summer jobs
Holidays are welcome but after some time they begin to look very boring. Bored students often ask, What should we do? Enjoying or going out can be done for a shosrt while only. The answer is to do something useful. It would be worthwhile to take up a summer job which will help you earn money and acquire confidence. This feature answer some commonly asked questions about such jobs and describes how to apply for them, as well as what to avoid them. We hope that our readers will benefit from this feature and use their summer vacations in a useful manner.
Many young people are confused about which careers to follow. One way of knowing oneself is to do a short-term job in your holidays, which will help you earn some pocket money, give you some experience to add on your bio-data, and above all, help you realise what kind of career appeals best to you. The summer jobs is an ideal way to get to know yourself. It will result in a much needed confidence and an exposure to different kinds of work.
While many students waste their holidays doing nothing, or follow a useless activity or a computer course, others use the time to take up jobs and are able to earn some money. The trend always existed in developed nations, where young people become independent at an early age, but it is slowly but surely catching up in India as well. Students abroad can earn enough to buy a second-hand car or a ticket to travel around the world. In India, salaries for summer jobs are not as great, but the job should be looked at more for experience than for money. Perhaps, one can earn enough to buy a music system that one always dreamed of.
Since summer jobs are short-term assignments, basic qualifications are not important. Companies are willing to hire those who have finished school as well as college and university students. The only requirement is that the individual fits into the requirements of the job. Such jobs are typically test marketing of a particular product, market research, sales and telemarketing, ushers and guides in trade fairs and public relations activities. While some companies may advertise for such jobs, it is advisable to make contact with such agencies and leave your bio-data so that they can call you later.
Contrary to common belief, getting a two-month summer job is not difficult. That is because there are many activities that companies want to get a feedback on. These could be short-term projects in the fields of sales promotion or search. Sometimes, companies do not get involved themselves but farm out the work to specialised agencies. If you look around, you will be able to locate many agencies which habitually take up jobs on behalf of companies. Approach them and leave your bio-data with them, before your vacations.
Certain restaurants require people for short durations to meet the summer rush. Identify these in your town and approach them as well. If you want to take part in trade fairs, meet the organisers of such events in your city. Summer is the time that many exhibitions and fairs are held, and the opportunities are great. Jobs related to getting opinions about certain products or telemarketingselling things over the telephoneare gaining popularity as well. Usually, the agencies that do this work have a database of students and call them once they get the job from a company. So it is important to get on the active list of these agencies.
Another way to get summer jobs is through relatives or parents of friends who may be employed in banks and companies. Make your intentions known and give them your biio-data. It is common that a clerk or receptionist of an office may have left or taken leave and the office wants someone to fill in for a short time. In such a situation, your bio-data will come in handy.
Apart from the obvious advantages of earning pocket money and being busy during holidays, summer jobs help in giving a much neededd confidence to a youngster. Once you have done a job or two, you will realise what kind of personality you have and what you want to do later in life. For example, after having done a market research assignment, you may discover a love for it. This will help you choose the course that you want to do and also decide on your future career. Moreover, the fact that you have done summer jobs will definitely give you an advantage later if you want to go in for an MBA or a professional course.
But this is not all. If you are particularly talented or show promise in the job, the company will like to offer you a full time job once you finish college. This is no small advantage, considering the fact that many college graduates have a tough time finding a worthwhile job. So the summer job should be taken seriously and should be done well. It should not be seen merely as a time-pass.
The summer job also helps to build personality; you are bound to learn the art of dressing up and presenting yourself when you work with professionals. Often, a person who has done part-time jobs can be spotted easily from among fellow students belonging to the same age group. There is the difference in personality that a summer job can make.
What to avoid while doing summer jobs
Often, students take up summer jobs but get disillusioned when they have to go out making sales calls or even when they have to be in an office for eight hours. Some of the jobs are quite tedious, whether it is standing at the counter of a fast food restaurant or to go around collecting the opinions of people. One should be well prepared for such things and not give up when the going gets tough.
The second thing to avoid is giving your friends the address of your work place. Once you do that, they will come and hang around your office or restaurant, which your employer will certainly not appreciate. They will also hinder in your work. Should this happen, you can not only bid farewell to a happy experience at your job, but may well be thrown out as well.
We used to take youngsters for counter jobs, says the owner of a fast food restaurant. The world over such restaurants are manned by young people. Here, we found that the students were misusing facilities and getting their friends in. Ultimately, we decided not to give them jobs anymore. This is an unfortunate outcome of irresponsible behaviour. Do not use the phones any more than is absolutely essential. Even if there are no customers and you have nothing to, avoid reading magazines. Instead, do a little cleaning or organising to make the working place a better one. Never be frivolous at work.
It must be remembered that a work-place is not your home. Many jobs may be simply boring. Your performance is continuoulsy assessed. If you are looking for excitement, perhaps you should not take up summer jobs at all. But if you are looking at it as a stepping stone to make a successful career, a summer job is an invaluable experience.
Summer jobs may not be very lucrative, but for freshers it is an ideal way to earn a good amount of money. Most agencies pay about Rs 150 per day. Holidays and Sundays are not paid for. Bigger companies may pay a fixed stipend of Rs 5,000 per month. That is a lot of money for a student without any experience.
Which kind of a job should you look for? The first step is to assess what work you enjoy doing. If you like to meet people, then sales and public relations jobs are for you. In market research too, you will meet a lot of people. There will be a certain amount of hard work involved in taking appointments from people and tracking them down. Often, you will have to go around the city in scorching heat. Add to this the fact that the respondent may not be willing to speak at all, making your trip a waste. If you are the impatient type or are not an extrovert, such jobs are best avoided.
Many girls want desk jobs. For them, jobs of receptionists and of telemarketing are suited well. Of course, one needs to have a pleasing personality and like talking to people in order to make a success of it. Fluency is language is helpful. The field of computers have opened many opportunities: firms employ data entry operators for short durations. You can also help make software if you have the capability and are able to get on a project. The idea is to assess yourself first and then go about applying for jobs. Employers will appreciate the fact that you have thought about the job you want to do, instead of going to them and saying you are willing to do anything.
Whichever job you take up, it is good to remember that almost all jobs are tedious and boring to some extent. They are also frustrating sometimes. A young person must not carried away and become over-confident. Remember that the company hires youngsters as they have the advantage of not being permanent employees. Summer jobs are not given because of any intrinsic quality that you possess. Also, remember that being a summer employee means that you will probably get a job that no one else in the company wants to do. Clearly, you cannot dictate terms to the company.
Disadvantages apart, it cannot be denied that summer jobs add a lot to personality. It gives an edge over others, who may just be wasting time during the holidays. It helps you assess actual work environments and get attuned to what you will be expected to do later in life. It is a process of growing up. It shoule not be seen just a means to earn money but to collect experience. The hidden advantage is that the company may well take a liking to you and offer you a full time job later on.
The summer job should, thus, be done with care and devotion. It is a great opportunity which will help build your future career. Do not take it lightly, and go beyoung what is required of you. So, if you are not preparing for an examination and want to just sit around during your summer vacations, consider a summer job seriously. What you get out of it will be great value to you later in life.
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