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Sometimes it’s hard to find any summer job at all but there are lots of resources available to students and the ones that use them will have a leg up on their fellow classmates.

Shari Baago at Employment Hamilton advises students to use all possible avenues to find work and not to overlook good old fashioned word of mouth. “Tell everybody they know they’re looking for a job, whether it’s their teacher, their coach, their music teacher, because you never know who they’re going to be talking to.”

Deeraj Dhull at McMaster’s student success centre agrees. “First is of course their network which is is the biggest source they should consider but they miss that one sometimes.  So anything around if they’re seeing their career counsellor, sport’s team coaches, any of their friends.”

Search online as well and use websites targeted to students, like talentegg.ca employers looking for students are more likely to hire them. When you apply online, consider reaching out to a company on social media to set yourself apart from other candidates or follow up with an email or phone call unless an application says not to. Hourly wage is a consideration but it shouldn’t be the bottom line when you’re looking for work. The goal of a summer job is to build skills you can transfer into the workplace after graduation.

Before hitting the pavement, hone your resume at a career workshop and practise interview questions so when you get a call, you’re ready to wow.