College and university students alike are sure to know how useful having a little extra cash during the summer holidays can be. Whether you are looking to buy an entire new wardrobe, spend more time out with friends, or start building a savings account early, finding a job for the summer can be a great way of bringing in some extra cash to see you through.
Students and young adults nationwide will soon be looking for summer work, so it’s always wise to prepare early and get your foot in the door with prospective employers, and with this handy guide, you’ll know where to start and how to find a summer job that will best suit you.
Where to Look
Consider the places that are likely to need extra supporting staff during these periods. Stores of all kinds are very likely to see an increase in custom during the summer holidays, as are restaurants, cinemas, bowling alleys and anywhere else you consider to be in the retail, entertainment, or hospitality industries. Keep in mind that these jobs are intended to be temporary, ‘start immediately’ roles; don’t worry too much about long-term job prospects when applying.
Enquire Early
Just because a company is not advertising a temporary employee position at the moment, that isn’t to say they won’t suddenly need extra support when the busy summer holiday period begins; be sure to enquire about temporary summer positions as soon as possible, and be memorable!
After applying, be sure to check back a few times via email, telephone or by walking into the store. Showing eagerness (at convenient times for the management) is a great way to ensure you are the first person who sticks out in their mind when a position opens, so be sure you have left them plenty of contact details when emailing or calling just in case.
Make it Count
Making a good impression at any point is sure to have an impact on your chances, so be sure to leave a well-tailored CV with the highest ranking member of staff (be it supervisor, manager or otherwise) and be as positive, outgoing and polite as possible. Making adequate changes to your CV to suit each job will help to generate extra interest around you as an employee.
To make the most of this, research the company and think about qualities they may be looking for in an employee; then highlight points of your qualifications, experience and personality that will show you are right for the position. For example, you may be applying for a position in retail and have no work experience, but if you had a ‘Leisure and Tourism’ Qualification then you could easily apply the extensive customer service studies you had done to highlight your capability.
Listing all experience and qualifications is required on any resume, but having the foresight to go into more detail about your relevant qualifications and experience and how they make you suitable for the role could give you the edge over other applicants.
So there we are, some simple tips and advice to help you find a summer job that is right for you, remember to plan ahead and don’t spend all those holiday earnings at once!
Daniel Travis – Brown is a regular writer on the Blue Octopus online recruitment blog; for more useful job hunting tips follow Dan on Twitter @DanTravisBrown