Looking for a Holiday Job
Top Tips for Finding Temporary Work as a Student
Course fees, accommodation, books … the costs can really rack up whilst you are at university or college. That is why for many students the holiday periods become a time to find temporary work to help pay the bills. However, it can be difficult to get your application noticed when everyone else is applying at the same time – so what’s the best approach? Take a look at our top tips for students to get you off to a flying start.
Our Top 5 Tips:
- Start your search early
Leaving it to the last minute will mean you are directly competing with all the other temporary workers in your area. Start your search a few weeks before term ends – try speaking to local businesses or start searching local job boards. Demand will be high so registering early will get you off to a good start! - Create a separate CV
Remember, you are applying for temporary or seasonal work here, not your dream graduate job. Create a separate CV for temporary positions, where you can focus on experience that you have that is relevant to the job in hand. You may even have different CVs for different sectors – for example office work, driving work or warehouse jobs. Focus on key employability skills such as time-management, using your initiative, being organised. If you can drive that may be relevant, as is any experience of similar roles you may have done previously. Using non-work examples can also be helpful – for example stating that you are a member of a local sports team demonstrates good teamwork. - Think about your availability
Employers are looking for reliability and consistency, so think carefully about what you are committed to. If you are planning a holiday, or need to return for exam, let employers know that you won’t be available. Staying as flexible as possible is key for casual work – you may be offered jobs or shifts at very short notice. - Don’t take on too much
Your holiday from college or university is your opportunity to recharge your batteries before returning to your studies. Working full time for the whole period could leave you feeling burnt out and may have a detrimental impact on your studies. - Enrol with a recruitment agency
Enrolling with a recruitment agency in advance and giving them a copy of your CV will ensure they are able to fire it off to potential employers as soon as the enquiries come through. They will also have access to jobs that you might not see elsewhere. The Best Connection has 85 regional branches and an on-line jobs board keeping you up to date with everything happening in your area.
So, here we have our top tips for finding temporary work when studying – we hope you have found them useful. Please do share them with your friends and let us know how you got on!
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