The cold February weather may not feel like it, but the summer hiring season is ramping up. Believe it or not, employers are already thinking about their summer hires. If you’re planning on finding a job during your summer vacation, it’s time to get started.
Here are four tips to help you make the most of your summer job search.
Ask for Help
For many people, a summer job is the first job they’ve ever had. It can be difficult to get started, when you’ve never done it before. Luckily, there are resources that can help you get your first job search started.
If you’re thinking of a summer job but don’t know where to start, consider signing up for the Youth Job Connection (YJC) Summer Program. YJC Summer is a government-funded program designed to help students between the ages of 15-18 find summer jobs. It is completely free for participants and includes 20 hours of PAID pre-employment workshops. These workshops will help you prepare for your job search and provide tips for making the most of your summer job. Once you complete your workshops, you’ll also receive a job placement with a local employer who is looking to make summer hires.
To sign up for the YJC Summer program and get a jump start on your competition, contact us today.
Be Prepared
Do you have a resume? Do you feel confident about your resume? For many summer jobs, your resume will be the first contact you have with a potential employer. If it’s full of mistakes or creates the wrong impression, it may also be the last contact you have with that employer.
Before you start handing out your resume to employers, make sure it’s one that gets an employer’s attention. Take some time to look over your resume, make any updates and correct any mistakes. And if you don’t currently have a resume, sign up for one of our upcoming Resume Building workshops.
If your resume is solid, it will help you land a job interview. But if your work experience is limited, the idea of a job interview can be intimidating. There’s no substitute for experience, but practice can help. It’s worth spending some time thinking about common interview questions and coming up with answers you feel comfortable with.
Or take some of the guess work out of your next interview and sign up for one of our upcoming Job Interview workshops. If you’re confident that your resume is ready for sharing with employers, then it’s time to start researching your local labour market. You may know what you’re looking for. But you should also do some research. Start looking at job boards and searching online for jobs in your area. Also ask your friends and relatives if they know about any businesses that are looking for summer help. Find out what jobs are available in your area and what wages and hours are like. Once you have a better idea of what’s out there you can start to set reasonable expectations on what you might be able to find. And don’t forget to keep checking. You may not find something that’s right for you right away. While it’s true that most summer positions get filled before summer even starts, it’s not true of all summer positions. You may get lucky and find something great at the last minute. But you won’t know unless you’re paying attention to what’s out there. This March Break, you may be tempted to take some time to relax. You’ve been working hard at school and you deserve a rest. But keep in mind that March Break is a great opportunity to kick off your job search. You can use this time to prepare for your job search on your own or take the YJC Summer program. Or if you feel prepared, it’s a great time to start applying. Remember that the best summer jobs go fast, so don’t wait to start applying. For more information on how we can help you with your summer job search, contact us today.
Do your Research
Don’t Wait