ALASKA EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

Most jobless adventurers to the Great Land end up making their way to one of the state-wide employment service centers. The Alaska Employment Service is a state-run employment agency with offices in nearly every major town in Alaska. Each office has a bulletin board with listings of current openings, and many processing plants hire a number of their summer employees directly through this office.

It is a good idea upon arriving in town to stop by the local branch and get signed up. They will usually ask you to come back for a brief interview and show you a short film about processing work. The service might also be able to point you in the direction of some other local jobs to tide you over while you look for a fishing industry position. Alaska Employment Service telephone numbers are listed in each of the town profiles. They also have a statewide Alaska Job Information Line at (907) 465-8900.

After registering with the Alaska Employment Service office, don't just sit back and wait for them to find you a job. Be aggressive—go out and find one yourself. The employment service should not be your primary source for finding work—your effort and determination should be. Many processing plants will say they only hire through the service, but ultimately, they will hire many people right at the plant if they are short-handed for a shift. Try to meet the plant foreman at the beginning of a shift and periodically ask him if he is short-handed and could use an additional worker.