2008 Woodie Awards
Web site helps students find seasonal jobs, start careers
Issue date: 4/3/07 Section: News
Sarah Gwin
FSView & Florida Flambeau (Florida State U.)
(U-WIRE) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - CoolWorks.com is a Web site for people to find a seasonal job or career in some popular places like Yellowstone, Yosemite or even out of the United States. Students can get a summer job as a camp counselor, or they can work at places like ski resorts, ranches, theme parks and tour companies.
CoolWorks offers links to Web sites that are interesting jobs. In addition, the site has places for internships and volunteering.
"CoolWorks was born of the idea that employers in National Parks might be able to utilize the then-brand-new World Wide Web to distribute applications to potential applicants, thereby decreasing the need for paper-based applications - being green very early on," Director of Operations Patty Bishoff said.
CoolWorks has been on the Web since 1995. The creators of the site wanted to eliminate the hassle of the application process and be friendly to the environment.
"Prior to working for CoolWorks, I worked as the Assistant Director of Human Resources for Xanterra Parks & Resorts (formerly Amfac Parks & Resorts)," Bishoff said. "I was responsible for the seasonal staff recruiting; we needed to have 3,500 employees every summer to keep 2,500 positions filled all season. To do that, we needed to secure over 10,000 applications each year, and to do that, we distributed over 90,000 application packages."
The application process used to waste a lot of recourses and time.
"Back then, interested applicants would call or write the office, and we'd mail out the application, the information brochure and reference forms," Bishoff said. "A big mess of printing, stuffing an envelope, paying postage, waiting for the mail, the applicant receiving the information, filling it out, mailing it back to us. What a process."
Currently, an applicant can go online, research all the information about an employer, apply online, and have the application reviewed in 24 hours or less, and there's not even a piece of paper involved. Times certainly have changed. CoolWorks.com "works" for applicants because the employers pay for the advertising. There are no fees that are included for the applicant.
FSView & Florida Flambeau (Florida State U.)
(U-WIRE) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - CoolWorks.com is a Web site for people to find a seasonal job or career in some popular places like Yellowstone, Yosemite or even out of the United States. Students can get a summer job as a camp counselor, or they can work at places like ski resorts, ranches, theme parks and tour companies.
CoolWorks offers links to Web sites that are interesting jobs. In addition, the site has places for internships and volunteering.
"CoolWorks was born of the idea that employers in National Parks might be able to utilize the then-brand-new World Wide Web to distribute applications to potential applicants, thereby decreasing the need for paper-based applications - being green very early on," Director of Operations Patty Bishoff said.
CoolWorks has been on the Web since 1995. The creators of the site wanted to eliminate the hassle of the application process and be friendly to the environment.
"Prior to working for CoolWorks, I worked as the Assistant Director of Human Resources for Xanterra Parks & Resorts (formerly Amfac Parks & Resorts)," Bishoff said. "I was responsible for the seasonal staff recruiting; we needed to have 3,500 employees every summer to keep 2,500 positions filled all season. To do that, we needed to secure over 10,000 applications each year, and to do that, we distributed over 90,000 application packages."
The application process used to waste a lot of recourses and time.
"Back then, interested applicants would call or write the office, and we'd mail out the application, the information brochure and reference forms," Bishoff said. "A big mess of printing, stuffing an envelope, paying postage, waiting for the mail, the applicant receiving the information, filling it out, mailing it back to us. What a process."
Currently, an applicant can go online, research all the information about an employer, apply online, and have the application reviewed in 24 hours or less, and there's not even a piece of paper involved. Times certainly have changed. CoolWorks.com "works" for applicants because the employers pay for the advertising. There are no fees that are included for the applicant.
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