The time to start planning for a summer job is now, and well before school is out for the summer. Employers typically hire before their busy season starts, just like a football player joins the team and practices before the games. Follow these tips and make sure your search is well underway:

• Where’s your career plan?  A solid career plan outlines your strategy for professional success and demonstrates to a prospective employer that you know how to think ahead. If you don’t have a career plan, this summer is a good time to get one done. Learn more by logging on as a GUEST at http://labor.idaho.gov/careerinfo.
• Get your job search materials together.  Visit the Job Search section of the Department of Labor’s Idaho Career Information System — CIS — for information about staying organized, completing applications and résumés, and preparing for job interviews.
• Write a résumé outlining your work experience, skills and strengths. Are you involved in sports, clubs, volunteering? While you may not have a lot (or any) work experience, employers look for applicants who participate in other activities besides school. Sometimes these extra activities can show some of your positive traits and how they will be put to use in a work setting.
• Register with IdahoWorks as a way to search for jobs. Check out your local newspaper’s online offerings. Visit your he nearest Idaho Department of Labor  local office and ask a workforce consultant for help with making sure the sites you search are valid and the best ones to use for finding the job you want.
• Tell everyone you know you are looking for a summer job. Ask your coaches, parents’ friends, teachers, counselors –anyone who may know of other places to look and ask them to keep you in mind for a summer job. You never know where your next job is coming from. Networking his is a skill you will use your entire life so start now!

• Look around town — alone this time, not with friends — and leave your résumé with business where you would like to work. Check for help wanted signs in store windows. Ask for an application.
• Dress for success. Make sure you make the right impression. Dress like you would for an interview. You never know if the manager may want to talk to you right away. Be prepared. Don’t look for work in your sweats, pajamas, shorts or a swimsuit. You want to be taken seriously. Wearing appropriate clothing shows you’re ready for the job.
• Read up on how to succeed on the job. Learn good job habits, getting along with your co-workers and tips for self-improvement in the Job Success section of Idaho’s Career Information System website.
• Be prepared. Get up early, get to work on time every day and give your employer 100 percent. Your summer job can help you establish references and contacts for future employment and help you start on the journey from student to professional.

Read this article for additional tips on getting your first job.