And, if you are working hard, pulling more than your weight, the company will do better even short term, creating a need to increase payroll hours.)</p>

<p>Mine is a small retail shop -- we run 120 hours of payroll a week. That's three full timers, but I am not putting all of my eggs in one basket based on full time summer help. If you vanish into the ozone, I <em>personally</em> end up taking your hours. On top of mine. It's not fun and makes me cranky. Especially if I have to cancel <em>my</em> vacation. Grrrrr.</p>

<p>My son is working as a bank teller this summer for the bank where I have my business accounts. I made an initial inquiry with a head teller -- but I don't think that got him the job. He did all his own contacting after that. Pays $11+ an hour for 37-40 hrs/week. Applied in March. Had to pass drug screen. Will work 10 weeks, can go back at Christmas and next year. Paid training also -- two weeks worth.</p>

28

<p>Looks like another grocery stock-boy summer for me.</p>

29

<p>The only way you can get around those low chances of getting a job is through connections.</p>

<p>I applied everywhere (even grocery stores) and got nothing. But then I found a research job and laughed in all of their faces ;)</p>

30

<p>1) research at my college
2) $9/hour + living in dorms for free
3) i asked the prof if i could work with her</p>

31

<p>Wow, for those of you in the 6-7 dollars an hour that will soon be below minimum wage if all goes smoothly. Anyway I get only 8 an hour working at a local pizza place.</p>

32

<p>
[quote]
I've had no luck. Applied to 20 different places, only had 2 interviews(and only 1 was a real interview cause the one I had a few weeks ago, once the guy knew I was gonna be leavin in mid-August for college, he basically ended it at there). I don't know why either? I did a good job for my first job, **I voluntarily quit, so it wasn't like I was fired or anything. **I'm hard worker, listen and do what I'm asked to do. BUT NO ONE GIVES ME A CHANCE. Yet I see other people at my school who to me are less deserving and get these 9-11 dollar an hr. jobs and it just boggles the mind.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You voluntarily quit ... without knowing you at all ... I would wonder why you thought you were too good to do that work. I would wonder if you'd leave my job before you were even trained. </p>

<p>You'd be a better bet than someone who was fired for non-performance or dishonesty, but in the race for summer jobs, you'd come in behind someone who had honored their committment for the ten week summer.</p>

<p>My suggestion is that you focus your efforts on finding a job down in Champaign -- if you can get a job with a chain that has Chicago sites, that's great. You work during the school year down there, and then you come in for summer work in Chitown already trained and hopefully with a good rec from the college town. Starbucks comes to mind. Jewel Food Store, etc. (And if you can go down a day or two early and job hunt before all the kids get back ... that'll help.)</p>

33

<ol>
<li>What is your job?</li>
</ol>

<p>Summer #1 (my very first jobs): administrative assistant, student lab helper in 2 different biological labs. I went to like 10 interviews and was able to obtain these 3 jobs for my very first summer working. My parents wanted me to come home and work another job that paid much more, but i was proud and wanted to work jobs i found for myself.
Summer #2: another lab assistant job for the lack of anything better, but i kept on looking for something else. Then, i got an internship at local pharmaceutical company doing some synthetic support type of stuff. It was very exciting. I kept working all through academic year. Also did research (volunteering, no pay). Three interviews. One was a phone interview and they turned me down as soon as they learned i didn't have a car.
Summer #3: Graduated, got a job for 3 months as research technician at a lab, once again doing synthesis. Meanwhile got a fellowship to do some research over summer. One interview.
Summer #4: after completing master's program came back to that same lab from summer #3 because i wanted to save myself the trouble of going to interviews. Plus i felt like no one would want to hire me for just 2 months. But with those guys i was able to simply continue my project from last summer. No interviews.</p>

