College students are always looking for a job; it’s just a part of being a student. Some people are extremely good at job hunting, but others aren’t so efficient. Luckily, college students (and others too) have plenty of opportunities to find some seasonal or temporary work. Everyone knows about seasonal or temporary employment, but some people might not have thought about some of the jobs we have in this article. Therefore, take a look through some of the temporary jobs available.
UPS/FedEx Package Sorter
To start off our list, UPS and FedEx are usually hiring people to sort through all of their packages. You obviously will be lifting and moving boxes for this job. The packages can weigh up to 70 pounds, but nobody should worry too much because the majority of the packages aren’t nearly as heavy. Fortunately, there are plenty of sorting facilities around the country where college students (and others) can get this job. The pay is usually slightly above minimum wage and can get a rewarding experience – a tough one too. These positions aren’t always temporary, but you’ll be able to find plenty of seasonal openings around the holidays when the volume of mailed packages soars. For the lucky workers, some seasonal employment can turn into long-time employment.
U.S. Census Enumerator
Okay, so the Census only comes around every ten years, but the job pays extremely well for only a few weeks worth of work. Payment for the 2010 Census ranged from $11.50 all the way up to almost $30.00, but it depends upon what city you live in or near. Unfortunately, the smaller cities will be getting the smaller pay rates. It doesn’t really matter though because a job for $11.50 is still way over minimum wage; a salary over $20.00 per hour is just great for such a simple job. You pretty much will just go to different residences to collect their Census information, which can be smooth with nice people or a hassle with the people that don’t want to fill it out. Anyways, this job only comes around once every ten years, but the pay is extremely high. You basically pick your own hours to work each week although your supervisors will prefer at least 30 hours per week. Work itself is pretty simple and doesn’t involve anything too grueling or boring. For this job, you can expect to work for at least a few weeks up to a month or two. It just depends upon how quickly the work gets done with getting Census information from your county and surrounding counties.
Election Poll Worker
Once again, this job doesn’t come around very often – every two years at the minimum. You can sign up for this job through your county’s registrar of voters. Every general or primary election, they will hire a few hundred people to work the polling locations. For about 15 hours of work, you get paid a stipend that can range anywhere from $90 to $200, depending upon what your job is. Of course, this isn’t very much money for a person with a job, so you shouldn’t take a day off work to be a poll worker. You can be a clerk, touchscreen inspector, assistant manager, or manager at the polls. For students, they will undoubtedly want to grab the touchscreen inspector position. Everything above clerk earns more pay as you go up in importance. Either way, you always need to remember that this is only a good option for a person who isn’t already working on the election day because you end up working for less than minimum wage in some cases for 15 hours. It works out great for a person without a job though. Your duties will be simple – check voters in, let them vote, answer their questions about the process, set up the location, take it down, use the touchscreens, and a few other things.
Temporary U.S.P.S. Driver
The Postal Service sometimes lists job openings for temporary drivers. Pretty much, you act like a postman and deliver little bits of mail. It’s sort of like you’re supplementing an actual postman on their route, but you really aren’t a mailman. For this job, you usually get to drive your own vehicle. You are required to have a clean driving record for the last two years too. It’s not too difficult of a job because you pick up the mail and then deliver it to whatever address it needs to go to. Of course, you have to live somewhat close to the post office location that offers this job. You can expect to make over minimum wage for this job, and the hours can change each day or week. Unfortunately, this isn’t typically a job that leads to a longer term of employment. The postal service location will use your services for a set amount of time and then that will be it. Don’t go into this job expecting to keep working for a prolonged amount of time. Also, remember that these types of temporary openings are rare, so don’t expect to see them all the time.
Other Event Jobs
Whenever a huge event rolls into town, you should check the newspaper or the event website for potential jobs. Of course, they’ll all be temporary jobs, but employment is employment – no matter what. Your town or city is guaranteed to have some huge events throughout the year, so don’t miss out on these opportunities. These jobs usually pay well over minimum wage, and you should apply for them early to avoid missing out should they hit their hiring cap quickly. Of course, the best events to find jobs at are local fairs, automotive shows, festivals, carnivals, seasonal attractions, and more. All of these jobs will vary depending upon where you actually live. No matter what, you’ll need to look for these jobs early and apply for them as quickly as possible. Nothing is a guarantee, but getting one of these jobs can help you earn a good amount of money in a short amount of time. Just know that you’ll be working some long hours for the event – probably every day of the event, so be prepared for long days.
Get A Job
There are plenty of other potential jobs out there for college students (and anyone else that needs one), but you have to know when they roll around. Obviously, a seasonal job will probably be around at the same time every year. Temporary jobs will pop up now and again, but you have to be on your toes to catch these opportunities. No matter what, you should consider constantly checking for jobs, even though they may or may not be available. You never know when a temporary but lucrative job opportunity will become available. Never miss out on the possibility of work!
