{"id":621,"date":"2010-08-27T15:09:09","date_gmt":"2010-08-27T15:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ups.edu\/cesblogs\/?p=621"},"modified":"2015-07-16T20:10:43","modified_gmt":"2015-07-16T20:10:43","slug":"help-wanted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/2010\/08\/27\/help-wanted\/","title":{"rendered":"Help Wanted"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I went to college at a university much like Puget Sound, but in a small town far away from any civilized amenities. Not even a Starbucks. As a transfer student I had an apartment\u00a0off\u00a0campus, which meant that I was going to have to get a job in order to eat and keep the heat on.<\/p>\n

Finding a job was easy, I thought. I\u2019ll just go to the mall and walk out with a job like I did in high school. There was one problem \u2013 I didn\u2019t have a car and the mall was 30 miles away. Also, I didn\u2019t know a soul in town, and living off-campus isolated me from potential contacts who might have been able to help.<\/p>\n

I tried the conventional route \u2013 well, conventional in the late 90\u2019s, before they had cooI resources like LoggerJobs<\/a>. After calling all the big employers in the phone book, I went to a temporary agency in town and learned that I was a lousy typist (they still used typewriters back then \u2013 can you imagine?) \u2013 and hit a brick wall. Nothing panned out and the September rent payment was looming.
\n<\/p>\n

One day I walked to the grocery store to stock up on ramen noodles, and I admit I was dragging my feet. It\u2019s a good thing I was taking my time because when I paid attention to my surroundings I noticed something \u2013 little orange and black signs that said \u201chelp-wanted\u201d. Along my short walk, maybe a mile, I spotted three small businesses that were looking for help. After some good (if unfruitful) conversations with those folks, I grew brave and started asking businesses if they were hiring even when they didn\u2019t have a sign. By the time school started I had walked all over the town and got to know every nook and cranny. Finally I found a job at a place I\u2019d never considered before: the local taxi-cab company. They hadn\u2019t been looking for a new driver but they were impressed with my knowledge of the town and gave me a shot.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re looking for a part-time job near campus, keep in mind that many small employers don\u2019t advertise anywhere but their own window \u2013 if that. Use a variety of methods to find opportunities \u2013 apply to larger organizations, use online tools, but don\u2019t forget that face to face can work, too!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to look for opportunities in the neighborhoods surrounding the Puget Sound campus, below are some tips and resources to help you get started:<\/p>\n

Tips for approaching employers face to face<\/strong><\/p>\n