How to take advantage of summer jobs in a difficult economy

Being a new graduate or a college student at this time is challenging because of the general slowed economy and low employment. These challenges are also because of the stiff competition in the job market stemming from the millions of graduates released into the job market every year, without observable improvement in the number of available opportunities. Therefore, graduates, especially new ones and college students need to innovate and take advantage of every opportunity available to get gainful work.

Summer jobs are popular among students and now more than ever before, even for new graduates. Contrary to what most of you think, summer jobs can provide students with job search reprieve because of the benefits that come with them. Apart from earning you a wage or salary, your summer job gives you industry experience and can be a stepping-stone to something better because of the experience received.
When you are looking for a summer job, there are many different opportunities you can take advantage of in your city. Some of these jobs may not be glamorous as you dream, but adequate to move you from being unemployed. This article explores some of the summer job opportunities you should be exploring now.

Table waiting

This classic summer job opportunity has been famous among students and new graduates since time immemorial. Many restaurants and hotels reserve these job openings specifically for students and new graduates in many places. If you apply on time whether through campus notices or other job sites, you can get some good tips and people skills on this job.

Freelancing

Compared to the past when you had to leave college and get work in an office somewhere, nowadays, things are different. There are countless opportunities for freelancing as a student, especially online. When you are still in college, you can choose to sign up with any of the freelance websites and earn your living all through the summer and beyond, if you already graduated. However, know that such work will be quite demanding time wise compared to other regular summer jobs and hence, need to be prepared beforehand.

Sales representative

Even in a shrinking economy with little or no significant growth, sales representative jobs will never end. If you do your research properly, you can discover a fast moving product company to keep you busy in the summer. Its however, important to note that sales is a people job and you can only do well if you know the product fine, are open minded, courageous, sharp and a good communicator.

Librarian

If you have never thought about working in a library setting, the summer would be a perfect time to experiment. There are many libraries, which take on new graduates and college students during the summers for a fair wage. The next time you go to borrow a book in the summer, just ask about the existence of such opportunities. You will be shocked at how fast they take you.
In general, succeeding in a seasonal, temporal or summer job needs you to be proactive; many opportunities abound. You also need to have a tailored resume, each time to ensure no opportunities pass you.