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Discovering Summer Jobs: A Guide to find Summer Jobs for Students

Dheeraj
June 02, 2023

Uncover the Best Summer Jobs: A Student's Guide to Finding Employment

If you are a high-school student, you might have narrowed down what kinds of subjects interest you, and are getting a better understanding of which ones you are good at. Now, take this a step further—what sorts of jobs could you see yourself doing? If you have some idea, this summer might be a good time to take a step into the workspace to get a glimpse of what those jobs might look like. And if you have no clue at all, the holidays are a great opportunity to start exploring your interests, to see what sort of work might pique your interest!

Summer Employment for Students

1. Internships:

An internship is a short period of employment often offered by organisations and companies to students, and they are a great way to gain experience and start building up your resume. If you have a specific career or industry already in mind as a potential option, taking up an internship in a field that interests you will help give you relevant hands-on experience and a better idea of your aptitudes and interests. But even if you aren’t sure of what sort of career you want for yourself, this is still a meaningful mental space from which to start exploring. Internships are a fine way to explore your options and get acquainted with different types of work, to find which ones are suitable and enjoyable to you.

In addition to this, interning will also prepare you for your further education and future job opportunities, as being exposed to the workspace will help develop your self-confidence and sense of independence, and will teach you to take responsibility for your work. Working environments are quite different from those you experience in school, and taking up a spot as an intern is an effective way to get introduced to the workspace as a student—to learn to communicate with your seniors in a professional capacity, to take instruction, and to implement feedback efficiently. And, of course, paid internships are a very productive way to earn some money of your own!

Another big reason to take up internships is that they look very attractive on college applications. If you’ve begun thinking about your options for further education, you might want to consider interning, to give your applications a good boost.

There are a few ways to land an internship as a student in high school. Reaching out to family, friends and teachers can help you connect with industry professionals for internship opportunities, if you know people who work in fields that interest you, or that you’d like to explore. Alternatively, there are several platforms online that can help you secure internships in various sectors as a high-school student.

Here are a few useful resources to help you find internship opportunities:
LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/
Internshala: https://internshala.com/
Indeed: https://in.indeed.com/
Prosple: https://in.prosple.com/

2. Resume Building:

Creating and building on your resume (or CV) is the first step in your professional journey. A resume is a written document that will give your potential employers a comprehensive idea of your educational background, relevant skills, prior experience and accomplishments, and this is a crucial part of any job or internship application. As a high-school student, your resume will contain mainly details about your schooling, co-curricular and extracurricular activities. In addition to adding grades or marks from your exams, be sure to focus on your other accomplishments in your resume. For instance, your achievements in extracurricular activities such as music, sports, dance, art, and so on, are a great way to showcase your talents, passion and drive for hard work.

Additionally, co-curricular achievements such as good scores in competitive exams and quizzes, or projects that you’ve done for school fairs or competitions, are an excellent means to display your competence and willingness to take initiative. Other things to highlight in your resume are any leadership positions you’ve taken up, within school or otherwise, any volunteer work you may have done before, and any skill-building courses you may have taken outside of school.

When creating your resume, reaching out to friends and family for their impressions and feedback is always good practice.

3. Interview Tips:

Being interviewed is an important part of securing any work opportunity. Interviews give you a chance to get into conversation with your potential employers, to share with them your personality and skills, and to show them why you would be a good fit for their company or organisation. Nail an interview, and you can be sure that your chances of securing a position are exponentially higher.

To help you prepare for interviews, here are a few essential tips to keep in mind:

Do your Research: Before you sit down for an interview, always make sure you are well-informed about the organisation you are applying to. Be familiar with the kind of work, service or product it specializes in, and be prepared to answer questions about why you want to take up the kind of work that they do.
Take your time to answer questions: It is very natural to be nervous when you are being interviewed. Make sure to stay calm, and when you are asked a question, take a second to think about your answer before speaking. Remember that your interviewers are human beings just like you!
Show willingness to take initiative: It’s a good idea to go into an interview with basic potential ideas and insights that you might have for the role you’re applying for. This shows your interviewer that you’ve thought about the opportunity, are enthusiastic about the job, and are willing to take initiative.
Present yourself well: While the content of your interview is the primary thing that matters, it doesn’t hurt to present yourself well when you show up to an interview. Dress for success; formals or semi-formals are a good choice to show that you’ve put in effort and are taking the opportunity seriously.
Be courteous: Being respectful of your interviewer(s) is probably the most obvious piece of advice for an interview; be punctual and mindful of your interview’s time, always thank them for the opportunity regardless of how you think the interview has gone, and be extra careful to be polite!