University of Virginia Library

Charlottesville's Summer Employment:
Numerous Openings For Eager Students

How To Apply For Jobs

By PAT GRANEY

If you are staying in
Charlottesville this summer,
and need to get a job, chances
are you might be more
successful than you think.

The prospects for finding
employment in Charlottesville
this summer are "reasonably
good," according to Thomas E.
Magee, General Manager for
the Charlottesville branch of
the Virginia Employment
Commission (VEC).

44 Per Cent Increase

Last summer, VEC's Youth
Employment Service found
jobs for 641 applicants, who
varied in age from 13 to 22,
with wages ranging from $1.60
to $2.50 per hour. This was a
44 per cent increase over the
1971 placement figure.

"If a student is looking for
a job, there is always

something he can do," Mr.
Magee said. "At a minimum
wage there is usually some type
of work available provided the
student doesn't mind doing it."

Although an applicant can
usually find work, Mr. Magee
explained, he will increase his
opportunities if he is not too
selective.

"An applicant who wants
specific work, or limited hours,
does not always do as well as
the guy who walks in here and
says that he wants to go back
to college in the fall and needs
to earn some money, regardless
of the job," the employment
director said.

Perhaps the best reason for
the overwhelming success of
last summer's program is
ironically, Charlottesville's low
unemployment rate. Even though
the national unemployment
rate was 5.5 per cent of the
working force last January,
Charlottesville is in the
fortunate position (depending
on your outlook as an
employer or a prospective
applicant)of having an
exceedingly low rate of 2 percent.
Accordingly, the labor
force is scanty and the market
is wide open when jobs are
available.

Applicant's Labor Market

"This is what we call an
applicant's labor market,"Mr.
Magee said. "It is often hard to
find qualified people to meet
the job requirements. At this
time we do not always have
enough applicants to meet the
demands of the employers."

Last summer's openings
included clerk, typist and
cashier positions, sales
personnel, counter girls,
kitchen helpers, house keepers,
construction workers, delivery
truck drivers, yard workers and
industrial assembly line
workers.

Successful VEC Program

Although last summer's
totals reflected a reliable and
open labor market, this
situation has only recently
been created by the success of
the VEC program.

Each winter the agency
sends out representatives to
Charlottesville's employers and
local civic organizations "to
talk up the program among the
residents" and "to encourage
them to hire students for the
summer," according to Mr.
Magee.

Mortons Foods in Crozet
hired over 200 students last
summer alone, to work in
various positions throughout
the plant. This job was
particularly popular as the
company paid a "good" wage
for the full-time and part-time
students.

"The only problem now is
filling the positions we open
up," VEC Employer
Representative Frank Birdsall
said,"Employers like hiring
students. Usually they are
responsible and intelligent
enough to catch on quickly."

1) Contact the Virginia Employment Commission at 820 East High
Street; submit an application and talk to an interviewer. Be specific about
your interests and preferences, if any.

2) Contact Mrs. Currier at the University Financial Aid Office on the
East Range. She will save legwork and help you avoid scheduling conflicts.
Part-time employment only.

3) Apply at the University's Personal Office at Madison Hall across from
the Rotunda for full-time University Employment.

The agency conducted an
informal survey of the
employers it used during last
year's summer youth
employment program this
winter Out of 189 participants,
133 said that they enjoyed the
program and thought the
students' performances were
"excellent", 41 considered the
work average, and 15 poor.

Due to the success in the
past the coming summer
promises an extremely
"encouraging" labor
market."Although we do not
have specific numbers of
requests for employees,"Mr.
Birdsall explained," we expect,
gaging from the community
response, about what we had
this last summer. This spring
we have better statistics to
work with which makes for
more reliable placement."

Government Funds

Even more positions will be
made available this year by
funds provided through special
government programs, most
notably, under the Emergency
Employment Act which will
allow various openings in the
area political subdivisions
under certain specific applicant
criteria such as poverty
classifications and veterans.

Students seeking part-time
work with the University
should contact Mrs. Carol A.
Currier in the Financial Aid
Office on the East Range.

Last year, through Mrs.
Currier's efforts, the program
went "pretty well,"
considering the number of
applicants placed versus the
number who withdrew before
we could place them." She
found part-time jobs for 114
out of 315 applications

received, with 73 of those
positions on the Grounds and
41 positions off-Grounds.

The office only looks for
part-time work, and rates its
applicants on a first-come,
first-served basis, unless an
employer requests a certain
skill.

"We hope to achieve the
same success this year," Mrs.
Currier said. "Usually the same
people call over and over again.
There are always yard-work
positions and odd jobs to be
done."

For this reason she posts
daily requests on a bulletin
board outside her office for
sitters and gardeners. The best
reason a student should
contact and file and
application with Mrs. Currier is
simplicity and ease.

According to one student,
"she's great, she saves you all
the work. After one simple
application she does all the
work by eliminating scheduling
conflicts, and all you do is tell
her what you want."

Students who wish to
secure full-time employment
with the University should
contact the University
Personnel Office in Madison
Hall. Applications were first
accepted May 1, and according
to Personnel Department
Director Donald P. Corderman,
"most of the work we have left
involves custodial duties or
working with the Department
of Buildings and Grounds."

Last summer the
department had 70 openings
and filled them all. So far they
have 50 places and have filled
all but "a few."

Mr. Corderman explained
that positions open up as the
need varies, but frequently
openings are filled by someone
who has had the job the
summer before, or was able to
recommend and help train
someone who was familiar with
the department or office
involved.

"Many departments are
reluctant to train people just
for the summer," he added.

Students visiting the United
States cannot work
permanently, but only
part-time. Foreign students
with an F-1 Visa may work
full-time in the summer and
part-time in the winter and for
up to 18 months graduate
training in their field of study.

Invaluable Service

Despite the many hassles of
finding summer employment
these employment services
offer an invaluable service to
the student who needs money
and want a job.

CD/Dan Grogan

Frank Birdsall: "The Only Problem Now Is Filling The Positions."