School just let out and you might be thinking that now is the perfect time to get a summer job. It’ll help you make a little extra cash or to kill some time. Unfortunately, searching for a job can be very difficult, especially if you don’t have experience with it. Here are some tips to help you get that summer job you’ve been looking for.

1. Have an idea of what kind of industry you want to work in. Go into searching for a job with somewhat of an idea of the job that you are looking for. This will help to narrow down the kinds of jobs that are out there. For example, which do you prefer: retail work or food work
2. Search for the specific store hiring sites. You will find better results by simply searching ‘(restaurant name) hiring’ rather than going to a website that houses a bunch of different openings at businesses. Still, it is a good idea to look at all of the results that show up when you search for an opening. Always make sure to be thorough!
3. Be patient. Honestly, it may be a little difficult right now to find a summer job, especially since most of them are probably taken by college students that have returned home for the summer or other people who began searching for a job before the end of school. Still, have hope and keep applying to job openings. “I applied to fifteen different job openings before I got hired,” says Troy High School student Ainsley Giorio, “Definitely don’t give up hope and keep applying.”
4. Continuously check your email or text messages for a reply. When you’re in the job market, it’s important to be ready for anything. Always check your means of communication day and night and be ready for any message back from the businesses that you applied to. It is important to respond to them in a timely manner.
5. Follow-up! If some time has passed after you have applied to an opening and there is no response, send a follow-up email or text! This will show your continued interest and make it clear to the employer that you are truly passionate about this position and are eager to get a response from them.

The summer job market is very competitive right now, so don’t feel discouraged if you don’t get an interview or response from companies. There are still many job opportunities outside of working for a business. For example, you could babysit a neighbor’s child or mow someone’s lawn. Always be flexible and enthusiastic, and this will better your chances of landing a summer job.