We all know what it’s like to try and find ourselves a job for the summer, whether it’s doing something like working in a fast food place, a department store, or even driving for a delivery service. We have all made several attempts at trying to find a part time job in order to get some experience about how to join the workforce. For me, it has been a long, agonizing series of hit and misses.
I have always had some trouble finding a job and keeping it for more than a year. The last time I had a real job was in the spring of last year when I worked at one of the local computer repair shops, Botnay Bay Computer, in Portsmouth, NH. At that time I worked as an intern where I learned to clean up malware and viruses in a computer. This was back when I thought I wanted to do computer technology for my major, although after awhile I figured out this was something way over my head. I didn’t liked learning about computers very much because there was just too many components I had to remember. Which is how I decided to find work while learning how to become a writer.
At the start of summer, I had no idea how to go about finding a job. In the past my strategy was always to fill out applications for all of the restaurants and stores that I usually frequent and see if I could get a job there. For me this includes places like GameStop, Best Buy, Burger King, Chili’s, etc. It made sense at the time since these were my favorite places to shop in town. Unfortunately, these places are usually popular spots for many other teen job hunters like myself trying to find work for the summer, which is why I decided to rely on a job website instead.
I started using the website Indeed.com in order to help me with my job search during the summer. It was very reassuring for me to find out that I didn’t have to go to multiple websites or go physically to a potential employer’s location and fill out an application. At first I searched job positions that had delivery in the name because I thought it would be easier if all I did was drive my car around for my work. I filled out applications for positions such as driving for sporting goods companies or greenhouses, where they needed plants delivered to people who wanted them, but I couldn’t do any of these jobs because they involve too much heavy lifting and I’m not very fond of manual labor. I also tried looking up a taxi company called Uber, but the hours for that job were a little too random for me. These were all jobs that I decided against because their description didn’t have anything I was looking for. But then there were still the interviews I went through.
It saddens me to think that even though I went through many interviews over the course of the summer, not a single one of them gave me steady employment. One of the interviews was for a local movie theater in which I believe I did well, but I still never heard back from them. Another was at the local Burger King, and when I got there they told me the position had already been filled. There was also one in which I had to drive all the way to Concord from my home in Dover only to find out that it was another job that required a lot of manual labor in packaging T-shirts all day. Because of these failures I even began to wonder if I should bother with a summer job anymore. Of all these interviews I did the only one that actually ended up giving me a job for a few days: the delivery driver position at Domino’s Pizza.
I was excited about working at Domino’s at the time since this was a job that involved getting tips. I went through the training and managed to complete it quicker than most people do, but that didn’t really mean I understood what the job entailed. At the time I assumed the job would be focused on doing deliveries for most of my shift. Unfortunately, it turned out that delivery drivers have almost all the same responsibilities as those in the team member position. Because of that it was hard for me to remember all the various duties I was expected to perform; such as sorting the boxes, cutting the pizza, and cleaning the dishes. It seemed that the fast-paced environment of a restaurant was something I couldn’t get used to. The part that really messed things up for me was that I was supposed to answer the phone whenever I could. I’m not normally fond of talking to people on the phone, especially if it’s somebody I’m not familiar with. Because of this they eventually decided to let me go when I had only been working there for five days.
I like to think that this summer had been one of the busiest I had ever had. To make a long story short, I’ve never actually held a job during the entire summer break. Even now, I keep thinking of how much money I could have made if I had at least managed to keep that job I had at Dominos. I am at least glad that now I’ve managed to get a work-study job doing office work here on campus. Only time can tell if I’ll managed to hold this job as well.
