Whether you’re home for the summer from college, still in high school, or trying to enjoy the summer before you start your freshman year of college, many of us are looking for a part-time job to have on the side either to help save up for college or to have some extra spending money.
From my own experiences, I have found that I have mastered finding a part-time job over the past few summers and I am excited to be sharing some tips with my readers who may be struggling like I did when I started looking for jobs.
1. Create a resume
While many people say that having a resume is only important if you have work experience, that is definitely not true. Even if you don’t have work experience, list any community service work, extracurricular activities, or skills you may have. It doesn’t have to be super long and complex. However, if you have work experience, list where you worked, when, where, for how long, and tasks you had to complete.
2. Go job hunting
Even though it may come across as a hassle or be time-consuming, talking to people in person and handing out your resume is definitely the way to go. Make sure to dress semi-professional or business casual and make several copies of your resume. Start by walking around in your local mall or a street with a variety of shops and restaurants because most likely many of those stores, fast food restaurants, or sit down restaurants are looking for some extra help over the summer and will need some part-time people.
Remember to be friendly, but not too fake, and politely greet the host or manager. Sometimes, looking online can also be an option, but many companies get way too many applicants online or don’t have online listings and would prefer to meet someone in person.
3. Follow up
I can’t stress this enough! Make sure to call, as well as email all of the places you went into to drop off a resume. By following up, the managers see that you have a dedicated interest in working at their store as opposed to the multiple applications they view online who they have never met in person.
Make sure to speak nicely and professional on the phone and ask to speak with the manager. I suggest saying that you dropped off a resume and wanted to follow up and see if you viewed it. I personally found my first job by calling a company and following up with the manager.
4. Rejection is not the end of the world.
Not being offered a job or not hearing back from a specific place is not the end of the world. Remember, if you applied to multiple jobs at once, chances are you will get at least one, I promise.
