For anyone looking for a job, employment boards are ripe with listing as New York employers seek summer help. Seasonal positions can range from a first job to important work experience to a career stepping stone. CNY Works partners with up to 100 organizations to place young people. Executive Director Rosemary Avila says there’s a range of opportunity.
“We have a few law firms that are worksites partners. We have not-for-profit organizations, we have human services, we have the hospitals, we have philanthropy, media, focusing on women's rights and women's organizations, anything you can think of really,” said Avila.
CNY Works does not have many agriculture or manual labor positions, largely for transportation challenges and giving youth different job skills.
The NYS Department of Labor has 13,000 listings on its seasonal job site. Commissioner Roberta Reardon says summer jobs for youth serve a lot of purposes, such as, "what was the experience on that job? It might have been really great. It might have been not so great. Maybe you learned things you didn't want to do, but you learned nevertheless." She added people experience independence, "you make your own money for the first time in your life. And often you're interacting with the public in a very different way."
If the job proves interesting, Avila notes it might create a spark for the young worker who might find out, “What degrees do I need to take in order or get in order to work here? Or what certification or how many years of experience? And so this really opens the floor to the spark that interest. And surprisingly, you'll find that either these kids that end up being successful or not thinking about college and they do end up enrolling in college, which is a great and rewarding news to find out."
Avila suggests young people do a little research on what jobs might be like before applying. C-N-Y Works can help facilitate that process and make connections through services for those between age 16 & 24.
The State Labor Department says adults seeking seasonal jobs might be looking for extra income or a new opportunity. Reardon does not want people to minimize the value of a position that seems temporary.
“We know that a lot of times these jobs can lead to permanent employment. So you go into a job opportunity, you meet the employer, you begin to do the work, you build a relationship. You may not actually work directly for that employer, but that employer may say, hey, my friend in an adjacent industry is hiring, you should go talk to them," said Reardon.
She emphasizes that for both youth and adult workers, the networking opportunities of a summer job can be valuable for future career opportunities.
