Editors note: Value in job searching

With this cold and crappy weather outside, the summer feels far away. However, the end of the term and the summer months are closer than they seem. And with the end of the school term, many of us will be thinking about finding summer jobs.

With exams, assignments and midterms the priority, it can be easy to procrastinate looking for jobs and writing endless cover letters in order to line up jobs starting in May.

For students, having a summer job can be crucial in order to save money and gain experience when on a break from school.

But for a lot people, thinking about jobs is often put on the back-burner until April or May when the stress of exams is over. However, if you’re looking for a decent job in your field of interest or a job that has skills pertaining to your degree, waiting until the winter term is over will limit your options.

In many fields, summer internships open up as early as October and November, while many summer jobs that I have applied to have opened up as early as December and January.

As a result, many good placements and jobs at prominent organizations will have deadlines that will have long passed come May.

With that, setting email or job-alert notifications can also keep you up to date with any new job opportunities in your fields of interest. As well, setting aside weekly slots to search for new jobs can ensure you stay organized and on top of things.

Searching for summer jobs can seem pointless, being that regardless of where you are employed you’re able to save money. However, finding the right job can result in creating important connections and spending time working for employers and jobs that will help you in the future.

Even if you aren’t working a job in your direct field, working for an employer that will look good on your resume and enhance any type of skills is going to be relative after you’re done school.

Although it can seem easy to work mindlessly throughout the summer at a retail job or go back to your high school employer, finding new jobs that are going to set you a part can make a huge difference when applying to graduate programs or full-time jobs after school.

Applying to jobs can take a long time and a lot of effort. However, doing work ahead of time like updating your resume and writing a generic cover letter that’s easy to change and tweak to make it suitable for different jobs can save a lot of time.

Having the work complete can make applying to jobs as soon as you see them easy and quick, taking the stress of job applications away.

With that, setting email or job-alert notifications can also keep you up to date with any new job opportunities in your fields of interest. As well, setting aside weekly slots to search for new jobs can ensure you stay organized and on top of things.

Although the process might seem daunting and can be a lot of effort, I think finding a summer job that will help you in the future is worth your time. In the end, saving money might be the most important, but you might as well try to find a way to develop your skills and your portfolio in the process.

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