Time to start looking for seasonal employment now, says Career Services, before spots are taken

Summer jobs may be the downside to long sunny days and no school, but there are ways to get a good job for three months.

“Some of the more common summer jobs, especially for underclassmen, are with campgrounds or amusement parks,” said Robin Piatt, assistant director of Career Services. “Upperclassmen tend to find employment that is more closely related to their major.”

Some students find interesting jobs in other areas of the country.

“A lot of students seem to partake in the College Program at the Disney Theme Parks and Resorts,” Piatt said.

If students want to stay near Kent State, there are ways to find summer jobs in the local area.

“Many offices and departments on campus offer employment through the summer,” Piatt said. “The best way to find on-campus student employment is via the Experience Job Board (on Career Services’ Web site).”

John Demchock, store director at the Acme Fresh Market in Kent, suggests three simple steps to finding a summer job.

“Start looking now,” Demchock said. “Get the application in as soon as possible. We are going to start getting flooded with applications. Then do a follow-up in about two weeks.”

The biggest mistake, Piatt said, is students not being serious about following the hiring process.

“Students don’t take the application process seriously,” he said. “They seem to think that it is just a summer job and therefore don’t dress professionally, don’t have their resume critiqued, don’t prepare ahead of time for the interview and don’t research the organization or have questions for the interviewer.”

First impressions are critical for getting hired for a summer job.

“Dress in a professional dress code,” Demchock said. “Clean cut.”

Some students have horror stories about summer jobs that did not work out for them.

“I worked in a grocery store, and it sucked,” said Jake Mohoric, freshman computer information systems major. “My co-workers and the customers were rude.”

“I applied for the grocery store job in June,” he said. “If I had applied earlier, I would have found a better job.”

All hope is not lost if a student gets stuck with a job that he or she doesn’t like.

“I now work for a tree service in the summer,” Mohoric said. “I like working outside.”

If a student is still looking for a possible summer job, Piatt recommended going online and using the Career Services Center’s Web site at career.kent.edu.

Contact features correspondent Rebecca Mohr at [email protected].