Student tips for summer work
This summer, why not get ahead of the crowd and land a summer job before the rush? If you'll be home from university this summer and want to gain some extra experience and extra cash, pay rates are typically £9.50 per hour + , then Thrive can help!
Summer jobs are a great way to earn some extra money. They also look great on your CV as they enhance your skillset and work experience which will be incredibly valuable when applying for roles as a graduate.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 52.9% of individuals aged 16-24 were employed during the months of May to July 2020. This isn’t surprising as this is the start of the prime summer holiday window meaning many businesses need cover for their staff and students are home all summer looking for something to do!
We have put together some tips and tricks to help you make the most out of your time off from university so you can get a summer role that you’ll enjoy!
1. Update your CV
Think about the type of things you can include on your CV. Make sure you include any previous work experience and don’t forget to talk about any extracurricular activities you’ve been involved in such as sports teams or societies at universities. These are great skills that employers look for as it shows you can work in a team and manage your time efficiently.
Additionally, if you have done any volunteering work or received any awards such as the Duke of Edinburgh award, don’t forget to include these on your CV. Other important things to include are skills. These can be skills you’ve picked up whilst are University such as specific software’s from your course, leadership roles, perhaps you have been involved in a committee? Don’t forget to include if you have a driving license too as this can expose you to more opportunities in your area that require you to drive.
2. Take the time to decide what type of role you’d enjoy working in
Just because a summer job is temporary, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t enjoy it. Why not take the time to research industries and types of temporary roles you could do that will complement your CV in the future and career later down the line?
Additionally, if you pick up a temporary role for the summer and enjoy it, this could leave open a window for opportunity for more work during more holidays such as Christmas and Easter.
3. Be flexible with your availability
If you are flexible where you can be with your availability over the summer, you may be more likely to get hired as you’ll be able to assist with more holiday cover. That said, this doesn’t mean that you can’t go on holiday at all or enjoy yourself and relax during your summer holidays from university, it would just be helpful to provide flexibility where you can.
Here at Thrive, we currently have temporary jobs available for: Production Operatives, Packers, Pickers and more. These roles can be full time, part time or occasional shifts that are flexible to your requirements.Check out our latest vacancies here.
4. Get ahead of the game
If you want a summer job to earn some extra cash, ideally you want to make the most of the time you have off from studying and have a role lined up so you can be ready to start as soon as you finish University for the summer.
It is easy to waste time during the summer that could be spent working by completing applications for short term summer roles. That’s why our first tip for you would be to start looking in advance.Why not get ahead of the game and look online or make contact with your local Thrive branch to see what companies are hiring to make sure you can get your application sent in early?
5. Take a walk in your local area & apply in person
Lots of places advertise casual roles with a poster in the window as this is more time efficient than uploading the vacancy to a website. For employers it is also often ideal if they can hire someone who lives locally as this reduces time spent commuting and the risk of any delays due to transportation issues.
Additionally, you can get in touch with your local Thrive recruitment office to see what opportunities are available with us.They will be up to date with the newest roles and could even have a section dedicated to temporary/summer roles.By going through the local job centre, they can also take into consideration your location, age and circumstances, as well as offering useful advice about what to avoid.
6. Apply online
Another way to find summer roles is to search and apply online. Often employers will post out a digital job advert if they have lots of vacancies to fill and because it will reach more applicants. You can either search directly on a business’s website to see if they are advertising any vacancies or look at online job boards.
View Thrive latest jobs to see if there is a temp role for you:
Depending on the type of role you are applying for, you may need a CV and cover letter to support your application. However, some roles require you to answer a few short questions via an online application. It is worth taking the time to make sure your CV and cover letter are up to date and reflect your experience/qualifications.
7. Sign up for job alerts
Something that may save some time when searching for a summer role is to sign up for job alerts via email. The benefit of doing this is that you can filter the type of alert you receive by keywords. For example, if you are seeking a role in retail for the summer months you could set up alerts for roles that include ‘sales’, ‘sales assistant’ ‘sales associate’, ‘cashier’ ‘part-time’ ‘summer’ or ‘store team member’.
Sign up for job alerts with Thrive here:
Thrive offers many temporary and short-term roles that would be perfect for university students looking for something during the summer holidays.
Find out more about our latest roles here.
*You must be 18+ to apply
