It's holiday time, and that means work. But 'actively seeking employment' can feel like a job in itself, writes student Séamus Conboy

My mother's catchphrase, "Get off your backside and go get a job", had been the theme tune to my summer so far. Not in the catchy OC Californian TV series kind of way; more annoying, like Crazy Frog. But she was right. It was time to bridge the gap from "seeking employment" to "actively seeking employment".

What was needed was a job that would provide me with beer money for the week while still allowing me enough time for hurling training (for my club, Na Fianna) and lazing about.

I drew up a two-pronged plan of attack. My assault on the job market would be divided between applying for every job the "interweb" has to offer, and going into every shop, pub and cafe in town begging any managerial-looking person for a job.

Websites such as www.nixers.com were my starting point. I filled in a ridiculous number of forms, and applied for anything that looked even remotely suitable.

The automatic e-mail responses to some of my applications were priceless. I was delighted to find out that one particular hotel chain was "very interested to learn of my experience to date" but regretted that it would not be processing my application further on this occasion. Others were kind enough to wish me "every success in my future career". This personal touch really helped to soften the blow of repeated rejection.

The height of my success was a request for further information, but by the time that arrived I had become disillusioned with the entire process and I didn't really want to be a part-time deli assistant in Centra anyway. And so phase one of Operation Jobhunt drew to a close.

On the eve of phase two, I prepared a CV. It was, for the most part, factually accurate, though it contained a healthy sprinkling of hyperbole. Being able to order drinks in five languages is only a stone's throw away from fluency, isn't it? I printed off 25 copies and went to bed, hoping to be fresh and radiant in the morning.

Appearance is vital when looking for a job. That's why I spent twice as long as usual preening myself the next morning: six whole minutes! I even went so far as to iron a shirt.

The extra attention I paid to my appearance obviously paid off. The response from the first few ports of call was positive, if not fruitful. This time of the year is not ideal for looking for a job. Second- and third-level students have been free for weeks now, and most summer positions have been filled. Shops such as HMV and Champion Sports, who employ a lot of young summer workers, were fully staffed.

At many places I was told that there were no vacancies at the moment, but that I should leave a copy of my CV in case anything came up. At others, I received apologies that there weren't any openings, and got pointed in the direction of other pubs and cafes that were looking for staff.

My first success came in a pub in Temple Bar. When I approached the manager and asked if he was looking for any staff, he demanded my CV and attacked me with a barrage of questions. Where are you from? Where have you worked? When can you start? He asked me to call in for a chat the following day, which apparently is manager-speak for "you're hired".

As the day went on, my fortunes were mixed. At music, clothes and grocery shops I yielded negative responses. But I managed to get rid of all my CVs, with a total of two cafés, one restaurant, one shop and one more pub promising to be in touch.

Experience was the buzzword: it was the first thing every potential employer asked about. The emphasis on experience can obviously make things difficult for young people looking for a first job, but after that it can only get easier.

The fact that I'm Irish seemed to play a major part in my success. According to one pub owner, 10-20 people call into his pub every day looking for work, but they are very rarely native English-speakers. If an Irish person did call in, he said, even if he had no vacancies he would almost always ask them for a CV, and keep it in case anything came up.

After all this hard work, I've ended up where I worked last year - at the Old Stand pub.

Still, it's good to know that the jobs are out there. You just have to get off your backside and go out and get them.