The Missoula Student Job Market

Finding a Decent Paying Job in Missoula: Is it Possible for Students?

By Brenna Moore, 7-24-06

	Photo by Amanda Determan

Missoula has everything a college student could want -- an outstanding university, a sublime ski season, awesome mountain biking, hiking and fishing, not to mention the unique cultural atmosphere and sense of community. Missoula is the place to be during the academic year, with tons of things to do, work to keep students busy and many, many jobs available to students through the university and elsewhere. So, why isn't that the case in the summer? Where do all the jobs go? When the middle of May hits, at least in my experience, all decent paying and worthwhile jobs seem to drop off the deep end. After my month-long crusade in trying to find a job (or two), I now have a few helpful tips for those students who are still left penniless.

When the beginning of May came around, I started thinking I should start applying for jobs right then, so I could beat the crowd of students staying in Missoula for the summer. But, with finals, end-of-term projects, finalizing my internship (thank you New West) and the unpleasant car accident, finding a summer job sort of slipped to the back of my mind. Oh well, I still had plenty of time, right? I figured jobs would still be available in a few weeks. Wrong. By the time I had a chance to go out and start applying for jobs, I was met with an abundance of "I'm sorry, we just did a bunch of hiring last week, but we'll keep your resume if something else opens up." This is not something a broke college student with a rent to pay, a car to fix and groceries to buy wants to hear.

So I did the obvious -- I made about 40 copies of my resume and just started applying any place that would take an application. You name it, if it was a business in Missoula, I probably applied there. At first, I tried to stick to places that I really did want to work, avoiding applying to minimum-wage jobs in hopes of being able to land one where I could actually save money. The experience was a huge change for me. My previous summer routine involved traveling back to my hometown in Los Alamos, New Mexico and working for the National Lab. Government jobs tend to not skimp on wages, so it is very foreign to me to cash paychecks that only last a few days.

"Montana is ranked 49th in the country for per capita income. Wages are just plain low here for the service industry or entry-level jobs... Most people say 'it’s the economy, stupid,' but there are a variety of contributing factors, including population spread of the state, limited number of large employers and the dominance of agriculture," said Annie Rubens, an Employment Consultant for the Missoula Workforce Center. She has also heard of the low wage situation refered to as "the mountain tax," meaning the low wages are a trade off for the type of living we enjoy here. People want to live here, so even those with advanced degrees are taking relatively lower paying jobs in order to stay, thus increasing the trickle down of the talent pool job seekers are in competition with, she said.

"I think it's worth it just to be in Missoula. I'd rather be poor here than relatively well off somewhere else," said Matthew Frank, my co-worker.

Low wages or not, I was in deep need of a job. I started out applying places where I was almost positive I would be hired right away, like downtown restaurants where I was sure, or thought I was sure, they needed people. But most of the nice places -- Finn and Porter, Mackenzie River Pizza Co., and even chain restaurants like the Outback Steakhouse didn't need anyone. Beginning to panic, I made a list of almost every restaurant in Missoula and called them to see if they were hiring. A lot of them told me they weren't, and many told me to fill out an application. Almost a month had passed and I still didn't have a job... and I had wasted so much gas driving between business, picking up applications and dropping them back off.

I was getting desperate. I couldn't figure out why it was so hard for me when I am a qualified and hard-working individual who was prepared in advance, had a packed resume to hand out and who had never had trouble finding a job before in her life. What was it about Missoula that made this so difficult?

"It may be a numbers issue, that there are simply more people looking during the summer than during the school year, as people are more limited in availability," said Rubens.

"It's just a lot of competition. There's just a lot of people," said 21-year-old Craig Christianson, a soon to be University of Montana student and summer job-seeker. Christianson moved to Missoula at the beginning of June, and just this week found a job.

"I came here thinking I was going to get a job like that, and it took me a f***ing month," Christianson said.

