My CoolWorks

Living & Working in Great Places

December 2008 Blog Posts (20)

The Employee Journey -- pt.4 What you can do after you apply

All too often prospective seasonal employees find themselves in a waiting game after they apply. There are a few reasons for this. First, employers often have a lot of applications to work through. When I work an application I look through the application, contact the applicant, set up an interview, spend 45 minutes to an hour interviewing them, and then have to decide if the person is a good fit for the positions I have available. Hiring is the most important part of my job year after year. If… Continue

Added by Rick Peterson on December 27, 2008 at 2:40pm — 9 Comments

Christmas Eve in Grand Tetons National Park

Merry Christmas y'all.

A winter storm is blowing in from the northwest right now and we are expecting new snow before the morn. For the skiers and snowboarders that means new adventure for tomorrow - for me it means a warm fire, Critter, Cleo, Mowgli and Gizmo settling down for that warm winter's nap. somewhere in the vicinity of my feet.

This will be my last Christmas here but I am looking forward to warmer winds and a beautiful spring in the Texas Hill County - even… Continue

Added by Ann Carr on December 24, 2008 at 8:25pm — No Comments

My plea to employers today

You want housing photos. I asked for them. : )

Check out the post here.

Happy Holidays!

Added by Kari Quaas (Q) on December 23, 2008 at 5:35pm — 9 Comments

Second Day

So today was supposed to be the second day of my second season at Shawnee Ski. I left last year on a pretty bad note, so I wanted to make a good impression this year. So what happens? My 1979 VW Bus breaks down. I know I know what a shock? But believe it or not this classic hippie van has never left me stranded on multiple trips back and forth from PA to NY. NY to MD, VA, Woodstock, and NJ. And not once, never has it left me stranded when I needed to get to work. Today was the first, and I… Continue

Added by Frank Somma on December 23, 2008 at 12:24pm — 1 Comment

Chat About Alaska - Tonight!

Join us at 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific / 5pm Alaska time for a fun chat about living and working in the great state of Alaska.

More details here.

The chat will take place on the home page or the chat tab above. Feel free to watch the conversation or join in just by being a member of this network. With all the snow around the country, this is a great time to stay in and learn… Continue

Added by Kari Quaas (Q) on December 22, 2008 at 11:11am — No Comments

Transcript of Yellowstone Chat - 12/15/08 (Second Half)

Transcript of second half of Yellowstone Chat – 12/15/08 - 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific

Unfortunately, I didn't catch the first half like I thought, but hopefully this helps you learn about more about Yellowstone. There was a lot of talk about the employers in Yellowstone - DNC (Delaware North), Xanterra, YPSS, the National Park Service and the Yellowstone Association. Also, taking advantage of volunteer opportunities with the above.

Thanks again to those who showed up to… Continue

Added by Kari Quaas (Q) on December 16, 2008 at 10:06am — 3 Comments

The Employee Journey -- pt.3 Deciding what position to apply for

So, the reason it has taken me so long to do another blog is that I am enjoying the benefits of the seasonal hospitality industry and taking a long vacation. My wife and I are enjoying the winter hospitality industry and some indoor water parks back home in Wisconsin. I want to thank everyone for all of the great comments on my last blog. The latest discuss the compensation structures of certain positions and whether they are fair or not. That dovetails very well in to this blog’s topic. My… Continue

Added by Rick Peterson on December 15, 2008 at 10:33pm — 10 Comments

Beginning to Apply for Summer 2009

Just a quick note again. I was thinking about making the earlier chat session this evening, but service here didn't finish in time. Maybe the next one...Right now I'm not that interested in Yellowstone so I was in no big hurry. Well, that...and one of the owners and general manager got into a PLAYFUL water fight in the kitchen after the meal.

I did place my first application for the Summer 2009 season. It's with the CIRI Alaska Tourism company. I listed three choices. My first choice… Continue

Added by Keith Larson on December 15, 2008 at 9:47pm — No Comments

Catching Up...

It's been awhile for a blog. Soon I'll do my 'good, bad, and ugly' for my season at Basin Harbor. I'll also do one a little more in depth of my time here at the Kay El Bar...kind of like last summer's 'day in the life' blogs.

Just a quick one for now. Numbers of guests are down this season. Our international guest counts have stayed the same, or maybe even grown, but the domestic traffic has slowed considerably. I should know the UK's geography better than I did.

I've been… Continue

Added by Keith Larson on December 12, 2008 at 10:41pm — No Comments

Join us for a little chit chat about Yellowstone National Park

After a few versions of Chat, we finally have one that works and I'm so excited to announce that we'll be hosting topic driven chats starting next Monday, December 15th at 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific. The first chat will focus on Yellowstone National Park. We'll cover subjects including employers in the park, housing, wildlife, recreation, etc.

