Summer Jobs Galore

No doubt, the job news is dire out there. I keep reading about the 7.2% unemployment rate, plus the greatest amount of jobs lost in this country since 1945, in addition to hearing friends announce that they've been laid off. There is bad news wherever you look. I am truly thankful that I have a job, a good one at that, and I like what I do. I am happy to share though, that this month is hoppin' on CoolWorks.com with lots of employers posting their summer jobs for 2009. It may be a while until the jobs actually start, but like many things in life the early bird gets the worm, so now is the time to start researching and applying to places you want to work this summer. Especially this year, where I predict that many more people will be applying for the same jobs so you best get a jump on your competition by contacting employers this month.

Here are a couple of ways to stay connected to the latest and greatest on Cool Works.

• Add the RSS feed of our What's New page to your favorite Reader. Simply click on the orange RSS button to make the jobs come to you.
  
• Join My CoolWorks, our social network specifically for summer job and seasonal job seekers. Tap into the resources of over 1800 members who have been there and done that.
  
• Post your resume to have targeted email notifications sent to you for only the type of jobs and places you are looking to work.
• Sign up for our email blast that highlights the newest jobs to be posted on our site and usually includes a bit of wisdom from the Cool Works crew.

We welcome your comments and feedback here. If there is anything we can do to help you find that dream job, please let us know.

Secrets of the Job Hunt - Kari Quaas on JobRadio.fm

Near the end of 2008, I was interviewed by Chris Russell of JobRadio.fm for a podcast discussing Cool Works and some tips on how to get summer jobs. You can learn more about this podcast and other secrets of the job hunt on the following link.

http://www.secretsofthejobhunt.com/profiles/blogs/cool-careers-from-coolworks

If you just want to listen to the podcast itself you can download it below.

Download MP3 (10 minutes)

Cool Works FAQ

We realized recently, in our ongoing quest to serve our job seekers better, that we need to add a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page to our website. We certainly provide all kinds of resources for finding a summer job, seasonal job, ski resort job, or for those non-skiers out there, other winter jobs in warm places, but people want and need more.

Here is a quick summary of some of the cool things Cool Works provides to job seekers free of charge.

* "Get Started" - a page for those new to CoolWorks.com to help them find their way.
* Our own social network, My CoolWorks, where those seeking to do or learn about seasonal work can go to network with other like-minded folks already out there living the dream.
* Blogging the Dream - a blog dedicated to cool people doing cool stuff all over the world. If you're not inspired, you're not reading them all.
* Tips, Tales & Trails - a blog dedicated to whatever catches the CoolWorks team's fancy and other tips for finding a seasonal job.
* The Seasonal Worker's Guide - a page covering topics like resume tips, our ride board, travel websites, etc.
* International Job Seekers - a resource page for those people who live abroad and want to learn how to get a seasonal job in the U.S. and what visas are required.
* Work & Study Abroad - a page for U.S. citizens to go and learn ways that they can work and study around the word.
* Cool Works RSS feeds - a way for those who don't want to come back everyday to see what's new, we offer feeds for most of our pages to make your life easier.

However, even with all of this in place, we still know that it is human nature to simply ask a question rather than read what already exists. To that end, Cool Works has two emails dedicated to general questions and feedback from our users, affectionately known as the tribe. And, within in the last two weeks, we added Feedback buttons to most of our pages. Look to the right on most of our pages and it will be there at the edge.

So, as we develop our FAQ page, we would appreciate your assistance in coming up with the questions that keep you up at night or at least those you want answers to regarding summer, winter, and seasonal jobs. Help us, help you (a la Jerry Maguire).



Feel free to leave your comments here or send us an email at greatjobs@coolworks.com with your ideas, thoughts and questions. We'll do our best to answer them or throw them to the My CoolWorks tribe for their, pardon the pun, seasoned answers.

Thanks for reading!

The Tribe Has Spoken

About a year ago Cool Works made a move away from the Forums on CoolWorks.com to a social network on a platform created by Ning. We called our network My CoolWorks and had humble hopes for it to become a fertile ground for like minded individuals to share stories, wisdom, photos, and advice about where to work, what to do and the like. Now, one year later, we could not be happier about the response and the participation.

Like anything though, it is one thing to be happy with what one has created, but when people unprovoked say nice things about it too, well, that is the highest form of flattery.

Brian, one of our My CoolWorks members, did just that. You can read his blog post here. He titled the blog post "Why I LOVE MyCoolWorks...." We love the sentiment and are proud that we have created something useful for people living the seasonal life.

So, if you have yet to check it out, what are you waiting for?

My CoolWorks is waiting for you. : )