DES MOINES, IA, March 21- As spring breezes in it brings a foreshadow of summer and job hunters begin to polish their skills. That’s right, it’s job-hunting season. Graduating seniors are hopefully anticipating life after a diploma and students “in progress” will be looking for experience and something to fill those three months of classroom freedom.

Looking for jobs in school’s off-season has been known to be a job in itself. It can be very difficult to land a job in summer because of competition there is to face. However, year-round workers may be asking for more time off in summer. The work is out there; it just takes time and effort to find it.

If you haven’t started already, now would be a good time to begin collecting applications or sending out resumes. Apply to more than just a few places; your odds will naturally increase. Be sure to include jobs that you may have career interest in. If you are interested in contracting or engineering, look for a construction job. If you are interested in exercise science or fitness, look for a lifeguarding job. Experience will give you an advantage down road. Begin networking with family and friends; it is often luck and who you know that will land you a job. Do not be afraid to tell people you are looking for a job.

Submit your applications and resume as early as April and no later than mid-May. If you begin to look for a summer job at end of May or beginning of June your job hunt becomes more difficult and you might end up with no job at all. One area that may still be hiring is agriculture; as crops get ready for harvesting these positions will pick up. Another option…fast food. It is not very popular, but it is consistently hiring. Remember to be flexible and creative, you will not find perfect job at this point in your career.

Success at Work: People Skills : Working With Your Boss

By Stephen Bucaro

Most advice about success at Work focuses on becoming a good leader, but you can't become a good leader until you first become a good follower. Your boss is most important individual to work with to achieve success at Work. Your boss can provide you with training, assignments, opportunities, and advancement within organization.

Many young people entering work force are surprised to learn that their boss is not perfect. Your boss is a unique individual that can get in a bad mood, make a bad decision, or exhibit imperfections just like anyone else. The key to achieving success at Work is to Work around idiosyncrasies of Your boss.

Meeting Your Bosses' Standards

Some workers never take time to understand requirements of an assignment. At Motorola, I worked on a project that was getting behind schedule and over budget. At a project meeting, boss asked us to not embellish our assignments with all kinds of extras. He said "Just meet requirements".

After that meeting, every time I received an assignment I stopped and thought, "Exactly what are requirements for this assignment?" Stopping to consider requirements has served me well through years - including getting me through college.

What are your bosses standards for quality? Some bosses just want a quick and dirty job. Some bosses expect everything to be perfect. Some bosses SAY they just want a quick and dirty job, but when they don't get perfect results, they complain. The solution is to determine requirements of assignment and just meet requirements. Nothing more, nothing less.

Accommodating Your Bosses Work Style

Some bosses like to involve them self in your assignment. I've seen cases where boss gives an assignment, and then sits with you while you're working on assignment. Most of time, boss involvement relates to making decisions. Some bosses want to make all decisions, especially when worker is new and unknown.

Some bosses expect you to make all decisions yourself. They give you an assignment and then make them self scarce so you can't ask any questions. They just want you to get job done. They don't want to be bothered with details. Some bosses want to know every little detail of progress of assignment.

You need to learn how to accommodate work style of your boss. It's best to make as many decisions as possible yourself. Keep your boss informed about progress of your assignment with regular updates. Recognize when importance of a decision requires you to consult with boss. Respect your bosses time. If you need help, approach boss at an opportune moment for boss and ask when would be a good time to talk. Before you approach boss for a decision, be prepared to offer possible solutions that boss might choose from.