With the declining economy and burgeoning tuition costs, students at Whitman are beginning to search for summer jobs in order to help pay for the next school year. One of the best times to begin searching is spring break, according to Whitman College Career Center Director Susan Buchanan.

“If you are spending spring break at home or in the community in which you want to work during the summer, it is important to try to find summer job leads during that time,” said Buchanan. “That way you will be ahead of other students who wait until they finish their semester before looking for work.”

While some students may feel that spring break is hard-earned payback for the time of strenuous academics and activities, the reality is that the failing economy makes it increasingly difficult to secure a well-paying part-time or seasonal job over the summer, especially for students.

Tips for finding internships
While most industries have been hit hard by the
recession, the federal government is one industry
that’s currently undergoing growth. You can look
for federal and government jobs in your area (as
well as tips for developing a resume) at
http://www.usajobs.gov
It is important to have a detailed cover letter and
resume in any job you apply for. Make sure the style
is correct and that it’s packed with details about
previous jobs, scholarships, awards and recognitions,
and any other information that makes you look
qualified. The Whitman College Career Center will
help you develop a resume to demonstrate your
skills and accomplishments to an employer with
professional quality.
Some states, such as California, Michigan and
Florida have been hit harder by the recession.
However, Washington has not been hit as hard,
so there are still jobs available particularly with
the federal government.
For students looking at internships as well as jobs:
it is possible to have the “perfect” unpaid internship
if you have a part-time paying job as well. The
Career Center has funding sources to help students
with summer internships, and The Washington
State Summer Work Study Internship fun will
reimburse student employers up to 65 percent of
student wages. There are several internship grants
as well. More information and applications are
available at the career center.

In some states such as California, laid-off workers are competing with students for part-time or summer jobs, which greatly decreases the already minimized job market for workers, both for students and in the adult workforce.

Since the economic situation this year does not give student workers much leeway insofar as time to search for a summer job, Buchanan says students should begin searching for jobs as soon as possible. The best way for students to go about finding a job on spring break is to utilize the resources around them in order to get a head start on the job-search.

“The best thing to do is to identify the employers who you want to work for,” said Buchanan. “Research them online. Often they list jobs on their Web site. Otherwise, find the name of a human resources staff member [to help you find a job.]”

On-campus resources include the Whitman College Career Center Web site: www.whitman.edu/career_center. Whitman also belongs to an association of select liberal arts colleges who pool internships together, which provides links to over 3,000 internships listed by location and highest area.

Although the pickings are slim, students should still consider their own interests, values and future plans when looking for a job.

“It is important to have a focus based on those interests so that you know what skills to emphasize,” said Buchanan.

Most importantly, students should research what they want to do and look at what skills are required and either learn about how to develop those skills or consider how they have used or developed similar skills in the past.

“An employer doesn’t care much if the experience [was through] a class project, a job or as a student leader,” Buchanan said. “They just want you to be able to demonstrate that you can successfully do the job.”