Yellowstone National… Continue

Added by Kari Quaas (Q) on December 11, 2008 at 2:26pm — No Comments

Wordle Goodness

1) I like the word "goodness" so I use it often.

2) Bill from Cool Works sent me this image today from Wordle.net. It's a cloud representation of the words used on our Tips and Tales Blog. I love it. Any blog with an RSS feed can be "wordled."

Cool Works Tips and Tales Blog - Tips and Tales on work and life in seasonal jobs.…

Continue

Added by Kari Quaas (Q) on December 11, 2008 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment

Heading Home

This is from an email sent December 1:

Well...I think I'm going to be able to head home...Yesterday, after arriving in Kathmandu, I made my way to the Thai Air office. They issue numbers and after sitting for many hours, I left to try the other airline offices. I was told that I needed to make my own arrangements out....so I hit Dragon Air and Singapore Air. Then, again, I made the rounds early this morning, arriving at the Thai Air office at 7:30, even though they do not open until… Continue

Added by Sarah Sifers on December 11, 2008 at 7:22am — 1 Comment

Week 10 in Nepal - Heading Home

This is an email sent on November 30:

It’s time to begin my journey back to the other side of the world. I’ll fly to Kathmandu tomorrow morning; spend two days in that chaotic city before trying to begin the long process of flying back home. I am deeply worried because of the protesters in Bangkok. As of this writing, they have taken over the Bangkok airport and all flights have been cancelled. Please pray for a peaceful resolution. When I get to Kathmandu, I will make my way to the… Continue

Added by Sarah Sifers on December 11, 2008 at 7:21am — No Comments

Week 9 in Nepal - This Trip is Coming to an End

This is from an email sent out on November 23:

My time in Nepal is quickly coming to an end…bringing with it a mix of emotions that can be quite overwhelming. On one level, I’m ready to leave this third world country where I brace against all of the challenges that it brings to stay safe and healthy. But on another level, the thought of leaving my ‘family’ brings great sadness to my heart. When I sit with Rhichoe, in particular, I study his face as if to soak him in. Like Wangchuk… Continue

Added by Sarah Sifers on December 11, 2008 at 7:19am — No Comments

JobRadio.fm

If you're looking for a job and need some advice from industry experts, give a listen to JobRadio.fm - free Career Advice Internet Radio.

It's easy to have it running in the background while you're searching for a job on the web. You never know what great piece of advice you'll get.

Added by Kari Quaas (Q) on December 9, 2008 at 3:42pm — No Comments

Information on Flagg Ranch Wyoming needed

I have been accepted to this location and I am in the process of getting all of my paper work together, signed and turned back in to work the summer season. I am really excited. I would like any information on this area as far as living , working, site seeing,etc. from anyone who has worked here or been an employee.

Added by Cathy on December 7, 2008 at 1:36pm — 2 Comments

winter job!?!?

i would like to get out of south jersey a.s.a.p. any ideas? im down for just about anything and the cold does not bother me. warm is great too tho!

Added by james on December 5, 2008 at 6:50pm — 3 Comments

Anybody got anything on Lake Crescent Lodge?

Hey everybody,

I'm thinking about Lake Crescent Lodge for this coming summer 09. Anybody worked there...good/bad. It's beautiful and I was just hoping living and working there would be a good time.
Thanks gals/guys.

Added by Littlej on December 5, 2008 at 5:59pm — 4 Comments

Blogging Goodness - Arianna Huffington on The Daily Show - 12/3/08

I enjoyed this interview of Arianna Huffington on The Daily Show last night because it justifies a lot of what we do at Cool Works to share our knowledge, passion and interest in the seasonal work world and more importantly, those great places to work around the U.S. and the world. We blog to provide information to you and to spread the word about Cool Works, (Tips and Tales Blog), to keep our HR managers informed about the latest and… Continue

Added by Kari Quaas (Q) on December 4, 2008 at 12:26pm — No Comments

The Employee Journey -- pt.2 Deciding where to apply

I’m trying to blog the seasonal employee journey, based on my history in Alaska. Previously I talked about the slowing rate of tourism in 2009. But don’t worry, there will still be seasonal jobs out there for you to enjoy. Once you have made the decision to seek a seasonal adventure, you have to decide where to apply. This is an immensely important decision and can mean the difference between you having the summer of your life, or the summer of your discontent.

Before you start… Continue

Added by Rick Peterson on December 3, 2008 at 6:00pm — 14 Comments