The Hunt
Tony Tsai

Now that the new school term is in full swing you probably haven’t had much time to think about what you’ll be doing for the summer. As much as we’d all like to spend a carefree summer filled with excessive drinking, outdoor fun and catching up on all those quality day time reruns, the reality is that many of us cannot afford to. With tuition on the rise and government subsidies on the decline, getting a summer job and making some money for the upcoming school year has become a part of the university experience. Plus, for those of you who are keen on building a career for the future, and possibly getting some use out of your university education, summer jobs provide a wealth of experience that are an absolutely necessity if you ever (heaven forbid) have to get a real full time job.

If you haven’t started to think about what you’ll be doing this summer, now is the time to get started. We’ve all heard about how increasingly competitive the job market has become, especially for students. Getting an early start in the job hunt not only increases the changes of landing that plum job, it also opens up more options when looking for that perfect job. The question is, where do you start and how do you go about getting those precious interviews that will hopefully lead to a promising job.

The first step towards procuring a summer job is looking at your employment objectives. Take some time to evaluate the reason for getting a summer job, whether it’s just looking for a job to pay those bills and provide you with a little extra spending money, or a job which will help in your future career goals. As much as it feels like university will never end, your time here is limited. You only have a few scant years to acquire invaluable work experience that can benefit your future career choice. Not all jobs have to be paying, although a paycheck is great reward for a job. You may be more interested in taking on a position that may not offer as much monetary reward as it does experience.

The next step is to do a little research into what is available out there. A little research into particular fields, industries, and especially companies, can pay off in the form of leads and contacts. It’s also important to find out more about the companies that you are planning to apply to. It can help you decide whether the company is the right kind of work environment for you, whether the job will meet your employment objectives. There is no quicker way to ruin the summer than to be stuck in a job which you hate. Remember, just because the job market is competitive, you still have some choice when it comes to what kind of jobs to take. A bit of background knowledge can help you make the right choice.

The third step is obvious, start looking and applying for jobs. Laurier, like most universities, provides an on campus resource for helping students research and find jobs. Career Services, located at 232 King Street North, is an invaluable source of employer information, job postings, and informational workshops designed to aid students looking for summer, part time, or full time permanent positions. Career Services routinely puts up new job postings on an almost daily basis of employers looking for students in summer and full time jobs. Currently, there are over 95 companies with postings for summer positions in a variety of fields and industries. Jobs range from office work in administration, marketing, accounting, etc. to outdoor jobs with the parks and recreations commission.

Most postings are also available to view on the Internet at the Career Services web site at www.wlu.ca/~wwwcs_co. Some companies also use Career Services for on-campus interviews and recruiting. In the case of on-campus recruiting, applicants submit their resumes directly to Career Services then pass them on to the prospective employer will then set up interview times with Career Services and the applicant. Basically, a lot of the leg work can be eliminated by going to Career Services first. In addition, Career services also has a vast library of employer information from which you can do your research.

Time is running out. Many of the current postings have deadlines due before the start of reading week. However, Career Services will have continued contact from now untill May with employers looking for applicants to fill summer positions. If you are interested in seeking summer employment through Career Services, you should start checking the postings two more times a week since new postings are being put up quickly now.

If you can’t find anything to your liking at Career Services, there are still many sources you can turn to. You can peruse the newspaper classified and employment sections for job ads, or look up job bank sites on the Internet. Many companies have employment information in their web sites which provide job descriptions and contact names. There are also many government run employment agencies like Human Resources Development Canada and Youth Summer Employment Centres.

Job Fairs are a great source for generating employment contacts. A Job Fair is being held this February in the K-W area with over one hundred and fifty plus companies.The fair will be held at Bingemans Conference Centre on Wednesday, February 3rd from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Job fair is sponsored by the Career Centres of the four local post secondary institutions (Laurier, U of W, U of Guelph, and Conestoga College) and is free to all students and alumni from those schools. It’s a great opportunity for getting contact names or, possibly even an interview. Don’t count out personal contacts either. Sometimes, getting a job is a matter of who you know. See if there are any job leads or contacts through you family or circle of friends. Even an ex-employer can provide a contact for work in another related field.

For the more ambitious, a good source for job leads are the companies themselves. If you are confident enough, you can try cold calling a company, or if you’re less presumptuous, try to arrange an Informational Interview.

An Informational Interview is similar to a cold call in that you will be approaching a company who has no expectations of being approached. The only difference is, instead of being presumptuous in asking for a job, you arrange a meeting with someone within the organization in the hopes of gathering information about the company. If you are unsure about how to go about arranging an Informational Interview, Career Services provides free pamphlets and workshops that can help you.

Finally, just a bit of advice for all you wouldbe job hunters. Be positive, realistic, and persevere. In order to get those jobs you have to present yourself in the most positive way to a prospective employer. You should also keep a positive outlook. Yes it can be tough to get a job these days, but don’t let minor setbacks detract you from your main goal of finding a job. Now, past the pep squad talk, you must also be realistic in you employment goals and expectations of the job market. No matter how talented you are, you are not going to become the brand manager of new Bacon and Cheese Fat-Free Pringles tm with 20% less anal leakage Olestra. But it also doesn’t mean you have to settle for the first Uber-Mart drone job that comes along. Lastly, perseverance and a little dedication can go a long way in securing that summer job. Just take a few hours each week to do a little research on companies and follow up on employment leads. Pretty soon, you’ll be blissfully employed for the summer with only your weekends to enjoy those carefree days of youth. Um, that’s a good thing, right?