The guide to finding a part-time job
As a college student, when it comes to looking for a job to cover the expenses of food, gas, bills, etc., I’ve discovered that it’s not as easy as it looks. In fact, juggling a full-time college career and a job can actually be quite stressful. It is commonly known that when you go into a large chain store or restaurant to apply for a job, the normal response will be, “Sorry, you have to apply online.” Hearing this, leaves you feeling discouraged and the hope of finding a job seems to fade. As a college student, I find it necessary to maintain a steady income in order to fund my student loan debt and school books. Although it’s difficult, I’m not giving up just yet!
In the little town of Montclair, most stores are independently owned, meaning you can walk in knowing that you will likely fill out a paper application instead of an online one. You may even have the opportunity to talk to the manager or owner of the shop on that same day! Getting that face time proves to be much more successful than applying online when you are lost in a sea of thousands of applications. For example, desperate to find a new job before school started, I applied to numerous fast food chains and clothing stores, all of which had me fill out an online application. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear back from any of them. However, as any college student does, I still needed to make sure that I had money in my pocket before the start of the new school year. One day when driving through Montclair I noticed “For Help” signs were on numerous windows. Two of the signs were in restaurants, and one was in the Learning Express toy store. I also saw a few nail salons were hiring in downtown Montclair. It became apparent to me that I would find more success by walking into each of these shops and applying to them in person.
I also discovered that the easiest way to find out if a store in Montclair is hiring that doesn’t have a “Help” sign in the window is to call and ask if they are hiring. I found out several stores were taking applications by using this method, one being the Montclair Bookstore. I also found that the majority of places that were accepting applicants were restaurants. Keep in mind that being a waiter at a restaurant can be profitable, being that tips are often included.
There are currently so many stores in Montclair that are looking to hire college students! Some good places to start looking include: restaurants, nail salons, bookstores and toy shops. If you don’t see a sign in the window, call before walking in to see if the store is taking applications. Finally, try to avoid online applications when you can, and get as much face time with the stores as possible. Happy job hunting!
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