How a YouthWorks Summer Will Help You Land Your Future Job

I’ve heard someone say at the end of their summer with YouthWorks that they felt like they could do anything. They felt unstoppable. The feeling might be from the spiritual high, from God delivering over and over again and from experiencing God’s grace. All incredible things a summer staff member typically encounters during the weeks spent in their community.

 

 

And while these reasons are mostly why I would choose to serve as a YouthWorks summer staff again, there’s another reason too: professional development. Not only did my summer with YouthWorks transform me spiritually, but in job interviews, I can now give real examples of situations I have dealt with.

 

HERE ARE 7 QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT GET ASKED IN A JOB INTERVIEW AND HOW A YOUTHWORKS SUMMER WILL MAKE YOU BETTER PREPARED FOR EACH OF THEM:

1. TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF.

As a YouthWorks staff member, you introduce yourself to hundreds of people over the course of the summer: co-workers, community partners, youth and adult leaders. You learn how to present yourself in a variety of ways because you’ve shared everything from your favorite color to your hopes and dreams for the future. No matter what the job is, you’ll be able to find an appropriate response to this question.

2. WHY IS THIS JOB A GOOD FIT?

You get to do a lot during a YouthWorks summer: cook, clean, organize (people, events and supplies!), the list goes on. It’s amazing to look back over the summer, because you are able to see everything you’ve done and know which of those things you liked to do and which you didn’t. This will help you speak to your abilities, strengths and preferences.

3. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR COMPANY?

Your job throughout the summer will require you to learn about organizations and the community you’re placed in, so that you can help groups understand why they are serving. This also helps you better understand the needs of the people you are serving, rather than serving them how you best see fit. Doing this preparation becomes a skill, so taking that with you after your summer will help you learn about the company you want to work for.

4. TELL ME ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH CONFLICT.

You work with a small team for 11 weeks straight. It might be as minor as you can’t decide on where to eat for dinner on the weekends, but conflict will arise! The important thing is to be able to explain how you faced it and then hopefully resolved it. Describing a past team dynamic lets a potential employer see that you know your way through conflict.

5. HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH FEEDBACK?

Over the summer, you (and your team) receive feedback. After weeks of feedback from adult leaders, supervisors and participants, you’ll learn how you deal with critique. Whether it’s positive or exposes areas of improvement, you learn how to face constructive criticism, which is a very important skill to have. Plus, you’ll discover ways to turn feedback into constructive growth.

 

6. HOW DO YOU WORK WELL WITH OTHERS?

One of the best parts about the summer is that you have a team to do it with! You’re there to support and encourage each other and, together, to experience all that God puts in front of you. Whether or not you prefer to work independently, your interpersonal skills will be stretched and developed over the course of the summer and you will bring real life experience into this answer.

7. WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR ME?

You will meet a lot of people in varying capacities over the course of your YouthWorks summer and hear a lot of their stories and learn how a community works together to serve its people. But to fully understand their stories and the community, you have to be curious and ask a lot of questions. You’ll have to prepare some of those questions in advance, but I can guarantee that as you get to know people, more will come to mind. Take that curious mindset with you after your summer and this portion of the interview will be a breeze.

 

 

We hear all the time about how our summer staff become better equipped for their next job because of their YouthWorks experience. Maybe a summer with YouthWorks will be the best tool you bring into a future job interview.

Find out more HERE.