In his tiny hometown of Glendive, Mont., Christianson said it was always easy to find a job because everyone knew everyone, and there wasn't anyone else applying for the same job he was. In Missoula Christianson says this isn't the case. There are so many people in Missoula and they are all looking for the same job, Christianson said. "If you have no previous job experience, you are pretty much screwed, because there are people applying for your job who have the experience they are looking for," he said.

Meanwhile, I was complaining to my mom on a nightly basis, and she began helping me look for jobs. She forwarded several ads from the Missoulian classifieds to me and I began applying for jobs where I knew they were looking to hire. Within the next week, I had about ten more completed applications under my belt, but had only been called to give one interview at the YMCA. And while that interview went well, my call to them the next week revealed that I had not landed the job.

Broke, discouraged and fed up, I decided a trip downtown with my friends, although not the most cost-effective solution to my grief, seemed like a perfect way to clear my head. After complaining to my friends about my situation, I finally stopped talking long enough for one of them to get a word in and tell me that she worked at the Cracker Barrel and she was almost positive she could get me a job there. I felt myself breathing a long sigh of relief as she told me she would call a manager the next day and tell them that I was going to be applying and she would recommend me. Sure enough, once I turned my application in, I sailed through the two interviews and I finally had a job.

And of course, ironically enough, as soon as I did find a job, several of the places I had already applied called me for interviews. One of the places was the YMCA, calling to tell me the person they hired didn't work out and if I still wanted the job, it was mine. It was only a three hours a day Monday through Friday shift, so I took that job too to fatten up my paycheck a bit.

So now I have three jobs, technically, and my summer is mainly comprised of all work and no play. And because it took me close to a month to find a decent-paying job that fit with my schedule, I have a lot less time to vacation or even take a few days off to float the river.

I think my experience is not unlike what many students in Missoula go through during the summer, and for this article I got in touch Rubens and asked her to offer some advice for those in need:

• Know how to verbalize your skills and accomplishments. The number one mistake job seekers of all ages make is the inability to “toot their own horn,” meaning, describing what they did at a previous job. Breakdown a typical day and take credit for everything you did. Ask yourself, “What did I add to this job that wasn’t done before?” This shows employers the range of skills you have, and your ability to transfer those skills to their needs. Be able to speak about instances where you demonstrated teamwork, initiative, customer service, conflict resolution, problem-solving and working with a team.
• Seek openings through a variety of sources. Mention to family and friends that you are looking. Use the Missoula Workforce Center, the newspaper, signs in windows and inquire at places you frequent as a customer.
• Think about how you are dressed not only when you ask for an application, but also when you drop it off. Do not contact employers by telephone to inquire if they are hiring.
• Approach every application with a fresh attitude. You may be sick of filling out the same information over and over, but it is the first time a potential employer learns about you. You only get one chance to make a first impression. The application must be neat, readable and in pen with no spelling errors. Make sure you sign it. Make sure you have an appropriate message on your message telephone that you list, as well as a plain E-mail address.
• Ask references if you can list them before you do. You should have three people who can speak about what kind of worker you are.
• Your best weapons in the job search are attitude, confidence and consistency.

I also have a couple things to add from my own experience: Be persistent and determined. Make sure you check back after turning in your application to double check that it was received, as well as after your interview to see if they have any follow up questions for you. Also, if during the interview process your interviewer asks if you have any questions, you should always have at least one. Make sure you want to know about the company you're applying for, do a little research before you do apply and take the opportunity to ask questions. This will show them that you are sincerely interested in this position.

"The main thing is to be prepared... and don't get discouraged," Christianson said.

Don't be like me. If you know you are going to need a job, start looking right now. Utilize the services Missoula has to offer, whether it be a matching service between those seeking jobs and employers with openings like the Workforce Center, the local papers' classifieds section, online help like LC Staffing, or contacting the city or county to see what's available.

"There are a number of for-profit temporary employment agencies in Missoula that can assist job seekers. You can find them listed in the yellow pages or contact them directly to find out more about their services," Rubens said.

There is a job out there, it just takes a lot of time and effort to find it. So, get out there, get the applications and fill them out. It won't be long before you're saying, "One down, twenty-eight left to go."

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