Student Job Link's Resources

I know what you’re thinking, “Work for free, are you crazy?” Okay, let’s rephrase:  It’s the summer, why not work for no monetary wages, but make contacts that can help you get a great job in the future.

Sounds a lot better, right?  Summers are the perfect time for internships and other similar types of programs.  Why?  Because a lot of people take vacations in the summer, and when a lot of people take vacations, that means that the employer needs somebody to pick up the slack left by that person leaving for a week or two.  See where this is going?

When you apply for a full time position after graduating college, it’s unlikely that your resume is going to be filled with a lot of experience.  You’ve held part time jobs to help pay the bills, but the chances are, you’ve been focusing on school, not working in the field that you are interested in pursuing. 

But what if you approached a company in the industry that you’re interested in and said that you’d work for free?  Considering today’s economy, that company would probably leap at the chance. 

Also, you may be able to have your work experience count towards your graduation credits.  Even if the job you are working is not an approved internship, most colleges and universities have ways of getting you credits for work experience in the field you’re studying.

Now, back to the point made at the end of the first paragraph:  a lot of people take vacations in the summer. 

If you prove yourself to be a responsible worker in your unpaid summer position, you may get the opportunity to work on some serious projects that would normally be out of your reach until you held a traditional full time job. Experience on these types of projects just might be what will help you get that traditional full time job once you graduate. 

Not only that, but if you do your job well, leaving a favorable impression with that company, when you graduate you can go back to them to apply for a full time job.  And who is that company going to hire:  an inexperienced new graduate, or a new graduate who has already spent a lot of time and effort working for that company? 

After all, how much money can you make in a summer?  Two or three thousand dollars at a menial job?  Don’t think of this as a summer where you make no money, think of this as a summer where you make an investment in your future that will pay off big time.

More resources:

The Back Door Guide to Short-Term Job Adventures: Internships, Summer Jobs, Seasonal Work, Volunteer Vacations, and Transitions Abroad by Michael Landes

A website for finding summer internships: http://www.summerinternships.com/
Also, check with business in your area.  Just walk in and you’d be surprised at what you can find.