Student Jobs

For students in high school, college and university finding a part-time or summer job is essential for making ends meet and having a little money for entertainment, texting, clothes and the other very important things in life. Most students are paid student wages and work in a retail or hospitality environments so they can fit work hours around class time during term and traditionally this situation has worked well. But the recession has made employment tough going and unemployed adults are finding themselves eyeing up student jobs they wouldn’t have considered in the past. So how can students retain an edge over experienced adult workers?

For starters, although many older workers are willing to take the retail/hospitality labor and unappealing hours, they won’t (and in many places can’t) work for a student wage. So the crappy pay that has been a drag for all these years is now the main thing a student has going for them in competing for jobs.  Even so, the student job market is fierce and students are struggling to find the summer jobs they need to help with college fees and to support themselves.

There are a few resources available and many of them are online. Online applications are actually quite a passive job search approach and although many employers require online applications as the first stage in the process, students should attempt to make some human contact where possible. Perhaps a visit to head office or the store you are interested in with a hard copy of the application after you have applied online. Word of mouth referrals and student offices can also offer opportunities not always presented to the general public. An outstanding resume or CV has never been more important than it is today. This may be the only opportunity a student has to edge out the more experienced competition.