Summer often means pool time for a lot of high school and college kids. That rings true for high schooler Richard Doran, but it also means water games, safety speeches and everything else that contributes to a few extra dollars in his pocket.
Doran, an upcoming 10th grader at Aiken High School, landed a summer job lifeguarding at the Smith Hazel Recreation Center pool.
After taking a lifeguard class with his brother, Doran looked around for jobs and found Smith Hazel by applying through the City of Aiken.
"There's a lot of responsibility to it, watching out for the kids and keeping them away from the deep end of the pool," Doran said. "But it's a good job and the fun, of course, is being in the water and working with the kids."
Pool manager Elizabeth Lindroth said her job is interesting because several of the lifeguards are working their very first jobs, making her their first boss.
"It's been a unique experience," she said. "But everyone is working really hard and it's been great seeing them step up and take on more responsibility."
The City of Aiken wasn't the only entity seeking summer help from students. Damian Robinson, a key holder with LuLu's Express Car Wash, said the extra help the business has received is much needed because of recent turnover and the large number of man hours tired employees were clocking.
"The main thing we were looking for is people who can be fast and can listen," he said.
Still, even larger businesses have been and still are hiring more workers. Soft skills, such as efficiency and punctuality, are preferred by multiple employers in the area including Bojland Restaurant Group, the owners of the Bojangles' chain in the CSRA.
Andrea Wandless, a human resources manager for group, said Bojangles' is looking for help at all of their locations.
Much like other employers, Wandless said people skills is one of the biggest things the company is looking for.
"We're looking for those who are dedicated, punctual and can provide friendly service for our customers," Wandless said.
The company found those qualities in Morgan Fair, a recent Silver Bluff High School graduate who just started working Wednesday at the Aiken location on Jefferson Davis Highway. Fair will be attending Tuskegee University in the fall, and was glad to land a summer job to save up some money.
"It'll just be good to get some experience with this being my first job," Fair said.
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him @DerrekAsberry.