“I Need a Job This Summer”: A Guide to Getting a Job
By: Ben Brown
The endless free time and warm weather of summer is just around the corner, and any Jenks High School students that haven’t started working already, will surely be looking to make some money over the three month reprieve from school. If you’re stressing over your search for a summer job you may be thinking about how to impress an employer, what to say during an interview, or where to even apply.
Lucky for you, the Torch caught up with Genesis Health Club manager, Taylor Tripp, and Jenks High School Career Counselor, Mrs. Catterson to find the best strategies for you to get a job.
- How to Find a Job
The first obstacle you’ll face when looking for a job is where to even apply. Fortunately for you, Mrs. Catterson, sends out emails to students and parents about local businesses searching for Jenks applicants, such as: Big Biscuit, Genesis Health Club, and Miller Swim School. So make sure to keep an eye on your email.
She also encourages students to apply at any business they’ve gone to that seem like they’d be fun to work at.
Catterson also tells students, “Not to be scared if they’re sitting in that restaurant, and they think it’d be a cool place to work, to ask the manager if they’re hiring… to be outgoing, that is something that is going to serve you well.”
- Application and Interview
If your anxieties are about whether or not you’ll get the job you want, while putting together this guide I found the most important qualities to employers. What makes you valuable to employers is showing you can be responsible and manage your time well.
“If they’re on time and responsible, everything else we can teach…,” says Mrs. Catterson. “If they’re not there, then I can’t train you.”
For Genesis Health Club manager, Taylor Tripp, she looks more at the personality of her applicants.
“High energy, motivated,” says Tripp on what she looks for in a worker. “Our core value as a company is ‘make me feel important’, so [I want] someone that can make every single person that walks in the door have a good time while they’re here.”
- Afraid You’ll Mess Up?
If you’re worried about messing up in your search, here are some common pitfalls to avoid. According to Mrs. Catterson, the biggest pitfall she sees is students not knowing how to fill out their application. It can be very daunting and you may need some help. Mrs. Catterson says that you can always come to the career counseling office for help with applications, and that Naviance has a careers tab that students may find helpful.
For Taylor Tripp, she sees most high schoolers struggling with work ethic.
“Sometimes with high schoolers, their want to work is sometimes a challenge, and their time management is also a challenge,” says Tripp.
- Go Forth
There is also a demand for Jenks applicants in the job market. Simply going to Jenks boosts your value to employers.
“The people that have contacted me have been so excited about Jenks students working for them,” says Mrs. Catterson
When you’re going out there searching for your job this summer, just remember that employers need employees and it’s all about selling yourself to them, not to mention businesses love applicants from Jenks!