Ski Resorts Hiring for upcoming winter season

Your summer season is nearing an end. Even if you have a late season contract till October sometime, the end of your season is now officially closer than the beginning. The air is starting to have a chill about it, especially here in the Rockies, and with that a lot of us start to think about the skiing and riding possibilities in our future.

The good news is ski resorts nationwide are starting to hire. Now is the time to have a look at all the cool opportunities out there and start submitting those applications. More good news is that many more ski resorts this year have housing for their employees! And some are really getting with the times and are offering health benefits for their seasonal employees - probationary periods usually required.

So start shopping around our ski jobs page to decide where your next winter adventure will be!

Can they ask me that in an interview?

As the summer job season begins to wane and the ski resort season begins to wax (pun intended), you may wonder as you go into interviews what employers can and cannot ask you. It is a good question. While employers have the right to learn a lot about you during the recruiting and interviewing process, to determine whether or not you are a good fit for their organizations, it is your right to be asked questions in a lawful and proper way. During your interviews, pay attention to their questions so you can ensure that you are ready to respond in case they cross the line.

Here are some basic categories that should make your "red flag" sensor wake up.

• Family
• Religion
• Criminal History
• Ethnicity
• Health
• Age

This is not to say that they cannot ask you questions about the above, but notice how the question is asked.

For example, there are laws in place regarding a minimum age for serving alcohol so it is okay for an employer to ask you "Are you at least 21 years of age?" If someone asks you straight out, "How old are you?," they are asking that question illegally. You may for the sake of politeness say that you are not required to answer that question, but would be happy to confirm that you meet their minimum requirements.

The key is to never lose one's cool during an interview. If an employer's representative asks you an improper question, don't take it personally or get mad, just re-direct them and explain in a professional manner that their question is improper and you will not answer the question as asked. If the questions are extremely flagrant, you may simply determine that this employer is not the one for you. Remember that interviews are designed for both sides to learn more about each other.

If you would like to learn about more examples of how and where these interview question wires might get crossed, check out the following article by Lily Garcia on the WashingtonPost.com website.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/jobs/features/2007/interview-survival-kit/improper_questions.html

Need Help Getting That Summer Job? Send a Thank You Note

When someone grants you an interview for a summer job and even if you do not believe it was your best interview, if you send a thank you note, that will score you big points.

Check out this article from HR.BLR.com.

http://hr.blr.com/news.aspx?id=76772&source=RSA&effort=4

If you're still looking for a summer job, take a gander at these late summer season opportunities from CoolWorks.com.

• Michigan is calling. The Island House, Horn's Bar and Yankee Rebel Tavern, and Mission Point Resort are all looking for folks to finish their seasons.
• Check out these great summer job opportunities in the great state of Alaska. You could work on a boat, cook in near the Arctic National Park, or be a raft guide. Don't let these opportunities pass you by.
• For more summer jobs, check out CoolWorks.com.
  

The Sounds and Smells of Home

Someone once challenged me as part of a larger audience to tell them or at least think about what my home town smelled like (of all things) and what sounds came to mind. It is a really interesting question and as time went on the question never faded from my mind but instead only cemented the images and scents that I think of about Everett and/or Seattle, Washington. I think of seagulls and seaweed and the smell of the water in the air. Living in the Pacific Northwest is something I love and I do not think I will ever leave. Do not get me wrong, I love to travel and see new places, but for me, I just cannot beat the smell and sounds of home. The shriek of a seagull calling its buddy and informing him of their next meal means I am in the right place. I get it and maybe it gets me.

And I must mention that this previous weekend the sound that told me I am home is the Blue Angels. It is Seafair in Seattle and I just love the sound of the roaring engines. Maybe it is because I was a teenager in the 80s when Tom Cruise starred in Top Gun, but really can there be anything better than the Blue Angels roar...except for maybe the Hydros?

Do you have any places like that? Places that you call home?

And...

Have you ever had a Cool Works summer job that was so great that you called your summer job home, your home?