Just for a little context, as I write this post it is the third week of August. People are going to think “some expert this guy is,” the summer is almost over. They might be right. However, August is a great time to start thinking about next summer, especially if the student did a great job. And it is also a great time for students to be looking for a part-time job heading into fall because so many students are leaving organizations to head back to school. Students and employers can help each other in this late August/September of 2022.
It is also a good time to review some basics, both for students and for employers, about looking for work for students and things that both students and employers should remember.
For students: If you enjoyed your summer job ask your employer if they would consider hiring you now for next summer. Many employers who have good summer students would like to keep them. Hiring replacement students means having to post, search, interview, and train new people. Additionally, there are no guarantees that the new people will work out. So ask the worst that will happen is the employer will say “no.” By asking for and securing a position, as a student, you can eliminate stress, and uncertainty, and build on an existing relationship.
If you want a different job, start looking right after Christmas both high school and university students. If you wait until later your competition for a limited number of great, summer jobs only increases. If you have done a co-op work term, consider asking the employer if you could come back in the summer. If you haven’t already asked, apply near the end of your work term.
For employers: Organizations that can retain good students through high school and college/university help everyone. Training times are dramatically reduced and returning students can usually handle more tasks and responsibilities. It is important to pay returning students more, as their duties and responsibilities grow, so should their pay.
For students: Your attitude towards your job and your reliability are very important to your employer. Understand, like everyone who starts any job, you have to prove yourself and initially, you may feel the work provided is beneath your skill set. Appreciate everyone has to demonstrate and earn trust and more responsibility.
For employers: Hire students and give them full-time hours during the summer. If you want students to be committed to your organization, you have to earn that commitment. During the school year, balance the needs of the business with their school requirements and their lives as young adults. This appreciation will pay dividends for both parties. Senior high school students and College/University students are working to save or pay for school. Students will provide better results if they do not have to juggle multiple part-time jobs and/or sacrifice their grades because of excessive work demands.
For students: Be prepared to deal with the issue of your phones from day one. Understand that employers will have negative attitudes toward cell phones because they distract attention away from tasks. Good employers will try to compromise, perhaps allowing students to use them during breaks and lunches. As a student, appreciate, understand, and respect your employer’s perspective.
For employers: Be prepared to compromise on cell phones, some employers are very draconian about allowing cell phones and it is understandable if heavy equipment or safety is an issue; for other roles, appreciate just how linked students are to their phones.
For students: Come prepared to work each shift. This might seem obvious, however, many employers will tend to forget that students don’t have years of previous work experience. Certain employers can be very impatient and generalize all students as having a poor work ethic. The real issue is many people, not just students, haven’t learned the importance of having a good work ethic. For example, students may have trouble adjusting to several hours of working in a row, since academically they are used to a shorter day with multiple breaks and lunches.
For employers: Pay your students the same way you would anyone else doing the same job. Student minimum wage in Ontario is less than the basic minimum wage; neither is enough, good organizations will pay more; even 10-15% more will improve loyalty and connectivity to you and your organization.
For students: Appreciate the people who you work with. While your summer or part-time job is not likely going to be your career, respect your co-workers because this is their career.
For employers: Assign a mentor or trainer to work with your students, take the time to develop and teach your students good work habits, grow their responsibility, and incorporate them into your organization’s culture and activities.
For Students: Learn as much as you can, ask questions, and watch how different elements of organization work and don’t work together. All organizations have strengths and weaknesses, learn from the good examples and learn how to avoid the negative examples.
For employers: Be very conscious of how nervous students will be in your environment. Make a conscious effort to help them develop their comfort zones, especially during their first few days. How well your organization “on-boards” students can have long-lasting effects. Try to build engagement through developing their skills, attitude, and their behaviors.
For Students: Ask, watch, and learn about the “hidden rules” in your new organization. Ideally, these will be covered during your “onboarding,” however, be aware of their existence. Hidden rules are things that most people have learned but seldom think about. Examples of hidden rules may include seating arrangements for meetings, how far the dress code can be stretched, and when breaks can be taken.
For employers: Remember students will not know your organization’s hidden rules. Additionally, they will not know many of the things that managers and supervisors take to be common sense. Be prepared for them to ask many questions, or to be embarrassed to ask questions. Employers need to be patient and encouraging. Also anticipate students will make mistakes, use them to help develop rather than discourage them, I like to say, “If you make a mistake we haven’t seen before, we will name it after you, but it has been years since we have seen a new mistake.”
For students: Always do each job you are given to the very best of your ability. The job might be a high-level task or it might be something as basic as sweeping the floor. When you have finished a job, ask for more; doing this is a great way to build your reputation as someone “who gets things done.” Building your reputation and building future references will help you at every stage of your career. Many times references are the deciding factor between getting a job and not getting a job.
For employers: The skills, attitudes, and behaviors of students can vary greatly from their first jobs as teenagers to when they are university students in their twenties. Encourage your people to appreciate the subtle nuances of those differences.
For students: Eat breakfast and eat a proper lunch. Many students skip breakfast or lunch and that makes it very difficult to focus for the workday and it will affect your performance.
For employers: Educate your students on their rights according to labor laws. Health and Safety are paramount as many workplace injuries disproportionately affect new or young employees. Review Employment Standards and your organization’s policies for absenteeism, when and where breaks happen, harassment in the workplace, scheduling, statutory holidays, vacation pay, hours of work, refusing unsafe work, and the role of organizations such as the Ontario Labour Board. Having informed people benefits your organization, from students to the most senior employees.
For Students: Know your rights. Learn about what deductions you are paying. Appreciate that you do have a voice that matters. That any kind of harassment is against the law and what to do about it. That employers must pay you for any clean-up at the end of your shift, and most importantly if something seems wrong, it likely is. Use resources such as 211 to find answers to your questions if your employer can’t or won’t tell you.
For Employers: Train your students well. Teach them how to mitigate risk. Encourage them to notice hazards. Ask for their opinions. The sharing of ideas, skills, and attitudes can help overcome the stigma that both students and older people have about different generations.
For Students: Know what to do if you get hurt at work. Every person, student or otherwise, has legal rights and obligations according to the jurisdiction where they work. Employers have a legal responsibility to prevent workplace injuries and to provide adequate care when they happen. Workers have a legal responsibility to report injuries.
August/September is a good time to look for a summer job. Any time is a good time to remember the skills, attitudes, and behaviors that make any job good for workers and employers. Hiring students is good for businesses and for charities and non-profit organizations. Having a full-time job for the summer or a part-time job anytime is good for students. “IF” and only “if,” everybody follows the rules.
Good luck,
Paul.