For many students, a regular paycheck is necessary to offset the expense of living away from home. Eugene’s cost of living is on the rise, and the job market can be difficult to break into.
Desk positions exist for those interested in filing, answering phones and making photocopies. Short-term work, such as coaching, yard-maintenence or day-care, is available as well. Retail is a popular field for some. But according to a survey of 76 students,the majority of people entering the part-time work force are most interested in food-related jobs.
Granted, not all types of cuisine create desired work environments. Businesses classified as fast food are widely shunned, with grocery-bagging a close second. Food preparation, such as sandwich-making, ice cream-scooping and bakery work, are more attractive, though many say such jobs would be more tempting if they paid more than minimum wage.
Coffee shops and cafes rate slightly better, with restaurant-server positions topping most people’s lists.
When judging the desirability of workplaces, atmosphere and wages seem to be the most important factors.
“Why work 30 hours a week earning minimum wage when I can make the same in 10 hours with tips as a server?” University junior Rachel Welch said. “It’s a no-brainer.”
Yet serving positions must be more difficult in some way, or everyone would be waiting tables. Welch says serving is not an easy field to break into. Managers agree that the food service industry is hierarchical. Most servers started at the bottom and worked their way up.
Welch said she spent three years in a coffee shop before she was hired to serve.
“Moving up in the food industry is mostly about experience,” she said. “It’s just the employer’s way of making sure you’re reliable.”
Since many employers have stacks of resumes to sort through while hiring, it makes sense that they want reliability in their trainees. But for those starting out, this can be a vicious cycle. It takes experience to make experience, so to speak. In “How To Find a Start-Up Job,” Valerie Singer offers strategies to influence employers.
Singer advises that new job-seekers sit down and assess their skills, expectations and requirements regarding a future job. This will narrow down the options, she writes
Next, Singer maintains it’s necessary to create a resume, even if this is the first working experience. Singer emphasizes that many first jobs are arranged through networking, so make a list of contacts. A quick glance through the help-wanted section of any newspaper will show some of the companies that are actually hiring, but Singer points out that most jobs are not advertised.
“Get phone numbers and call for job possibilities,” she writes. “Initiative is always appreciated.”
Once the application is in, Singer advises a follow-up call if the management doesn’t respond within a week.
In “The Teenager’s Guide to the Real World,” Marshall Brain stresses the management side of the job hunt.
According to Brain, employers want motivated teens who are going to arrive to work on time, have a positive attitude, work hard, work well with others, show leadership qualities, work their full shift and do the best job they can.
Though working can buffer everyday costs, having a part-time job is not for everyone. Working and attending school can be a negative combination, Professor Robert Hampel said.
“Students who work more than 20 hours a week hurt their grade-point averages, regardless of what sort of student they were before they began working,” he said. “Sixty percent of employed teens acknowledge that working interferes with course reading and writing. More than half say that working makes it harder to stay alert in class.”
Many students have to work, but a balance can be achieved.
“Jobs are jobs,” Brain states. “You are going to have to work, no matter how ‘cool’ the job or company, so be prepared for some days to not be as great as others. The keys to remember are that you are earning money, you are gaining experience and you are making good contacts.”