By Piper C. Reason

June 12, 2006

Summer Employment

Have you been thinking of summertime work? Want to earn a little money, meet a few new people, find something useful and/or fun to do with all your free time? Well, you're not alone! According to data from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21.7 million young people (aged 16 to 24) worked last July.

So, what kind of work are you thinking of? Babysitting? Mowing lawns? Walking dogs? Maybe being a life guard at a local swimming pool? Or are you unsure about working at all?

Should I or Shouldn't I? The Benefits of Summertime Employment

Let's start at the beginning. If you're not even sure whether or not you want to work this summer, consider the benefits:

• Developing your transferable skills (from providing customer service to following directions)
• Building your network (every person you encounter may be 'the' connection you'll need some day)
• Creating a reputation/building your resumé (you are more employable once you become "known" as a reliable, enthusiastic, friendly worker)
• Getting references (assuming that reputation you're building is a good one!)
• Finding a mentor (no guarantee that you will, but you definitely won't sitting home in front of the TV or computer all day!)
• Earning money (probably not a lot, but $7 an hour for 20 hours a week is $1,120 after eight weeks of summer)
• Having fun and making friends (once you're out of school, many of the people who become your friends will be the people with whom you work)

Some Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start Looking

1. How will I get there? Whether or not you have a driver's license, the cost of gas and/or the complexity of sharing a car with other family members should be considered.
2. What will I get out of it (besides a paycheck)? No one is very good at getting up to go to a job they don't enjoy, but dragging yourself out of bed for a part-time, temporary job in the summertime … well, it takes super human strength! But if you don't stick with it, you start building a reputation as someone who can't be counted on. So make it a good choice.
3. What kind of schedule do I want to work? If you really want to keep your nights and weekends free, you probably don't want to go for a retail job. They almost always require at least some hours beyond the traditional Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.
4. What are your future career goals? A summer job can be a wonderful opportunity to take a step or two down your career path!

The very best way to decide what you want to do is by talking with people about what they do (also known as networking). The most successful way to learn about openings is to talk with the people you know (more networking). An extremely effective way to learn about whether or not an organization would be a good fit for you is by talking with the people who work there (ay-yuh … that's networking, too). So get out there and talk with people (and read my article about networking).

Making A Good Impression

You probably won't need a resumé for the kinds of jobs that we think of as summer jobs (entry-level, temporary, part-time jobs), but you do need to make a good impression. If you show up with messy hair and wearing dirty jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt, the manager is going to see someone who doesn't take pride in him/herself. And if you don't take pride in yourself, you're probably not going to take pride in your job. Workers who don't take pride in their jobs don't work hard, don't have a friendly and cooperative attitude, and don't show up on time. No thanks, it's easier to do it myself than put up with that.

At the other extreme, if you show up in nylons and heals (or a three-piece suit) when you want to stock shelves, the employer may worry that you suffer from delusions of grandeur. Or perhaps that you're from another planet.

In order to make a good impression, you also need to be clear about the kind of job you want to do. Although it seems like a show of flexibility and commitment to say, "I'll do anything," it actually says, "I have no idea what I want to do." You may not be able name a specific job in which you are interested, but you should be able to say the kinds of things you want to do, like to do, and are good at. If you haven't done any work before, you can talk about your leisure interests, too. Computer skills, for example, are always valuable. If you come from a big family, maybe you know more about working as part of a team than someone else. If you are an only child, maybe you can emphasize how creative you've always been at finding things to do. What extracurricular activities can you talk about? What are your responsibilities at home? Whatever your situation, look for the skills involved and talk about how the employer can benefit from them.

Check Out These Resources

The website, ItsAboutUs.org, provides current information which promotes safe, healthy, and substance-free lifestyles to youth, parents and people who work with youth. They also have an employment page at that talks about the labor laws that affect teens.

The NH Employment Security Office on Key Road is not only a good place to learn about job opportunities (through their online Job Match System), but they also have tons of information about different occupations, various location organizations, and how to apply for a job.

There's a neat website, Teens4hire.org, that has tons of helpful hints from ideas about where to look for a job to the qualities that employers look for in a job candidate.

Any job you do well will help you achieve your goals. If it's a job that's clearly on your career path, all the better. Small companies and nonprofits sometimes can't anticipate their needs as far in advance as the larger organizations, so don't think just because they need fewer workers, they won't have any openings. If you aren't able to find a paid job that you want, consider volunteering. Except for the paycheck, you'll reap all of the same benefits as with paid work. You might check with the Monadnock Volunteer/RSVP Center at 924-7350 or 352-2088 or the Monadnock United Way's list of partner agencies for an organization that does work with which you want to be involved.

Whatever else you end up doing, enjoy your summer. And build that network!