By admin, on February 15th, 2014  Question: I’m applying for a summer research job for students at a college near my home. I’m a sophomore bio major and I worked at a lab in my own college during the fall and the job sounds pretty interesting but I’m nervous cause I haven’t had to apply to anything like this before. The application says to give 4 letters of recommendation plus an essay. I don’t know who to get to write letters. I have a coach I can ask. Would it be bad to ask my high school guidance counselor? He knew me pretty well, but I haven’t seen him in more than two years. And where should I get the fourth letter? I don’t know too many people back home anymore. ~ Abby T., Tempe, AZ
Answer: A summer research opportunity can be a very beneficial experience, especially if it is doing work that you might want to do long-term. Typically, colleges ask for letters of recommendation from people who have observed your work, and even better, people who have supervised your work. Ideally, these are people who have seen your research ability and can speak knowledgeably about your capacity to conduct research. Most colleges also typically prefer to see letters written by faculty. You mentioned working at a lab at your college. Would the supervisor at your college’s lab be willing to write you a strong letter of recommendation? Perhaps you could also ask a biology professor who is familiar with your work? Do you have any other professors who have observed your research or academic work? Even a letter written by a faculty member from a different department who can write a strong letter on your behalf can be powerful. If you can get three of the four letters written by faculty at your own college, that would be good. A current work supervisor of a campus job would also be a good person to ask to write a letter.
Continue reading Questions Answered: Whom should I ask to write recommendation letters? »
By admin, on June 16th, 2012  We had the opportunity to interview Annie Favreau of InsideJobs.com to find out how high school and college students can get the most out of summer employment.
SC: Aside from summer camps and retail, what are some other popular summer jobs for college students?
AF: Some of the best summer jobs can be found at your college or university. For example, you could work in the dorms as a resident assistant, or help troubleshoot computers as an IT tech. If you’re more of an outdoorsy type, you could join a landscaping crew. It’s tough work, but you’ll spend the summer in the sunshine. Another option that will get you on your feet is working as a nanny. No matter what you choose, a summer job can be a great way to get some experience and earn some cash.
SC: What are the pros and cons of taking summer jobs vs. internships?
Continue reading Getting the Most Out of Your Summer Job »
By admin, on April 24th, 2007  If you’ve chosen to work for the summer rather than take an unpaid internship, don’t think that your summertime employment has to be completely left off your future resumes. With some planning, creativity and a proactive attitude, you can turn your summer job into a career-building experience. Here are a few tips:
- Identify the skills you want to develop – skills that you don’t already have or would like to master.
- Determine which of these skills might be acquired or honed during your summer job. Try to think outside the box, or at least outside the job description. For example, imagine that you are interested in a career in public relations and know you need to shore up on your public speaking skills, but your summer job is as a ride attendant at a fair where you’ve worked for the past two summers. You might consider gaining public speaking skills by getting involved in training groups of new staff. Here’s another example: you work for your local parks and recreation department weeding and planting, but you’d like to develop stronger organizational skills. You might consider volunteering to inventory the department’s equipment and supplies. You could also go out of your way to create a spreadsheet that the department can use to keep their inventory in order.
- Once you know the skills you would like to acquire and have an idea of a way you might acquire them through the job, approach your supervisor. Many supervisors would be thrilled if you approach them requesting more responsibility – provided that the work for which you have been hired to do will still be done, and the new responsibility will benefit the organization.
- Document all the work you do over the summer, paying particularly close attention to the added responsibilities you’ve accepted and the new skills you’ve developed.
- Add the new experience to your resume, and in preparation for future interviews, become comfortable describing in proactive terms the way you acquired your new skills.
You may be thinking, this sounds like a lot of extra work! You’re right! But, by demonstrating your willingness to go the extra mile, and by creatively developing different ways to gain new skills and experiences, your hard work will be noticed by both your summer and prospective employers.
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Question: I’m applying for a summer research job for students at a college near my home. I’m a sophomore bio major and I worked at a lab in my own college during the fall and the job sounds pretty interesting but I’m nervous cause I haven’t had to apply to anything like this before. The application says to give 4 letters of recommendation plus an essay. I don’t know who to get to write letters. I have a coach I can ask. Would it be bad to ask my high school guidance counselor? He knew me pretty well, but I haven’t seen him in more than two years. And where should I get the fourth letter? I don’t know too many people back home anymore. ~ Abby T., Tempe, AZ
