Jobs and Employment!!!

Hi guys!!!!

By now you should know all about the application process, what to expect upon arrival and what you must do on your first few days and also how to go about finding housing. If you are still unclear about anything from previous posts feel free to email me at sanfranj1@gmail.com. In this post i will give you as much info and help as i can regarding the job hunt.

When seeking work there is one thing you need to do. It is highly important. You MUST keep your head up and dont loose focus. Dont loose motivation and dont fear rejection. Most of you will not be so lucky to just walk straight into a job. you have to hunt one down. You may not get a job in the first place you look. The best thing to do is to apply to as many jobs as you can. Keep looking until you get one. When you have got a job sorted you can then start to party. Dont think you cant party while looking for a job. Business' dont stay open all day long :-).

I will now give you some suggestions on typical jobs for J1ers.

1. Tourism sector - San Francisco has the highest influx of tourists during the summer than any other city in the US. Therefore there are an abundance of jobs in this industry. Get down to the Fishermans Wharf and check out all the tour operators. These will always be hiring peolpe during the summer. Hint: Go into a hotel and check the rack that has flyers and leaflets on activities in San Francisco. These will have info on all the tour operators in SF.

2. Catering sector - This kinda goes together with the tourism sector as tourists need to eat. SF has a ridiculous amount of restraunts. You may have luck finding a job in one of these restraunts. This may be difficult as it is notoriously hard to get wok in a restraunt unless you have experience. Bars, Your Irish, check out the amount of Irish bars in the city. And alot of them have no irish people working in them. This may be a big help when looking for work.

3. Hospitality - There are so many hotels/motels/hostels in SF it is not funny. This might be an ideal job for some. It is a good proposition as there are alot of different areas you can work in a hotel. Bar/administration/valet/room services/custodial etc... check the big ones websites i.e. marriott, hyatt etc.. these will usually post jobs online.

4. Retail - Again SF has a huge retail trade. The westfield shopping centre is like an enormous version of the dundrum shopping centre. It is located at Powell St. station on market street. There is also Stonestown Mall on 19th ave beside SFSU (San Francisco State University). Haight street is also a high end retail area. If retail is what you are after then check out these three places. Dont limit yourself to these places alone as there are oads more shopping areas.

5. Removals - This one would be for people who like a bit of hard labour. This is basically working for a company who move furniture and all sorts. There is a huge industry in this sector as there is alot of moving taking place in the city. I dont know much about how to find work in this sector. I met a few guys last summer who worked doing this and said it was a great job and good pay. You can check craigslist for this. I hear that there are alot of these types of jobs posted here.

6. Construction - I cant really give you much info on this, just that i know a few guys who did this last summer and got PAID!!!! I believe these guys got their jobs through the GAA. There is a huge GAA community in SF and if you play then you will make contacts who will help you out. We tend to take care of our own.

7. Theme-parks - You should check out Great America in Santa Clara. This is a huge themeparks that has a water park also in it. Again it is a seasonal business so they will offer loads of part time jobs during the summer. Waterworld in Concord is also another themepark that can offer jobs. This would be easier to get to as it is on the BART line.

Here are a few websites you can use to find jobs:

http://www.snagajob.com/
http://www.j1jobs.com/
http://www.monster.com/
http://www.themeparkjobs.com/
http://www.waterworldcalifornia.com/
http://www.cagreatamerica.com/

These are the main areas that you should concentrate your search for work. I know people who worked in all these areas last year. Use craigslist to look for jobs. You can find one off jobs here that can get you a few hundred bucks to keep you going. My advice is to really really search the Wharf for work. there are so many business down there that need extra employees to help with the increased demand during the summer. Its your best bet. TRY EVERYWHERE. I would also like to tell you that you are now the minority and should be prepared to do the jobs you wouldnt do at home. At the end of the day its a paycheck, it will keep you going, its a job you only plan on having to get you drunk so who cares. But dont sell yourself to short.

So, to sum up. TRY TRY TRY TRY. Dont give up. Dont loose heart. Dont loose focus and keep going. Something will go your way eventually.

Hopefuly there is enough information here to help you find a job. Again, if you need more help email me at sanranj1@gmail.com. I know of a few places that you would have a good chance of getting work.

Next up i will be a post about the transport network and how to get around the city of San Francisco and the Bay Area in general.

Talk to you guys very soon!!!!