<ol>
<li>What is your salary?</li>
</ol>

<p>Summer #1: $7-8/hour on all three jobs with administrative assistant paying most. Parents got $13.5/hour job for me that i didn't accept.
Summer #2: $10/h as intern, $8/h as lab assistant
Summer #3: Graduated, $17/h plus $5000 for summer research (i felt ******* rich!)
Summer #4: $18/hour, they knew i'll be coming to work for them anyhow, so no substantial raise even though i was now the proud possessor of a master's degree</p>

<ol>
<li>How did you get your job? Through a parent? A friend? Your school's career counseling office? etc. Friend.
Summer #1: college website (sent out my resume to a lot of places)
Summer #2: same as above
Summer #3: through company website -- i posted my resume on their website and they called me 3 weeks later
Summer #4: just came back to work for same people as in summer #3</li>
</ol>

<p>All in all, here are my conclusions out of the whole process:
It is hardest when you are just starting out with little experience and connections. It is easy to get discouraged, but the thing is to remember that everyone has trouble at first. It is always good to aim high. I didn't want to apply to some jobs because it seemed to me like I lacked qualifications. However, these jobs did not end up being over my head. So don't underestimate your skills. Also, sometimes people suck at describing the job they are offering. This is most true for places with many employees, where job descriptions are compiled by the HR people who usually have very little idea about what the job will actually be like (one posting, for example, said that candidate will be taking care of a rare piece of instrumentation while in reality that was not true). So sometimes it is good to apply to jobs with descriptions that only vaguely match what you can offer. Sometimes there is a lack of applicants for a good job that will increase your own chances of getting it. Employers are people, and sometimes they get lazy/busy and wait until mid-summer to start interviewing. By that time the major influx of student workers have already found some other job, so these employers might be forced to choose from fewer candidates while the job they offer is pretty good. So it is not a bad idea to continue looking for a job well into summer.</p>

<p>It is also a good idea to think about who your audience is prior to going to an interview. For example, if you're interviewing for an academic lab position and they ask you whether or not you're considering to apply to grad school, the correct answer is "yes" even though you haven't the slightest plan to do so. So think who your audience is and what it is they want to hear coming from your mouth. You want to persuade them that you're one of them, that you'll fit in, and that you'll do the job.</p>

34

<p>Although I agree mostly with what CNP said, this one thing bothered me. </p>

<p>Quote from CNP: "You are (probably) temporary help. Take what you can get in hours. Please don't ask to work your hours around your boyfriend's schedule. As long as I am signing the front of the checks and you are signing the back, we will work your hours around what's convenient for ME! I would really like to have a Friday afternoon off once in a while."</p>

<p>I've had about 8 jobs so far (I am 19), all of which have been temporary. For the first time this summer, I have a job in a Casino, where the employer really works with me to make me happy. Instead of insisting that THEY are the boss and I must do what THEY say, they work with employees so that they are happy with their hours, jobs, etc. This makes work so much more pleasant than my previous jobs! Employees want to work and they are really happy with what they do. I have about 20 co-workers in my department and I have NEVER seen a more hard working group of people. Because they like their work and the employer, they work harder to make customers happy, and EVERYONE gains. I also love my supervisor, who continually checks on me to make sure I am happy. I think happy employees can go a long way in a business. </p>

<p>Also, I know the job market is different in different parts of the country, but where I live, people my age complain about there being "no jobs" when there are actually plenty. Many of my friends just think, as college students, they are "above" min. wage jobs. I think this is ********. I work my ass off for 6. 75 an hour (CA) and I think I have learned more, sociologically at my job than I did last semester at a prestigious LAC. Ya, many students on this thread are priviledged and work for much more than minimum wage, but I think college jobs are as much about personal growth as they are about money and you can learn a hell of a lot about yourself, and the majority of working class american by working a no skills job.</p>

35

<p>I work at a movie theatre doing Box Office (mostly), Concession (occasionally), and Usher (rarely nowadays). It was one a very, VERY busy theatre because it was the only one in a county of 80,000+. Then one was built at the mall and now mine isn't busy at all. I just got the job in January though, after the mall one was built.</p>

