Community
Employment Resource Centre
STUDENTS:
Spring into the Summer Job Hunt!
The
Based on the article by
Barbara Simmons
Student
employment centres, job boards and government employment centres are all a buzz
this spring as students are looking for jobs to supplement their upcoming
school year. The prospects this year are
good, says staff at Workopolis-campus.com (reported to be
Besides the typical jobs
posted, there are more interesting and adventurous jobs to be had. For instance, Backdoorjobs.com (www.backdoorjobs.com/adventure.html)
advertises a variety of positions at camps, ranches, resorts and farms. There are even postings for work in the arts
and for jobs where the “pay is modest, the work is important and the
satisfaction is incredible,” for example, working in family shelters, building
houses for the economically deprived, and teaching youths who are at-risk.
Earning
summer cash is a necessity for most students – and a clever way to nurture
one’s career. With a little creativity,
students can connect classroom theory into relevant hands-on experience, while
creating solid networking contacts and great future references. As well, the skills learned during summer
employment add tremendously to future resumes, while fulfilling monetary need.
It might be tempting to blindly
jump onto the Internet to search for any summer work that becomes available,
Barbara Simmons of The Star writes, but youth should instead get focused and
prepared for the prospect of finding summer employment, beginning with
assessing what they can offer an employer.
This includes identifying what students can bring to the summer job in
terms of:
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Specific skills (developed through co-op, student
placements, clinical or practicum experiences)
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Transferable skills (learned in school or developed in
paid/volunteer positions)
To
improve the chances of landing summer employment, students should begin their
search early, according to Simmons. Some
steps that should be taken are:
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Letting current, or former employers know of your
interest in summer work, as people who are already known to employers often get
priority for available openings
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Selecting appropriate references and asking permission
to use their names as references
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Preparing a master copy of an application form so that
all key information is readily available and accurate when asked to complete a
company’s application
Remember,
the rewards of a well-chosen summer job can enhance life skills, direct
students into areas of interest, and create a lifetime of memories. Ask any adult years later what their most
fulfilling summer job was and no doubt about it, they always remember.
®
Canada 2004, published by Sentor Media (www.studentjobs.com),
has profiles of more than 400 Canadian employers who hire students
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Career Development eManual on the
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The Ministry of Education/Ministry of Training,
Colleges and Universities provides an overview of their summer jobs. Call the free JobGrow Hotline at
1-888-
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www.workopoliscampus.com is a valuable job site, as well, www.jobbank.gc.ca site,
check out the student jobs section
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The Community Employment Resource Centre (Cobourg and
Port Hope) is a great place to do an
independent job search, with many great resources and a friendly, helpful
staff. Job Connect is run out of Durham
College in Port Hope, and Sir Stanford Fleming College in Cobourg, and is
geared towards students aged 16-24
Good luck…don’t give up!