Ann Marie Sunderhaus will never forget the day she picked up a resume and placed a call to a prospective camp counselor.
The teen who answered sounded confused: “Uh, who is this?”
“You submitted a resume,” said Sunderhaus, who explained that she was scheduling job interviews for that year’s summer camps.
“Oh!” the student replied. “My mom must have sent that. She’s helping me look for summer jobs because I’m just so busy.”
Sunderhaus has four kids. She works full-time (and beyond) for the family business, Phoenix-based Hubbard Family Swim School and Sports Camps, founded by her parents, Bob and Kathy Hubbard, in 1998. She sifts through hundreds of resumes each spring to hire teens for 20 to 30 camp counselor positions.
“You’re busy?” is what she wanted to say. She restrained herself.
Sunderhaus shared this anecdote at a summer job seminar held during RAISING ARIZONA KIDS magazine’s annual Camp Fair AZ. The topic was “Dos and Don’ts of Applying for a Summer Job.” Guess what? Having Mom coordinate the job search is a major “don’t.”
Here are some seminar highlights for adolescents interested in applying for counselor positions at Valley camps this summer:
PREPARATION
DO your research. Read enough of the camp’s website to understand its focus and environment. “My first question is always ‘How did you hear about us?’ ‘Why are you interested in our camp?’ I can’t tell you how often I hear, ‘Wait, where are you? What are you?’”
DO know how much time you can commit. “Be sure you’re available for the summer. If you’re going to travel, or you’re in summer school for four to six weeks, that’s hard for us to accommodate.”
DO follow up on your application. “We get hundreds of applications at a time. It’s hard to put a face or personality with a piece of paper. Follow up; give us a call. If you have a friend who is applying or has worked here before, tell us the friend’s name because that will stand out right away.”
DON’T wait until the last minute to apply. “We guarantee positions early because we need to maintain specific ratios [of boys to girls].”
PHONE AND EMAIL ETIQUETTE
DO set up voice mail on your phone and be sure your voice mailbox is not full.
DO record an appropriate message that callers will hear when they reach your voicemail. “I once left a message for an applicant and the song was one I felt was so inappropriate that I didn’t even want to leave a message.”
DO listen to your voicemail and compose yourself before you call back. “Make sure you’re present, prepared and available.”
DON’T answer your phone in class. “I’ve had students answer my call in a whisper and say, ‘I’m in class. Can you call me back at my break at 11:30?’ No. That has to fall on you. I called a girl and got a text back saying, ‘I’m in class. Who is this?’ This kind of stuff happens every single day.”
DON’T leave mystery messages. “I get messages like, ‘Hi, this is John—call me back’ and I don’t know John and don’t have a phone number for John.”
DO use proper grammar and punctuation in emails. “This is not a text message. Address the person you are writing and sign your full name.”
INTERVIEWS
DO dress appropriately. “It makes you stand out. Even if you are just dropping off an application, dress appropriately. You might get taken right back in for an interview.” DON’T wear a school uniform, workout clothes or “hang out” clothes.
DO smile. “It makes a difference in how you sound—even on the phone.”
DON’T chew gum.
DO ask about specific positions that sound attractive to you. (DON’T walk in and say, “I don’t know what I want to do.”)
DO practice interview questions with your parents so you have an idea how to sell yourself. “I’m very gentle and kind in the interview process but sometimes it’s like pulling [information] out of people. You’ve probably never done that—sold yourself. Your grades, your sports…what would your coach say about you if you do a sport? When have you worked with kids or gotten out in the community to volunteer? Teens don’t have a lot of work experience so they have to appeal to life experience. I’ll often ask questions like, ‘What asset do you bring to our team?’ or ‘What is a challenge you have faced?’”
DON’T use words (like “suck,” “crap,” etc.) that may be common vocabulary in high school but can be off-putting to adults and inappropriate to use around younger children. “Don’t use those words in an interview. Prepare for that. Practice.”
DO establish eye contact. DON’T look down or away all of the time.
DO try to relax and enjoy the interview. “We’re looking for a sense of ease, an excitement for the job.”
For those who make the cut, working a summer camp job is a “give back” experience that helps teens grow and learn, says Sunderhaus. “Is it exhausting? Tiring? Emotionally wearing? Do you have kids who are homesick or sad or not willing to cooperate? Yes. You have to have lots of patience! We teach [counselors] to take deep breaths and come prepared and energized. We tell them, ‘It is so rewarding. It is life changing. You will find yourself smiling, laughing and retelling stories about the day. And you’ll probably be asleep by 8pm!’”
