There’s still snow on the ground in many places across the United States, and eve if you live in a warmer climate, you’re probably not ready to start thinking about hot summer days just yet. After all 2012 has barely started!

Yet, it’s really not too early to start looking for a summer job, especially in the agricultural industry. Working on a farm is possible year-round, but more jobs are definitely available during the spring, summer, and winter. To land a top position, you need to apply early, especially at more popular farms or if you want a higher-paying job.

Which agriculture job is right for you? Here are a few things to consider:

• Do you want to work with plants, animals, or people? Working with crops or livestock is an option, but so is a job in agri-tainment or sales.
• Are you willing to move for a job? Agricultural jobs in certain areas, like Alaska, sometimes pay better than in other areas.
• Are you interested in a higher-paying job? These positions are typically in management or performing skills that require training, so start you education now to be prepared in time for a summer position.

There are already a few summer positions open at the Job Monkey Jobs Center, and more will be following in the coming months, so start you search now for that perfect temporary position.

Summer is in full swing, but you can still land a fishing job in Alaska. When ships return to harbor, many times crew members leave, opening positions for new workers. Some of the seasons that are still open include:

• Pacific Cod
• Black Cod
• Halibut
• King Salmon
• Dungeness Crab
• Yakutat Shrimp
• Beam Trawl Shrimp
• Hake
• Sablefish
• Yakutat Salmon
• Sockeye Salmon
• Yellowfin Sole
• Rockfish

There are also a few fishing seasons that start in August and September. August 15, golden king crab season starts in the Aleutian Islands, and during September, a few other seasons start, including king crab and mackerel.

Summer is the prime season for fishing in Alaska, so don’t delay if you’re interested in working in this industry. Working on a ship is actually one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, but this can also be an extremely lucrative career choice, with deckhands earning more money in a single season than they’d earn throughout an entire year in a typical salaried position. Becoming a deckhand isn’t your only option, however. If you’re looking for a less dangerous job, you can also work at an onshore role. Processing plants hire workers throughout the summer season to help with unloading boats, quality control, and other parts of the processing.

The hiring process in the Alaskan fishing industry is slightly different than in most industries. Positions aren’t always advertised; instead, they are filled through word of mouth, especially on ships. If you want to work in this industry, start by looking for an onshore position, so you can begin to meet the fishers already working in Alaska. Work hard and make it known that you’re looking for a position on a boat – eventually, you’ll talk to the right person who can recommend you for a deckhand position.

It’s not to late to snag a job for the summer – many companies are still hiring. The bulk of summer jobs available are outside (think jobs at dude ranches, working as a scuba diver, or finding a cruise ship job, for example). If working in the sun doesn’t sound appealing to you, however, there are also indoor jobs available to temporary workers. You probably have already explored retail job openings, but there are some more interesting options as well if you want a cool job. Let’s take a look a a few cool indoor summer jobs you can consider:

• Working in a Museum

Museums typically hire temporary workers for the summer, since increased tourist numbers of children looking for things to do during the summer mean that there are more visitors than usual. You could work at a museum ticket counter or in its food court or gift job, but the coolest jobs are serving as a tour guide for the location. If you love to talk to people, this might be the perfect job for you. Some jobs also hire workers to help plan and carry out special events at the museum, so you could help with after-hours sleepovers for children’s groups, summer festivals celebrating historic events, and more.

• Working as a Mixologist

Bartending might not cool, but you can take it to the next level by training as a mixologist. In this job, you’ll not only serve drinks, but you’ll do so with flair, learning how to create the perfect cocktail, juggle bottles, talk about microbrews and special drinks served at your bar, and mix up completely new drinks to please any customer’s palette.

• Working as a Travel Agent

Since more people are planning vacations in the summer, travel agents sometimes hire additional workers to help with sales. While this might at first seems like a boring office job, the perk here is that you can earn points toward trips of your own. If you’re good at sales, not only will you get paid your regular wage, but you’ll also be able to earn hotel stays, cruises, frequent flier miles, and more. Spend the summer working inside, but when you’re done, you can see the world at a highly discounted price – or maybe even for free!

If any of these jobs or other unique summer jobs sound good to you, check out the JobMonkey Job Center, where you can find job openings from across the country.

Today is the first day of spring, so it might seem like a bit early to start thinking about summer work.

However, if you’re a teen or college student hoping to land a temporary job, you might want to start thinking about it now. According to The Courier-Journal, teen jobs this summer could, once again, be hard to find.

Nationally, the unemployment rates for teens has hovered around 25 percent, while it was much lower in years before. With so many adults out of work, employers are hiring these more experienced workers in lieu of teens and businesses are still strugling, so those that took on summer workers in the past are getting by with fewer staff members. People are also working longer, and for the first time since the 1940s, workers over 65 outnumber teen workers.

