That summer job you don't want is the one you need
6-11-09

Every day the resumes come pouring in. In this down economy, there's no shortage of people who want to work, and weeding out those qualified for our radio sales division is a laborious task. The process plays out all over the area. There are many good candidates, and too few positions.

When you read enough resumes, you start to notice a pattern. Lots of great life experience, educational credentials, awards, and other meritorious achievements. But in their zeal to impress, many college kids are leaving out something important - the inglorious grunt jobs, the kind they don’t believe would help land that “career” position.

I disagree. In my view, the best thing to list on your resume is that tough, manual labor job. Or that employer who taught you how to handle the demands of bottom line retail. I remember my summer jobs. Greenman's Deli at Brous and Robbins was one of my first. Greenman's is in the direct line of those Northeast Philly folks headed over the Tacony Palmyra Bridge to the shore on summer Friday afternoons. I learned how to slice lunch meat, and make hoagies, fast and furious. And then clean up. I went home dog tired.

Helping the customers at Greenman's gave me the dream to live at the shore for the summer. So, with a few friends, we managed to rent a place in Sea Isle City back in the mid 80's. We did what most college kids do at the shore: slept all day, partied when we could, worked nights (at the ACME Food Store on 54th St.), and spent our money on fun, food, adult beverages, and the occasional dates. Contrary to popular opinion, to make a living at the shore, even back in the ancient 1980's, you had to hustle, and we didn't have a lot of down time to make nice with the opposite sex.

What I learned from these summer jobs was instrumental in how my life turned out. Although you can learn a lot in a classroom, there's an amazing, high-quality experience to be had in working that tough summer retail job. I worked the third shift, 11pm to 7am. Brutal. This ACME had to be one of the chain's smallest stores, and when I arrived every night, it looked as though a Tsunami had roared through. The place was a mess, and we had eight hours to get it picture perfect for the morning rush.

I remember working through the night, and feeling so tired my hair hurt by 7am. Some goofballs over in the produce department always wanted to play basketball after our shift, and I couldn't believe they had the energy to do anything other than fall into something soft. And when I did finally get to sleep, there was always the nagging realization that I was at beach, and should be taking advantage of it.

I'd force myself up around 2 pm, sleep the rest of the afternoon on the beach, eat a bowl of cereal (none of us cooked, we ate what we put our hands on), and then back to the madness at ACME all over again. But I learned how to cope, to endure, how to not settle for less than my best, because people counted on my performance, even in that grunt job. That is where I developed my work ethic.

This kind of tough and demanding life experience (yes, even at the shore) teaches what it takes to succeed. You learn how to be on your A Game, even under adverse circumstances (and even if you created those circumstances yourself!). Customers can be relentless, and employers demand employees step up, and work hard. A no-nonsense approach to working even a grunt summer job is critically important, and translates well into any line of work, or career path.

So, kids, lace 'em up this summer, and get out there and work for your paycheck. To find that manual labor job, just start canvassing local businesses, and you'll come up with something. You may even find that after working hard to make a buck, you won’t be so eager to spend it. And, amazingly, you may also find some new respect for your parents, who put in good old-fashioned hard work every day.

Have a great, safe, and fun summer. See 'ya around town.