Summer Jobs are an Investment in Your Future
June 4, 2021
In the summer months ahead, there are plenty of opportunities for teenagers to start exploring their career interests. Summer jobs and internships are a great way for young people to test out industries they are curious about while earning money. A recent three-episode series by The Money JAR podcast de-mystifies the summer job-search process for students. Junior Achievement’s podcast provides clear advice on how to have enriching summer work experiences to build toward your future career.
First, Money JAR co-hosts Mindy Lockard and Rishika Vinnakota interview the President of Junior Achievement of Northern California, Cristene Burr, about securing a summer job. In Episode 172: Finding What You Want, Cristene discusses how students should approach the summer job search. A key suggestion she proposes is “Doing your research and finding out who works there.” She explains, “It’s a referral, it’s networking, and it’s someone who can vouch for you.” Exploring personal connections is a key part of networking and can help an individual find out about job opportunities and get an interview. Cristene also offers suggestions on how to use your experience with previous jobs, school and extracurricular activities to stand out from the crowd.
Career-counseling expert Linda Favero discusses how students can put their best foot forward in Episode 173: Resumes and Interview Prep. She gives tips on how to craft a resume that highlights what an individual can bring to an employer. Linda also talks about how to prepare for an interview, from preliminary research to sending a follow-up afterward. She is a firm believer that a thank you note is always appropriate!
In the third and final episode of this series, Episode 174: Internship Stories from Students, two high school seniors share their personal internship experiences. It can be hard to decide to work during a time when many of their peers are taking time to relax and have fun, but Lily and Phoebe Garrett encourage young people to seek out these opportunities. Phoebe says, “If you have the opportunity to do something unpaid, it’s a really big investment for your future. It can help you figure out what you want to do with your life.” Lily went through a formal application and interview process to secure her internship with Nike, while Phoebe reached out informally to a local tech startup called Senaptec, Inc., and got an internship through her personal connections. Both Lily and Phoebe talk about what a typical day looked like in sports engineering for Nike and product testing for Senaptec, Inc. They share valuable lessons from their internships that they will carry on into their future education and career pursuits.
Students interested in getting a summer job or internship can listen to these three podcast episodes to learn about finding jobs, crafting resumes and cover letters, and interviewing.
All episodes of The Money JAR are available on major podcasting platforms and at juniorachievementradio.com. Check out new episodes every other Monday!