June 21st is the first official day of summer. If you have not yet landed that perfect summer job, you might be thinking it is too late to even try. If full-time employment is your goal, you may be thinking that everyone is in “vacation” mode and that there is no sense wasting the lazy days of summer pounding the pavement looking for a job. Well, I am here to encourage you to shake off those summer time blues and follow these productive summer job search tips.
Use Seasonal Events to Build Your Network
Summer tends to be full of festivals, barbeques, weddings and other events. Be aware of what is happening in your area, or the area where you would like to find employment, and use these events to help build your network.
To find out about events, try your local paper, chamber of commerce or do some web searches. Here are a few sites that you may want to check out:
• The Houston Chronicle
• The Official Visitor’s Site for Houston, Texas
• Tour Texas
Maintain a Regular Schedule
Just like any other time of the year, keeping and prioritizing a daily schedule is important. Consider dedicating the morning hours to making contact with employers, either in person or over the phone. Use afternoon hours for conducting research, completing applications and creating resumes. Build in breaks and a stopping time to avoid burn-out.
Remember that finding a job is not a hobby. The amount of effort and time that you dedicate normally dictates the results you receive.
Generate Some Extra Income
Summer is a great time to get creative in an attempt to supplement your finances. Here are just a few ideas to get you started down this path:
– Have a yard sale
– Set up a lemonade stand (or some other tasty custom creation)
– Create homemade crafts for local fairs / bazaars
– Offer lawn care services around the neighborhood
– Offer child care for tense or stressed out parents dealing with summer vacation from school
Volunteer
Besides the normal volunteer opportunities that present themselves, summer is normally a time when friends, family and neighbors take on yard and home improvement projects. Volunteering to help in their efforts is a great way to build relationships and thus your network, while at the same time improving your community.
Rejuvenate
All work and no play can make us dull boys and girls. As job seekers, it can also make us appear desperate. Desperation is not a good characteristic to portray when looking for a job! So get outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. Take a walk, visit the beach, go for a swim . . . the possibilities are endless. Renew your spirit and with it, your attitude.
Hopefully these tips can help eliminate those summer time blues and have you whistling while you work. 🙂
Bobi Cook is a Regional Facilitator for Workforce Solutions in the Houston – Galveston area. She currently conducts job skills seminars throughout the 13 county Gulf Coast region utilizing her MBA and over ten cumulative years experience as a professional educator, quality systems manager within the automotive industry, and small business administrator to help job seekers develop and implement successful job search campaigns.
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