So are you a teen hoping to find summer employment? Here are some tips for landing one of these coveted positions:

• Start applying now. It might not be summer for a few months, but the best jobs are given out early, and while you can always start today with training after school or during weekends.
• Apply everywhere. You might not want to work in retail or find a farm job, but if this experience can be valuable, helping you land a better job next summer.
• Even if you have no experience, you do have skills you can bring to the table. In a job interview, talk about any leader positions you’ve held with school clubs, times you’ve cared for younger siblings, responsibilities you’ve fulfilled for sports teams, and more. These things can all show that you’re a hard worker and will be a dedicated employee.
• Show up to your interview on time and dressed to impress!
• Follow up after the interview with an email or note thanking the person for taking time to speak to you.

Resources:
Summer Jobs for College Students
Internships
Snagajob

How’s the job search going? If it’s stalled out a bit, you’re in luck – it’s summertime! Which, unfortunately, doesn’t mean that you can stop looking.

But it does mean that you can take a cue from the changing seasons and change something up in your job search process.

Let’s start with the schedule. Why not bump your start time an hour or two for the summer, and take advantage of those cool, sunlit mornings? You can use these hours for exercise, or you can jump directly into job search. If you lay out your tasks the night before, you won’t have to wonder where to begin when you get up.

How about the setting? Are you doing everything from the same spot in your house? Maybe you can bring some work out onto the patio or porch to get a change of scenery. Or pack up for a coffeehouse to provide a sense of destination each day.

What about your networking? Now’s the time to call work acquaintances and offer to meet them for a lunchtime walk or sandwich in the park. You’ll still be fighting to get on their busy schedules, but appealing to their need for a break might buy you a slot on their calendars.

How about you? Are you a happy camper? That’s a tricky question to ask a job seeker, and even trickier to answer. Presumably, you’d be happy if you got interviews, and ecstatic if you got an offer. But while you’re waiting for those things to happen (and working toward them, of course), you still have to get through each day.

Here’s what I’ve noticed as a career counselor: The people who keep their spirits up do better in every aspect of the search. They make better decisions, meet more people, get better interviews…good luck seems to follow the happy person. That’s ironic, considering it’s the unhappy souls who really need the break.

There’s a lesson in here somewhere about making your own luck by managing your attitude. I’ll leave that to the motivational gurus and keep my focus on a simple fact: It’s summer! Do something fun every day, whether you’ve "earned" it or not. Go to a free event at the library, walk through the zoo, take a kid for an ice cream cone…just enjoy your day, every day and see if that doesn’t somehow help your job search too.

Summer jobs are great for high school and college students, but after you graduate, you’ll likely need a full-time position during the entire year to make ends meet. Did you know that today’s summer job could be tomorrow’s career? Here’s how to make the most of any summer situation so that you’ll have a strong resume in the future:

• Look for related jobs. Many summer jobs help you learn skills you can use in the future. For example, a babysitting job could help you get hired as a nanny or a life guarding job could prepare you to be a rescue swimmer in the military. If you already know what industry most interests you, look for a summer job that is somewhat related.
• Focus on being a good employee. Even if you can’t find a job relating to the career you want in the future, you can still gain valuable experience to fill your resume. Focus on being a good employee by being hand-working, punctual, and pleasant so that your manager or employer can serve as a good character reference in the future and can attest to your work ethic.
• Work your way into leadership positions. Working only during the summer can make it difficult to be promoted, but if you are a good employee and come back year after year, it is a possibility. Holding any kind of manager or team leader position looks great on your resume, even if it was only at a fast food job during high school.
• Network: Remember, the people you meet at your summer job could help you in the future. For example, if you work at a summer camp, one of your campers may come from a family business in your desired industry or another employee might have an uncle who can get you an interview with your dream employer. Network with everyone you meet; you never know what opportunities could come your way just by being helpful and friendly.

Whether you are a student, teacher, or a seasonal worker with some free time this summer, you can take advantage of great opportunities to do something meaningful and fun this summer. While we are already into June, plenty of organizations are still looking for eager volunteers to work for anywhere from two weeks to three months on all types of projects – from building eco-lodges to teaching school children the basics.

If you have ever through about taking a trip abroad to volunteer but weren’t sure if you had the time, the time is now for these overseas volunteer opportunities:

1)   Short-term placement organizations (like Cross-Cultural Solutions and United Planet) often offer so many volunteer placements that it is possible to find a project that isn’t full at the last-minute. Right now, there are openings for volunteers in China for healthcare volunteer projects and teaching, starting as early as mid-July with Cross Cultural Solutions. United Planet offers rolling start dates for community development volunteer projects in Africa throughout the summer. Just keep in mind that these programs are fee-based, and you might need to take sometime to fund raise for your volunteer adventure.

