As we are awaiting the coming of summer, many of you girls probably either already have a summer job lined up or want one. The whole process of figuring out what you want to do, getting an interview, forming your resume, doing well in your interview, following up, booking the job, and being a good employee can be a lot of work and stress. Let’s break it down. 

To start, you have to decide what you want to spend your whole summer working as. If it isn’t something that you care about or find somewhat interesting, then you won’t be a good worker. It just doesn’t work, and if you don’t do a good job, you probably won’t benefit from that job at all, and won’t be able to use any connections from there as a reference, which you will most likely need for a future job. Some common ideas for a teenage girl include: 

1. Rita’s worker 
2. Lifeguard 
3. Snack bar worker at a pool 
4. Swim instructor 
5. Snowball stand worker
6. Baskin Robins worker
7. Hostess at a restaurant 
8. Server/waitress  
9. Babysitting 
10. Camp counselor or CIT (depending on age) 
11. Working at Pure Raw, Berri Purple, Playa Bowls 
12. Pet-sitting 
13. Dog walker 
14. Paid internships 
15. Tutoring
16. Referee 
17. Barista 
18. Working in retail (e.g., South Moon Under) 
19. Working at an assisted living community 
20. Yardwork 

Hopefully you find a job that feels right for you. Now you have to figure out how to get an interview. Sometimes you can just walk in, but if you do that make sure it is not at a busy time (for example, rush in a restaurant). I recommend going to the website if you are looking more at being a lifeguard, if you have a specific place in mind. Some pools use a big corporation that hire for more places than that one pool; DRD Pools is an example. 

Once you figure out how you are getting your interview, it is important to prepare. Some practice questions you can use are “Why are you interested in this job?” and “What do you think makes you qualified for this job?” It is important for you to have some answers prepared and also for you to have questions too. Some common ones you could ask are, “What would my day-to-day tasks look like?” or “How many hours would I be working per week?” and for that specific question, make it clear to them how many you ideally you’d like to be working.  

In addition to having answers and questions prepared for your interview, another thing you can do is have a resume ready. Ideally it would include your name and contact information, any extracurricular activities you want to make known you are involved with, any past job experience, and any references upon request. For the references upon request, it could be anyone: your neighbor who you watered their plants while they were away for a week, your coach for a sports team, or your past employer. You just want to make sure they are people that would give you a good recommendation. Although keep in mind, it is generally not a good idea to choose one of your immediate family members. 

Although it is not required, it is a good idea to follow up after the interview. Writing an email to thank them for their time and reminding them of your eagerness and interest in the job is a great idea; stopping by in person is even better! It is not as weird as you may think; in fact, it shows matureness and willingness to go above and beyond.  

Good luck job hunting! I know all NDP students are dependable, hard workers and will get any job they apply for! Hopefully, you all can remember some of these tips when the time comes!