Enjoy the Season - and Get Ready for What Comes Next
KEYS Employment Services
September in Frontenac County is one of the best times of the year. There are still weeks of summer to enjoy. The lakes are warm, the days can be beautiful, farmers' markets and roadside stands are overflowing, and fall colours are just around the corner.
For many people who work in tourism, hospitality, construction, landscaping, agriculture, recreation, and other seasonal industries, it's also a time when the pace begins to change. There's no need to rush the season away. But September is a great time to enjoy where you are while quietly preparing for what's next.
Harvest More Than the Season
If you've worked through the spring and summer, you've probably gained more than a paycheque.
Think about what you've learned. Did you take on responsibilities you didn't have at the beginning of the season? Learn new equipment or technology? Train another employee? Deal with difficult customers? Solve problems when things got busy? Become the person others relied on?
Those are accomplishments and they belong on your résumé. Take a few minutes to write them down now, while you still remember the details.
Harvest Your References, Too
If your seasonal position will end in the coming months, don't wait until next spring to track down a reference. Ask your supervisor now: “Would you be comfortable being a reference for me?”
And if you'd like to return next season, this is also a good time to say so. A reliable employee who wants to come back is valuable to an employer.
Give Your Résumé a Fall Tune-Up
You don't necessarily need to start an intensive job search in September. But you can make sure you're ready. Update your résumé with this season's experience, add new certifications and skills, check that your phone number and email are current, and make sure your references know they may hear from an employer. An hour spent doing this now can save a lot of scrambling later.
Look Around Before You Look Ahead
Seasonal work can give you useful information about what you want next. Maybe you love your work and want to find a way to do something similar year-round. Perhaps you'd like to move into a supervisory role next season. Or maybe another summer has confirmed that you're ready for a change. Pay attention to those thoughts.
You don't need to make a major career decision today. September is a good month for curiosity: browse job postings, talk to people doing work that interests you, investigate a course or certification, or find out what opportunities exist locally.
And Remember - Some Employers Are Still Hiring
Year-round employers continue to hire, and fall can bring opportunities in manufacturing, health care, retail, food service, social services, transportation, construction and the skilled trades. Other businesses will soon begin preparing for holiday demand. If your hours are starting to decline, it may be worth seeing what else is out there.
Prepare Without Forgetting to Enjoy September
Career planning doesn't have to consume your life. Update the résumé - and then go for the hike.
Ask for the reference - and then enjoy the lake.
Spend an hour looking at opportunities - and then get outside and enjoy one of the loveliest times of year in Frontenac County.
September doesn't have to be about summer ending. It can be about appreciating what this season has given you - and carrying the best of it forward into whatever comes next.
KEYS Employment Services can help you take stock of your experience, update your résumé, explore training or career options, and connect with employers who are hiring. Our services are free, and we're here for people across Frontenac County at every stage of their working life.
Locations in Sharbot Lake, Sydenham and Kingston