2)   “Voluntourism” or “Responsible Travel” describes short-term projects that combine vacation with good deeds. Many of these trips include stays on “workcamps” that offer free or low-cost room and board in exchange for a certain number of labor hours per day. Popular activities include farming and other agricultural activities. Workcamps are typically open year-round, and if there is room can accommodate last-minute volunteers for their work abroad. Service Civil International places last-minute volunteers in workcamps in France, Norway, Japan and Kosovo.

3)   For folks looking for a more, well, passive volunteer experience can take advantage of the many eco-lodges that have cropped up in lush locations in Central America. These lodges are designed to provide sustainable and affordable housing for travelers, and most offer day volunteer experiences in and around the lodge to help keep things up and running. The Rio Magnolia Eco Lodge in Costa Rica offers breathtaking scenery and adventure in a environmentally environment, and is currently accepting bookings for the summer.

4)   Disaster relief efforts are still going on in Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean that have been devastated by natural disasters. Volunteers for Peace is currently planning a trip to Haiti for the first week in July. Volunteers will help locals with farming and agricultural activities. This is a low-cost and culturally immersive volunteer opportunity that people are encouraged to become involved in, especially if they are interested in a rustic, hands-on, transformative adventure.

5)   And for the truly adventurous? How about tracking the elusive whale shark in Honduras! OneWorld365 (among others) offers 1-2 week diving trips for certified divers who want to spend their vacation time looking after rare underwater wildlife.  Since the best time to view the sharks includes the summer month of August, there is still time to join one of the expeditions into the underwater unknown!

Tips for Last-minute Travel

One major aspect of traveling abroad to volunteer is paying for airfare – the organizations listed here do not (in fact, very few do) pay for your airfare. You can find great last minute airline deals online that might help defray some of the travel costs. In some cases, talking directly to an airline about your plans and offering to fly standby can also help you get on a plane at the last minute, if you don’t mind waiting around in the airport for a while.

Also keep in mind for a last minute overseas volunteer trip that you need to check in about travel vs. work visas.

Most countries will allow foreign citizens to stay in their country as a tourist even if they are volunteering – but these tourist visas generally only last for 90 days (sometimes less than that). If your volunteer project will last longer than a tourist visa, be aware that you will either have to take a trip across the border or make other arrangements.

If you aren’t ready for a last-minute volunteer opportunity, but some of these have piqued your interest in overseas volunteer opportunities, make sure that you check out the volunteer program listings on JobMonkey.com!

If you are a teenager who is looking for a job this summer, you probably know that the competition is going to be fiercer than ever. With the economy *just* starting to turn around, employers have a vast pool of potential employees to choose from. Unfortunately for teens, many employers are picking experience over enthusiasm.

As a result, teenagers are facing abysmal unemployment rates of 60-80% in some communities. So, if you plan on working this summer, plan for that work to start right now — with your job search!

The good news is that there are a number of local and national programs designed to help teenagers and young people, ages 14 to 24, find a summer job. Hook into one of these and you are on your way to a meaningful summer job experience!

#1. YouthBuild

Launched in September 2006 by the Department of Labor, YouthBuild provides job training for low-income and at-risk youth, ages 16-24. Most jobs are in construction and community rehab projects aimed at creating affordable housing for low-income families. In addition to providing jobs, YouthBuild also provides personal counseling services, career mentoring and more.

#2. Job Corps

Job Corps is a free training program that helps young people ages 16 and older find and keep a good job. The program functions like a college campus, with dormitories for program participants to live in. While enrolled, students get the guidance and support they need to develop a long-term employment plan. Call 800-733-JOBS to find a JobCorps program near you.

#3. Employment and Training Administration’s Division of Youth Services

This Department of Labor division oversees all youth-related workforce activities. Their website host a comprehensive list of federally-funded youth programs authorized under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. Search your state, or call the ETA at (202) 693-3030 for help in finding a program near you.

#4. www.usajobs.gov/StudentJobs

This website is a one-stop federal government employment portal designed for high school, college and graduate students looking for employment opportunities — including summer jobs and internships.

#5. JobMonkey’s Summer Job Section

Forgive me while I toot the JobMonkey horn, but yes, we do deserve our place on this top 5 list. We have compiled all of our best information about high-demand summer jobs in one convenient location, covering everything summer camp and theme park employment to outdoor jobs and jobs in Alaska.

Do you know of a great summer job resource that I missed? Leave us a comment and share the wealth!

I’ve recently become addicted to The Pioneer Woman’s blog (if you don’t know about, it might be time to crawl out from under your rock and take a quick visit. Of course, since I discovered her blog a few months ago, I’m fairly certain I’ve lost countless hours to the time-vortex that is her archives). Aside from her fabulous recipes, what I most love about PW’s blog is all the real-live ranch stuff.

