Landing a Summer Job: Mixing Experience, Connections, Patience

Between increased competition and the sometimes-unsuccessful quest for an internship, the summer job market is proving to be a tough one for local students.

While a handful of employers around Brewster and Southeast are hiring, several small businesses are not. For some owners, their returning summer staff — often made up of college kids who are veteran workers in their establishments — suffices. Those who have jobs are holding on to them, even if they are less than ideal.

Brewster resident Sean Iglthaler, 19, started his position in the produce department at the in Southeast about a month and a half ago, following a transfer from the Carmel branch. He just wrapped up his first two years at Westchester Community College and is transferring to Baruch College in the fall to study business and finance. 

“Before I got that job [at the Carmel branch], I was searching for a job for about a year,” he said. “I’d love to have an internship somewhere, but I haven’t gotten to that yet.”

Other local college students have had to settle for part-time jobs, too, holding off on building a professional resume and focusing on making money.

“I’m happy and satisfied here,” Lara Sullivan, a 19-year-old employee at and student at Salisbury University in Maryland said of her employment. “I can’t look for another job because I know that as a college student for the summer, they [prospective employers] are not looking to hire people.”

Just like the professional employers many college students hope to land jobs with after graduation, several local establishments are also staying away from new summer hires this season. At , the kids and young adults who gained experience when they joined the staff in past summers were lucky. Management is not looking for more help at the moment.

“We have a staff that usually we’ve hired young, in around the tenth grade, and they usually stay with us all through college,” owner Kelly Quinn said. “It shows us that they like us and we like them and it’s a comfortable environment.”

The same rings true at , where training time also factors into staffing needs.

“We hire college students who have already worked here because they have already trained,” Store Manager Kay Duddie said.

Another Southeast employer, who wished to remain anonymous, does not hire for the summer “because they [new hires] learn and then they leave.”

The lucky ones who have snatched up summer jobs sometimes benefit from references by close friends and family members — which may allow them to skip the scrambling process of applying to multiple places.

Taryn Thompson, a 20-year-old student at Pace University, says she got her job at Aversano’s Restaurant nearly one year ago because she had a friend who worked there. Eesha Parkash, a 17-year-old Brewster High School student, was given her position at Alben’s Cleaners on Route 22 when a close friend quit and recommended her to fill the spot. And Jessica Harper, a 16-year-old from New Fairfield, Conn. who could not wait to work at Kelly’s Corner when she was old enough, needed the recommendation of her dad — who tends bar there — to help her score the slot.

For some successful job-landers, the key is a mix of networking and preparation. Kristen Cartledge, a 19-year-old cashier at Kobacker’s since 2006, applied for her new summer position months ago. She says gaining the position as a counselor at Hillside Camp at wasn’t easy — she filled out her application in March and is still convinced that she was helped into the job by her mother, another Green Chimney’s employee.

For those who are still searching, here are some tips and resources:

• The offers a Summer Youth Employment Program for students within a specific financial bracket. Call 845-278-8021 for more information.
• Consider this advice, from a Southeast employer who wished to remain anonymous: "Have something filled out that says who you are. Come in with some kind of type written resume, something very simple — it doesn’t have to be a full adult resume but just have something. Don’t just leave a note with your number on it – I have a bunch of those and I don’t really call them ...  Don’t come in with your moms!”

•  Take a look at this list of places hiring:

1. on Route 22 in Southeast

Looking for: Up to five new employees (cashiers and clerks)

Starting rate: Minimum wage

2. on Route 22 in Southeast

Looking for: Undisclosed number of employees

Starting rate: Available upon further inquiry

3. on Independent Way in Southeast

Looking for: Undisclosed number of employees

Starting rate: Varies, depending on position

4. on Independent Way in Southeast

Looking for: Undisclosed, always accepting applications

Starting rate: Varies, depending on position