With businesses putting up more “out of business” than “help wanted” signs, summer jobs for students have become rather scarce.

Students have been applying for summer jobs ever since they could first get their working permit at age 15, but with college students and adults after the same jobs, the hunt for a summer job has gotten more competitive.

Marisa Pinetti, sophomore, has been looking for a summer job for weeks and knows how difficult this chase can be.

“Since so many adults have been laid off, they are trying to go for the jobs that are easier to get, like what we teens usually apply for. This makes it harder for [students] to get summer jobs,” Pinetti said. “Parents aren’t giving their kids as much money because it’s tight these days, so that makes us want to go get a job even more.”

Pinetti said she thinks college students and adults have a leg up on high school students, who are stereotypically less responsible.

“[Adults and college students] are more reliable, responsible, and experienced,” Pinetti said. “Managers probably look for older employees rather than sixteen and seventeen year olds.”

Steven Copp, junior, has also been on the hunt for summer employment ever since prices of everyday products have increased, he said. Like Pinetti, Copp thinks older workers have an advantage over high school students.

“[Employers] would rather hire adults. They don’t joke around as much and are more reliable,” Copp said. “They also don’t have school or [extracurricular activities], either.”

Northwestern University freshman and LZHS graduate Jillian Sczesnak thinks the aggressive job market over the summer is because of the limited amount of work, due to the poor economy. Teen employment rates have plummeted since the recession of 2001, according to economy expert Joseph McLaughlin, sending teens’ hopes of summer jobs down the drain.

Even through the poor economy and recession, good news has come for the job-aspiring unemployed. According to a survey by Snagajob, one-third of hiring managers expect to hire the same amount of seasonal employees as last year, and ten percent expect to hire more. Most of this competition will be between high school and college students.

Because some businesses will not hire unless an applicant is eighteen, standing out to an employer can be difficult, according to Sczesnak.

“Having any sort of experience with volunteering or babysitting [can help to stand out to an employer]. They can get references on their applications to look really good, as opposed to looking like they’re applying for their first job ever,” Sczesnak said. “Any sort of references from teachers could help them get called back [for an interview].”

According to Jay Pipes of GrooveJob, there are a few simple tips in helping to ensure getting that call back from an employer. Pipes believes that being prepared for rejection is a key trait in hunting for a job, along with being mature, following up, and most importantly, dressing appropriately.

Sczesnak and Copp also agree that physical appearance and presentation can have a huge impact on an interview. Copp thinks students should dress to impress.

“Students can dress nice to show they’re not a slob, write neatly on their application so the manager can read the handwriting, get work experience if possible, and follow up on their applications,” Copp said. “Managers really like when [applicants] show an interest in their store or restaurant.”

Adults and college students tend to be more responsible and experienced, as Pinetti said, so high school students can have a tough time proving themselves to be reliable employees.

“[Students] can get involved or be in a lot of activities, get good grades, and try to build relationships with teachers that will give you recommendations later on so they will have good things to say about you,” Sczesnak said. “Also, they can try to get leadership positions in clubs and take more responsibilities in classes to look better and show they’ve had responsibility before.”

Sczesnak said she thinks that doing well in school and extra curricular activities can help an applicant to be more of an option to hire for employers.

“Students would be most likely to get cashier jobs or at any of the fast food places [nearby] or stores in Lake Zurich for students at LZHS,” Sczesnak said. “I think if you’re applying to places farther away, then it might be harder to get [the job], like at Woodfield because more people apply. They want people who are close and can come in on a moment’s notice.”

With older students and adults snagging the limited local summer jobs available, some students are left scrambling in the hopeless job market.