Is a steady summer job on your radar?

Landing a summer job is a great idea, especially for high-school and college students. Consider the benefits:

having a great reference for years to come
finding out whether or not a field is for you
discovering skills you have — and some you need

We love having summer help — but we really appreciate part-time summer employees that return for a few years in a row. Returning summer employees know what to do. Because we don’t have to teach them the basics year after year, we let them learn new skills and have more responsibilities. We also develop a relationship of trust.

Of all the factors that go into deciding whether or not we hire someone, personal referrals top the list. We do call references; we ask around. Even high-school students with a reputation of hanging out with questionable acquaintances fall off our list.

“Summer labor” is a pretty crass way of describing the employees that help us during a very busy season, but it’s a widely recognized phrase. If you’re looking for a decent-paying job that will give you a chance to learn some skills, don’t be ashamed of writing “summer laborer” or “seasonal employee” on a future job description. Employers know it means you did more than sweat.

There’s some skill involved in most summer jobs. Our summer employees come to really understand how WoodHaven Log and Lumber material is processed, what it takes, and what they might want to do for a career — or not.

Your hunt for a summer job ideally should start in the late winter or early spring, but don’t rule out opportunities during the summer months. Things change. People quit or are let go. You might be able to help as summer comes to an end, and reap the benefits as though you’d been working since the beginning of the season.

If you think summer jobs only pay minimum wage, think again. We pay better than that; lots of employers do. Because our work takes some skill and is labor-intensive, we pay for it.

We’re not the only employer looking for honest, hard-working help. If you have a strong work ethic, are a team player and don’t mind working hard, you could have a few good references by the time you’re out of college.