<p>Basically I chill in the box office and play on my phone/other devices. It is rarely busy, except for the last two weekends with pirates and all.</p>

<p>Concession basically sucks because people are fatasses.</p>

<p>I absolutely love the people I work with though. Not all, but the ones I don't like I just don't associate with. I have already met 3 people who go to UMD (1 upcoming junior and 2 upcoming freshmen) and they are awesome. So there, that's already 3 non-freshmen I can associate with on campus.</p>

<p>As for advice, just start early and call after you turn in the app. I called three days after, got an interview a week later, orientation another week, then started a few days after that. I don't make much, but I pull in paychecks of $300 plus a week and have managed to get out of debt with my mom, which I have been in for 2 years.</p>

<p>My previous job was at Chick-fil-A for nearly 2 years.</p>

36

<p>honestly, its not hard to find a decent paying job thats not fast food. You just have to look for it. Craigslist.org, monstertrak and your school career site are abundant with jobs seeking motivated, intelligent college kids</p>

<p>If you want a job thats not fast food you need to ..
1. have a good looking, professional resume
2. be at least 18
3. "mail bomb" your resume - which means sending it to 100's of companies with a coverletter (i have a generic one that i just tweak for different companies)
4. practice phone etiquette (most places interview on the phone before an onsite interview)
5. dress nice / smile and be energetic. Know about the company etc...</p>

<p>However, the easiest way to get a job is through connections. I had an engineering internship (not even remotely interested in engineering) right out of highschool b/c my friends dad was the head of water departmentt. I've never worked a minimum wage job, granted i did do an unpaid internship during the school year but this method has snagged me plenty of jobs/interviews. I had to decline one for a better paying job.</p>

<p>If you really don't want to work at a fastfood place and you don't need the money and can't find a better job i suggest doing unpaid internships. Not only will you get valuable work experience/recommendations, you will gain skills that are important to employers later on.</p>

<p>Oh, btw which casino do you work for banana?</p>

37

<p>Banana ... you need to understand where I am coming from. Right now I am working 60 hrs a week. I have 120 hours of payroll to distribute -- with one full timer and 3 part time /summer help kids. </p>

<p>I have a family and I would like to have a life -- meaning some time outside of work to pursue some hobbies and go away once in a while. When one of the part timers presents a schedule that she would like ** because that's when my boyfriend is working** and it's about 30 hours up from 14 during the school year (with no weekend hours) because I had a little accident with my car and I need a lot of hours -- that is a tad obnoxious. </p>

<p>From email I got yesterday, I need to come home a day early from vacation to work because no one (of 4 people) can work the Sunday. All of the kidlets claim to need the money, but they don't seem to be willing to put themselves out and work when it's a bit inconvenient for them.</p>

<p>I'm willing to schedule the kids around their college commitments, a family vacation, special days etc etc. I'm willing to let them leave early for a concert and come in an hour late the next day -- because their summer is important too. It would be nice to see a little flexiblity the other way -- especially from those who want the hours and the paycheck.</p>

38

<p>well I worked most of the summer and holidays at subway for above minimum ct wage and I got the job through my mom.</p>

<p>also for 3 weeks this summer I was a paid internat a design firm in ohio. I got paid about...$10/an hour got that trough my family too.</p>

39

<p>Yeah, you really can still get jobs...as much as I didn't want to, I just applied to McDonalds and started today. And the pay isn't as bad as you think--7.50/hr.</p>

40

<ol>
<li>My job: Pool attendant at a water park</li>
<li>Salary: 6.25 per hour </li>
<li>How i got it: I knew people who worked there last summer and i saw the help wanted sign in the newspaper.</li>
</ol>

<p>My advice: Look in early March for jobs, and take what you can get. Hey-maybe you'll end up liking the job!</p>