If last year’s summer job opportunities are any indication of this year’s, job seekers will be hard-pressed to find employment in the next few months. In 2007, summer teen employment was the lowest that it has been since 1945, according to a study conducted by Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies.
And in a 1,100-company survey conducted by snagajob.com, almost half of all managers will not be hiring seasonal employees this year.
However, there are resources and tactics that may aid in finding summer employment.
EPack
“I’ve actually seen the same amount of jobs and internships come in to the ePack database, at least the same volume as last summer,” Sara Concini, career counselor at the Career Center, said.
EPack, a service provided by the Career Center that connects employers to students, is just one of the tools that can assist students in finding employment. The job and internship listing hosts about 7,000 employer contacts – those willing to give students their information so that potential employees may contact them for interviews.
Look local
While finding jobs in one’s career field is optimal, she said, locating jobs locally is sometimes an alternative.
“I worked at an outdoors sleep-away camp in the Aderondacks of New York, and I really loved it,” Danielle Thomas, freshman in Transition program, said. “We did canoeing, sea kayaking [and] all that kind of stuff for eight weeks. It was amazing.”
Some enjoy working outdoors, while others, such as Christine Dilloway, freshman in First Year College, prefer working in shops.
“I worked at Victoria’s Secret for the summer,” Dilloway said. “I enjoyed it for the most part, but it was very hard working there with a full staff of girls. I learned how to work as a team to sell, which was really cool.”
Classifieds
When looking for jobs, it is a good idea to scour the local newspaper for summer job openings posted there, or to visit businesses to inquire whether they are hiring.
“I usually get jobs by asking people I know if their employers are hiring,” Anastasia Astratova, sophomore in management, said. “You’re more likely to get employed if someone you know who works there [who can] recommend you.”
Be prepared
Although preparing for a summer job may not be as serious as preparing for a permanent job, being ill-equipped for an interview could result in a job-free summer. Concini advises students to come to the Career Center and set up mock interviews with counselors.
“Identify your strengths and weaknesses, be able to speak proudly of your accomplishments and make sure that you have prepared a good resume,” she said.
The Career Center is located at 2100 Pullen Hall and is open all week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with walk-in appointments available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