It’s made me seriously want to plan a trip to a dude ranch. Now, I doubt I have it in me to make my life on a ranch, like she does with her four kids and her “Marlboro Man” husband. But a week riding horses and rounding up cattle does sound pretty awesome. Plus, the food… the food sounds incredible.

Then I started thinking — why not get paid to experience this adventure?! A seasonal Dude Ranch job is probably the best way to get that “pioneer” experience — while earning a paycheck. What could be better, right? Especially if you are single or married without kids, working on a dude ranch for the summer seems like the most amazing job experience adventure imaginable. If you agree with me, read on. I have gathered a short list of three of these fun Western United States ranches.

1. Sundance Trail

Open year round, the Sundance Trail is the ideal place for a family vacation with horseback riding in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, professional rock climbing, white water rafting, sunset hikes, fly fishing, archery, and more. There are evening campfires and a full-time children’s program. For employees, that means long days of hard work — but also loads of fun interacting with different groups of guests throughout the summer (or winter) season. What I especially love about the Sundance Trail is their video requirement. Check it out here. In short, if you are applying for a job, you have to submit a video of you working with horses — and teaching about horses. Clearly the owners want someone with a lot of knowledge and even more charisma when it comes to working with people. I can only imagine what a cool environment they have among their employees with such selective hiring practices.

2. Tumbling River Ranch

Nestled in a secluded valley high up in the Rocky Mountains, Tumbling River Ranch puts a special emphasis on kids. Priding itself on its hands-on kids program, children from babies through teenagers will enjoy exciting outdoor adventures, from horse (and pony) riding to swimming to hiking and more. If you are interested in working with kids, Tumbling River Ranch would be a great choice to focus on — especially if you have past experience with young people. The Ranch offers the full-range of dude ranch experiences: form fly-fishing, swimming and hiking to trapshooting, family rodeos and of course horseback riding. Employees at the Tumbling River Ranch earn an hourly wage, plus overtime, and an equal share from the tip pool. There is a staff of 33, including the childrens’ program, cooks, horse operations, lodging and housekeeping and maintenance.

3. Rockin’ R Ranch

Located in Antimony, Utah, the Rockin’ R Ranch is surrounded by Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. As a working ranch, Rockin’ R is where coybows brand cattle, and grow and harvest crops. The ranch is currently hiring for summer jobs that will begin as early April 1st, including wranglers, recreation counselors, general staff, kitchen staff, housekeeping staff, management/operations personnel, and gift shop staff. Click the link above to find out more about working at Rockin’ R.

Have you ever worked at a dude ranch? Tell us about your experiences!

Welcome to Hot Jobs! Each Wednesday, I put the spotlight on three of the hottest new job listings from the JobMonkey Job Center.

Here’s a great little video explaining how to make the most out of JobMonkey’s job searching resources.  The Job Center is updated daily, so if you haven’t visited our database of free job listings today, you should!

Today I am featuring animal jobs and summer jobs… including summer jobs with animals! I hope you find something you are looking for here!

1. Zoo Camp Instructor, Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange, NJ
The Essex County Turtle Back Zoo is looking to hire Summer Camp Instructors to lead Monday through Friday zoo camps for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Instructors will be responsible for leading educational lessons about animals and natural sciences in a fun, engaging and age-appropriate manner. Qualified candidates will be certified teachers or students in the process of getting their degree in the fields of education, biology, zoology, or natural sciences. Candidates with formal or information teaching experience will receive preference. There will be a one-week training programming for Instructors before the start of camp. Dates of employment are June 15 through August 14, 2009.

2. Educator Jobs, SeaWorld/Busch Gardens, Orlando, FL
Busch Gardens is looking to hire an animal educator who will give fact-based animal presentations in addition to staffing park attractions and conducting guided tours. Other responsibilities include interacting with guests to provide animal and park information and monitoring guest and animal safety. Qualified candidates will have a Bachelor’s degree or be actively pursuing their degree from an accredited college or university. Candidates must have excellent communication skills and be able to stand and walk for extended periods of time. Preference will be given to hiring local candidates.

3. Educational Interpretive Keeper, Cheyenne Mt. Zoo, Colorado Springs, CO
The Cheyenne Mt. Zoo in Colorado is seeking to hire an Educational Interpretive Keeper, responsible for the care, husbandry and training of the Zoo’s Education Department’s collection of animal ambassadors. The person in this position will conduct daily interpretive programs and demonstrations with the animals for Zoo visitors. This is a new position for the Zoo and the candidate will work with a relative new collection in a new facility. The ideal candidate will, at a minimum, hold a degree from a two-year college and have past experience working with animals and members of the public. The keeper must be able to positively engage guests and encourage them to participate in caring for Zoo animals. The position is full-time, with an hourly salary plus benefits. The typical work week will be Friday through Tuesday, with great flexibility to account for occasional evenings. The salary will be in the low $20,000s.