5 Best Tips for Young Job Seekers

Summer camp employment is a great opportunity for young people to start building professional experience! It starts at the earliest part in the application process. If you are a young job seeker and are nervous about the process, these 5 tips will make a difference in your approach!

1.       You need a good resume!

• Even if you do not have tons of information to put on your resume, make it look nice. Adjust fonts and font sizes to fill up the page and make things look systematic. Make it easy for an interviewer to scan and ask you questions. A sloppy resume automatically cuts your chances of success. It is easy to find great looking resumes to mimic, and use resume wizards in MS word or Publisher to get it done quickly.

2.       Fill out that application with care!

• If you cannot type into a PDF or Word version of a file, and need to print it, make sure it’s filled in with your best possible handwriting. Take your time! This speaks volumes about how much care you will put into the actual work on the job. No matter what, make sure it’s your hand writing. 

3.       Your online presence does matter!

• Your social media presence does matter. If you do not want the public to see it, make sure your settings are set for the most privacy possible or make post that make you look great!

4.       You need to be the one who contacts prospective employers, not your parents!

• This is probably the single worst thing that could happen for an applicant. When you make contact with an employer, you are showing that you are willing to work for the job. If MOM calls, it tells me that she wants you to work here more than you do. 

5.       Prepare for the interview!

• Google interview questions online in advance, and practice answering both the easy and hard questions!
• Do online researches about the possible employer in advance, including their facebook presence! Make sure you do want to work there!
• Practice with a teachers or principal in your school. They will think helping you is great and that relationship building may pay off later.
• If you are given a range of times to have an interview, go for the earliest possible date in that window. It shows initiative.
• If it’s a phone interview, avoid using a cell phone. 
• If it’s in-person or on video chat, make sure you sharpen your appearance. Grooming shows you took effort to be the best you can for an interview.
•  “Time is money” is true, especially for the employer, so make sure you prepare to be your best!

Facebook Bonus Tip: I realize that the upcoming generation is not using Facebook they way it it was used 5 years ago. However, I think FB is here to stay. It will be the US Postal Service of social media, creating the digital back bone of social media. 

With that said, I suggest you have your own account and you curate it as a "online resume". Since the content stays "evergreen", you can put pictures, article links, and posts up that help an interviewer have better insight into you. Its the easiest way to have an archive to share with the world. 

Anyone interested in apply at Oswegatchie for summer employment can find more information at http://www.oswegatchiecamp.com/employment.html !

Excelsior, 
Bill Waite
Program Director