Peggy Revell
Although summer may seem like a long ways away, now is the time for students to get into gear and start looking for a job.
“A lot of positions, especially for university and college students, they start hiring and doing things February and March,” explained Bridget McGinnis of Skills & Employment Source/NCDS, who says these students need to be looking at newspapers and job banks early for possible positions.
High school students can’t wait too long to start looking, either, she warned, and should have their résumé ready to go—which means one that’s presentable, with no spelling or grammatical errors.
“Employers, a lot of time, spend very little time, sometimes only 15 seconds, looking at your résumé,” noted McGinnis. “It needs to make a really good first impression in order to get you that interview, that call.”
And a good résumé isn’t enough, she added, stressing students need to be outgoing and make sure it gets into the right hands.
“Students need to make sure that they’re not just dropping off their résumé to whoever,” McGinnis said. “They need to make sure that they are dropping it off with the owner or manager, or somebody who is going to remember their face and make sure that their résumé is getting to the right person.
“The biggest thing to remember about a summer job is that it is an opportunity for them to learn skills for their next job” she continued.
“To remember that the jobs that they have are an opportunity for them to build their employability skills and an opportunity for them to build credible work history, and to build references, which is huge when they’re getting into their adulthood and looking at where they might want to go in their careers.”
Just looking at advertisements and job banks isn’t enough since many times the jobs that are out there are not advertised, McGinnis explained.
“If you really want to work somewhere, go there,” she stressed. “You don’t know for sure whether or not they’re looking . . . you just don’t know whether or not their staffing is what they want it to be.”
For those out looking for a summer job, or for businesses that wants to hire students for the summer, there are plenty of programs to help out.
“Our main service for the summer time is the summer job service,” said McGinnis. “We hire a university or college student every year and their main job basically is to find students a summer job.”
Basically, the program has employers sign up as well as students, and then the student who has been hired as the co-ordinator matches the two together, she explained.
McGinnis said the program’s annual goal is to have at least 84 students find jobs—and that goal is reached every year. It also provides students with the resources to put together résumés and prepare for interviews.
“We do get more than 84 students who sign up in the program, and so the summer job co-ordinator will place even more students than the 84,” she added.
“The program does offer employers a $2 wage subsidy to help with the training, just to encourage them to hire students, to give students new skills, that sort of things,” McGinnis noted.
Those interested can contact the Skills & Employment Source/NCDS at 274-2282 or toll-free at 1-866-974-5627.
For businesses looking to hire students, a similar program out there is the Summer Job Service offered by the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.
It gives grants to businesses that helps offset the costs of a hired student’s wage.
“What it does is it provides $2 an hour for students for up to 560 hours,” explained Jane Gillon, the local Northern Development Officer.
The only criteria the students have to fulfil is to be aged 15-24, be returning to school in the fall, and be eligible to work in Canada.
“They can be doing any kind of job,” Gillon said. “There’s a whole variety of employers right across the district who have used the program.”
In the past, this has included everything from students working for municipality recreation committees to private-sector businesses such as retail stores, fast food restaurants, and agriculture industries.
“It’s really designed to encourage [businesses] to hire students,” Gillon noted. “And this year it’s a tough year for employers, so we’d still really like to see them hire students to give them a bit of experience.”
With applications being accepted until April 17, Gillon urged businesses interested in the program to call her at 274-5320.
Meanwhile, for those with entrepreneurial ambitions, programs like “Summer Company” are available to help out.
“‘Summer Company’ is a program offered through the Province of Ontario that provides grant financing, and business training and mentoring, for students to open up their own business for the summer,” said Mike Greaves of the Northwest Business Centre in Kenora, which oversees the program for this region.
“So the students can access up to $3,000 to run their own company,” he noted.
To be eligible, high school or post-secondary students must be aged 15-29, live in Ontario, and have a business idea they will operate during their summer break.
“Students come up with a business idea, a business project that they want to embark upon,” Greaves explained. “And then they work with us to create the business plan and do the full application.”
Past students have run businesses ranging from painting, landscaping, and small promotional design companies to photography and catering.
“Last year in Stratton, a high school student—it’s hard to explain in short—but they did a digital conversion company,” Greaves noted. “So everything that was old, they digitalized it. Old photo albums they would make picture CDs.
“They would take VHSs and make DVDs. Just converting everything that’s old into new age stuff.”
Many of the businesses started by students are service based, Greaves added, since they have lower overhead costs and are more sustainable.
“It’s very hard to do retail in the short timeframe, and then the start-up costs are a lot more,” he said. “Whereas if you’re offering a service, it’s your time that you’re getting paid for and it’s your time that your company is about, so it’s a little bit easier and a little bit more convenient for the short-term projects.”
Despite the economic downturn, Greaves believes there’s still opportunity for success with a student-run business.
“I think there will be greater opportunity to do something self-employed for the summer because the businesses around us are the ones who may or may not have the jobs to offer,” he reasoned. “Which doesn’t mean that the customer base isn’t there.
“A service business, if you can find sort of the service set that’s needed, or almost like a commodity service, there’s tons of opportunity, especially in our area,” he stressed.
Greaves is urging students to explore all their options when it comes to starting their own business.
“Start talking to family and friends first and then organizations like us that can kind of put some light on either the project or its feasibility,” he remarked. “If you have an idea, [don’t] be scared off but just research it a little bit and if you’re really interested in the thought of being your own boss and running your own company, to give it a shot.
“It’s just a short-term thing,” he added, meaning it doesn’t necessarily have to be continued the following summer.
“But the experience is well worth it. It could open up a lot of opportunities.”
Applications for “Summer Company” are due around the beginning of May. The form can be accessed through its website at www.nwbiz.ca or by calling toll-free 1-866-336-7779.
Those thinking about starting up a small business or summer business also can contact Angela Halvorsen of the Rainy River Future Development Corp. for help.
“I can help them with business planning, financing, advice, and more. I can also connect them with other people that may be able to help or mentor them,” she explained.
“I can help them decide if their business idea is viable.
“We also have many resources to help on the way to self-employment,” Halvorsen added. “We also have loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments up to $150,000.
“They can call, e-mail, ,or come in to see me to get help with their business.”
Halvorsen can be contacted at angela@rrfdc.on.ca or by calling 274-3276 or toll-free 1-800-465-8502.
The experience of running their own business is something students can build upon for years to come, Greaves enthused.
“I think the experience of managing a small business at a student age is extraordinary,” he said. “They get experience in working with customers, and so communication is a big component of it.
“They get experience working with financials, collecting revenues and paying expenses, and paying bills and all of that kind of thing, understanding the opportunities of self-employment as a career.”
“Being your own boss has many benefits and that’s an experience in itself,” Greaves added.
“It’s a unique experience to be your own boss, and if that’s something that you can put on your résumé for post-secondary applications or job applications, there’s a lot of character development and great experience to build on as [students] go into education and into real jobs.”
