May 21, 2009

Cool job ideas for the summer

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With Memorial Day right around the corner and the weather miraculously cooperating for once, no doubt many tireless job seekers are yearning to get away from their job boards and spend some time outside.

With an organization called Cool Works, both activities can be combined. Created in 1995 in Gardner, Mont., Cool Works has become one of the most comprehensive clearinghouses on the Web for seasonal work at national parks, summer camps, ranches, theme parks, tour companies and ski resorts.

Because of the current scarcity of full-time employment, Cool Works has become a popular place to look for temporary work. "Traffic is way up," says Kari Quaas, director of West Coast operations for Cool Works. "We've been screening people all winter, so there's a lot more competition this year. A lot of them are looking for seasonal jobs and then plan to go back to 'real jobs' after the summer. Sometimes, the seasonal work leads to a full-time management position."

Those looking to pack their bags right now for Yellowstone or Yosemite should be forewarned that many of the best summer jobs have already been scooped up. "By March, most of the early birds have dialed in," Quaas says. "Within a month, most of them are filled up."

But there are positions still open locally, she says. As of today, there were immediate openings for a night auditor, head desk clerk and night kitchen porter at Mt. Rainier National Park. A camp on Orcas Island is also looking for a barn manager. Quaas says other opportunities also exist at lodges on the Olympic Peninsula and for maintenance crews for the Mountains to Sound Greenway.

This July and August, Quaas says, Cool Works will start seeing an increase of seasonal work for the November to April ski season in the Cascades resorts. For those willing to travel, the summer months are also the time when job openings for the fall season start cropping up at ranches in Colorado and Arizona.

Jobs at Cool Works, however, are not for everyone. Most positions involve a certain level of physical fitness and require close contact with the public, so a sunny disposition and a high level of patience is essential. "You have to pass the 'nice test,'" says Quaas, who used to work seasonal jobs at Seattle's Gray Line Tours and Princess Cruises.

"We mostly see people in their late 20s and 30s, but we're also seeing a trend of hiring more people in their 50s and above," says Quaas, who regularly finds talented older workers through RetiredBrains.com. "Retirees who are done with their regular careers are finding that they still have valuable skills that are perfectly suited to these seasonal jobs."

The pay, of course, is not much--usually minimum wage (depending on the state) up to $15 to $19 per hour for more demanding jobs, such as lodge management. But there are other perks that can make the pay more tolerable: "The cool thing is that the rent is very low or non-existent for most jobs," Quaas says. "That allows people to stockpile their pay and save their tips to make the money last longer."

Plus, you get to spend three to six months living in some of the country's most beautiful landscapes. "So many people have dreams of seeing the country and spending time with nature but wind up getting stuck in a cubicle," Quaas says.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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2 Comments

Rod Mattson on May 21, 2009 3:24 PM | Reply

It appears there is a silver lining in many things--even this recession.

It gets us to be creative and innovative to find work. It opens our minds to many new ideas that we might never have considered.

Some people wait out the recession by doing these kind of fun jobs, others write books, work on art projects, record music, study subjects they never had time for in the past. All these things are good experiences that we can later bring to the table for our dream jobs when things turn around.

Great ideas and innovation are discovered during difficult times. Let's all get out there, study, write, start a buisness, volunteer, help others, etc.

I went to a workshop in Renton last Friday for non-profit organizations to learn more about marketing. Clearly, from our discussions, they have a strong need not only for donors; but, especially for volunteers. Now is the time if we are not working.

We now have time to make new contacts and help others at the same time. Who knows where any single contact will lead?

Rod Mattson
www.MattsonCommunication.com

Unique Job Hunting Seminars June 3rd, see our website for details.

bill M on May 22, 2009 11:36 AM | Reply

My best jobs and memories are from the summer jobs I had 50 years ago while a student at UW. A year in the state forestry service on the Olympic Penn and two years as a tour guide on City Light's Skagit tour (where I met my wife).

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