Motorcycle Industry Job Fair

MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com is hosting its 4th annual online Moto Job Fair. All sorts of jobs relating to motorcycles as well as ATVs, personal watercraft and even some others will be listed. Jobs include all aspects of the industry including sales, service, office, and technician jobs. You can post a resume at the site.

The job fair runs from May 5 through May 20. I did go to the Web site and searched for "seasonal" and got back two results. One is a sales position, the other for a motorcycle mechanic.

If you have interest or skills in this area, MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com is a good resource. If you are looking for temporary or seasonal work, don't wait for an ad. Use the Web site to locate a business in the area where you want to travel and then approach them about a short-term position. Businesses located in a tourist area are most likely to consider temporary help. Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak

For information on Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com

Three U.S. agenices on AARP National Employer Team

The AARP National Employer Team is made up of employers who recognize that older workers make up a very important part of the workforce. They want to hire older workers because they know that we bring leadership, experience, and skills to do the job. Three U.S. government agencies have recently joined the team. All state that they have seasonal and temporary positions.

• The Internal Reveue Service: PT/Seasonal positions- Clerks, Data transcribers, Contact representatives, Tax examiners.
  
• The Peace Corps: Domestic and overseas positions.
  
• The Small Business Administration, Office of Disaster Assistance (ODA): Provides affordable, timely and accessible financial assistance for the repair and rebuilding of non-farm, private sector disaster losses. Hires when disaster strikes.

An RV friend has gone through the process of being hired for temporary work for the ODA. She did say it took months to get her application in correctly and processed. She is finally eligible and waiting for her first call.

The federal government offers some nice benefits to seasonal and some temporary workers. Check out the AARP program and specifically the U.S. government agencies. Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak

Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road includes a chapter on getting seasonal work with the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service and other agencies. See RVBookstore.com

San Diego opportunities

San Diego has one of the most ideal climates. Picking up a free employment newspaper I spotted several opportunities. The drawback is finding a place to park your RV. The good part is that San Diego has an excellent trolley system. You could stay in one of the cities near the trolley lines (east and south) or north near the Coaster commuter train and get into San Diego easily.

• Hotel del Coronado (trolley or Coaster to downtown, then the Coronado ferry. A bicycle would make it fairly easy from the ferry.) They are hiring seasonal workers.
• Sea World has openings in most departments. A little more challenging to reach unless you stayed in the Mission Bay area.
• Campland on the Bay on Mission Bay. They also advertise in Workamper News. They are looking for help in several departments.
• Delivering telephone books.
• Two events: U.S. Open Golf Tournament in June and an Art Walk in Little Italy later this month. The second one is volunteer.
• Plus several temporary agencies are looking for people to fill a variety of jobs.

If this area appeals to you, you could find work. A place on the outskirts, perhaps a mobile home park, would be less expensive than parks closer to downtown. You might be commuting by trolley, train or bus but that's an adventure too. Each does allow bicycles (sometimes limited in number) so you could bring your bike along to get from mass transit to your job site. See this site for more information on bikes and mass transit. Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak

For information on Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com

Do workers on the RV road get job burnout?

Most workers on the RV road have left high stress jobs and now choose ones that are much more low key. Most chose not to work in management positions. If they wanted management, they'd could have stayed in their old jobs and made a lot more money!

That said, it is possible to experience burnout. According to an article in one of the free employment magazines, burnout is definied as

the stress and unhappiness resulting from the mismatch between
the needs of the person and the demands of the job.

The article goes on to say that people who try to please everyone are at highest risk, which means more women suffer from burnout than men. If you put in so much time and energy you are exhausted, it may come from the need to feel indispensible. That gives a feeling of power, but it does lead to frustration and ultimately burnout.

So what can you do to avoid burnout? Here are some suggestions that may help

1. Choose jobs that are fun or not so fast-paced. A small RV park will probably be less busy and thus less stressful than a large one.
2. Choose something you enjoy.
3. Don't get emotionally involved in the decision-making and running of the business. Just do your job to the best of your ability.
4. If things aren't exactly to your liking, remember this is a seasonal job, not a career.
5. Take walks, bike or swim each day to help you relax and get your mind off work.
6. Don't take your job home with you. It's not likely that it is necessary nor will it make a difference except to your stress level.

Probably the easiest way to avoid burnout is to remember, "This too shall pass." Remember too that this job is serving a purpose even if it isn't perfect and allowing you to meet your goals, whether they are making money, to be in that area, or to be near family. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com.

San Diego seasonal jobs

Last weekend I was in San Diego. I spotted one of the free employment newspapers, Job Giant. In this issue several short-term and seasonal jobs were listed.

• UPS seasonal driver helper $8.50/hr
• Deliver phone books, clerical and warehouse positions available
• Election workers for February, June and November - different duties available $8.76-$25/hr
• Target hiring several categories of workers
• Phone customer service reps for Red Envelope

This time of year brings lots of short-term job opportunities. Keep your eyes out for these free employment newspapers and check the classifieds particularly in the Sunday newspapers. It can be a way to earn some money without commiting to the usual four ot six month season. Jaimie

For more more than 350 ideas for working and volunteering on the RV road, see Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, available at RVBookstore.com.

Unexpected leads

In the Denver Post-News classified section, an article mentioned several companies looking for seasonal entertainers and other workers.

One is Elitch Gardens (formerly a Six Flags theme park). They hire 2,500 seasonal employees. Entertainment is only one of several job categories. They welcome the senior worker too. At their website, they note they'll hire seniors for one or two days a week. They offer lots of perks too.

Ski resorts offer other programs in the summer. Copper Mountain hires summer workers, but is also looking for volunteers for summer events in exchange for winter lift tickets. Check the event calendar under "Things to do" for activities you'd like to be involved in. Or click on "Jobs" to find out paid seasonal jobs.

The Borrillo Entertainment company does hire entertainers: living statues, celebrity look-alikes, strolling magicians, stilt walkers plus others to provide atmosphere or walk-about entertainment.

Keep your eyes and ears open. You never know where a lead will turn up and a different kind of work opportunity will appear! Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.