Dear Elcee:

I am a second year college student and will be returning in September for my final year. I have to get my act in gear and look for summer employment. When is the best time to start looking for work.  Any tips or hints for me?

Summer Suzie

Dear Summer:

Well, the time to start looking for summer employment is now!! In February and March you will find that many employers and the government will start advertising summer student specific positions. They will often run between May and August. You can find most of those on the Government of Canada job bank site or your local provincial and municipal websites. Another place to check out will be your own schools’ student assistance office or website.

I also highly recommend really thinking about what type of job you would like to do during the summer. Are you looking to develop skills and experience in your chosen career path or are you looking to make money? Occasionally the two goals can meet but not always.

If it’s skills you are hoping to obtain focus on obtaining a position through a summer employment program. Many of these positions are supplemented or entirely funded by government. Sometimes there are prerequisites to be met such as enrollment in a specific program of study. Wages can vary but often have a defined start and end date.

Summer is also a time to look for employment in the hospitality, tourism, construction and agriculture industries. These jobs may or may not be advertised on student job boards. This is a good time to take your well written resume and hit the streets. Remember, if you are looking for work in the hospitality go in the down times (usually 2 -4 in the afternoon). Many jobs in hospitality and tourism may not be 9 – 5 and may require working weekends. If you are flexible in your hours, add that to your resume. Don’t discount any volunteer work you may have been involved with and if you don’t have CPR/First Aid now is the time to get that certification.

Another option would be to register with temporary placement agencies. Many offices will bring people on to cover for employees going on holiday. If that is your goal, ensure that your computer skills are up to date (MS Office including Word, PowerPoint and Excel are expected!).

With all that in hand, check out the jobbank.gc.ca website and indeed.com. Both of them have filters which will specifically target summer student and temporary positions. As with all jobs, keep in mind, that you have to approach this with the same seriousness and professionalism that you would apply to any permanent position you would apply for. You never know where that summer job could lead to in the future! Good luck!

Dear ELCEE is written by Deborah Noel, deborahjnoel@gmail.com
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