Securing a Winter Job: My Strategy and Challenges

Blogger Ayomideji Israel-Akinbo, an engineering science student from Nigeria and South Africa at Jamestown Community College in New York, is documenting his employment journey while he’s studying in the USA. This is the third post in his series, his first post can be found here and his second here.

Winter break was fast approaching and all on-campus jobs went to recess for the break, except one, the gym. Since the Jamestown Community College (JCC) gym has membership access to the public it doesn't go on breaks like other departments and would need people/students to man the front desk. This was the only opportunity for employment on campus for this period. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to travel during the break, too broke for that. :(

The goal was clear

The goal was clear — I needed to find employment at the JCC gym, called Total Fitness. However, I couldn't sit on my laurels and wait until the last moment to apply. I needed to be approved before the financial office closed. Even if I got the job without the approval from the financial department I couldn't even start as I wouldn't get paid. 

Tracking down the manager

I asked around to get a lead on who to ask to get hired. I was led to the manager of the facility, however, seeing him was another challenge as he would roam either the gym or the campus, so you would only sometimes find him in his office. I initially went to his office with the hope that he would be there and as expected he wasn't. 

I had to contact him another way, this was through his email. I emailed him introducing myself and my intention to work in the gym during the break. He promptly replied essentially hiring me on the spot as he needed workers during the break as most of his current workers were leaving for the holiday, how convenient. 

Working out the job details

I then met with him in person to discuss a schedule, training times, and the details of the job. The role was to sign in members and grant them access to the gym, furthermore, make new memberships to prospective gym goers. Another responsibility was answering any over-the-phone inquiries from the community, usually to confirm gym operating times or to ask about the cost of a membership. These were simple tasks on their own but it can be difficult to manage if they happen simultaneously. 

Success!

Fortunately, I got approved with enough time for the finance office to get my application. We all know how it is with these offices and it takes time to get approved. However, due to my employment as a night desk assistant, my documents were already in a file and they simply had to copy it to the gym's portfolio and were fully hired. 

I had been hired during winter break and could further earn an income even though the school was in recess. This is possible in SUNY JCC and its employment possibilities for international students. 

Ayomideji Israel-Akinbo is an engineering science student from Nigeria and South Africa at Jamestown Community College in New York