Need a Job? Head to the Park

Interested? Here are five tips for finding your job at the park:

• Get started early. The Park Service and concessions companies typically hire six months in advance. You can find listings at usajobs.com and coolworks.com.
• Old hands advise applicants not to apply for just one season, since jobs are posted throughout the year.
• Don't limit your search to openings posted by the parks themselves. Check out the private websites of concessionaires, which also may include jobs at resorts and camps. Many concessionaire companies are listed by park on this National Park Service website. Concession company Xanterra starts looking as early as mid-January for summer workers at Yellowstone National Park Lodges, Grand Canyon South Rim, Zion Lodge, Crater Lake Lodge, Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va. At the Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley, the company hires for the winter season in the summer.
• Consider whether living in your own camper and traveling job-to-job might work for you. Job prospects in parks and elsewhere for camper owners are listed at www.workamper.com.
• Keep an eye out for job fairs hosted by resorts or concessionaire companies.

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