How NOT to get a Job; Allatoona Lake, 4 Job Openings

The Army Corp of Engineers runs wonderful campgrounds.  We've heard so much good about them that we applied for camp hosting positions near Atlanta, Georgia, at a lake held behind Allatoona Dam.  A ranger accidentally forwarded a letter from a couple who applied for the same positions.  We stand by our advice that you give yourself the best chance of being chosen by selling yourself based on specific skills or aptitudes you have that fit the job requirements.  It's not about what you want, but about what the park or campground needs.  Simply answer the question:  "How are you going to solve their problem(s)?  So what's wrong with the following letter (sent from the applicants i-phone)?

To: Bjornson, Virginia E SAM
Subject: Lake allatoona app.

I would like to apply for the summer positions.
I'm just retired 62 and my wife is 59 she is a RN current in Georgia We have
a 5th wheel and would like to use it and still be close to home.

Best regards, Ed

The usual problems a park might have are:  sub-standard restrooms, not enough positive contact with guests (answering questions, solving problems) and all kinds of maintenance issues.  In the above letter nothing is said about how this couple will benefit the park, but their own needs are addressed:  "We have invested in a rig and want to use it, but don't want to drive very far."
Along with the 4 job offers we received from Ranger Virginia (Ginger) Bjornson at Allatoona Lake, we received pages of regulations and duties for hosts.  Requirements include:  mandatory 7 hour shifts in the gatehouse, with 4 days on and 4 off.  This is besides all of the normal camp host duties of cleaning and regulating the campground and day use area.   Both of the hosts must be in the park during weekends, no exceptions...which means no church.   They only use couples, which means a minimum of 50+ hours a week...in return for a place to park.

What are the perks? Warm Georgia weather and hospitality, a cheap baseball cap and name tag..…no uniform, not even a shirt, and no reimbursement for propane or the use of your personal vehicle.  You are, after all, a volunteer.  If you are treated well, you could have the time of your life.  But how do you know that ...unless you spend the money and time to actually go to a job site and try it out?  It will cost you a 6-month commitment to find out.

P.S.  We received these US Army Corp of Engineer job offers while we were on our family vacation, discovering Baja California.  We'd already accepted a position in Arizona camp hosting at Colossal Cave Mountain Park.

How to get a Camp Host Job (State Parks)

We got serious about looking for a state park job when we remembered our fabulous tour of Florida parks the winter of 2010.  We tried for Wekiva Springs (pictured) because it was the closet one to our youngest son, who lives with his family in Orlando.  It was a recreational bonanza, but our call to the nice volunteer coordinator revealed half of it was closed to put in a sewer system...and so there's be no openings until 2012.  Our call saved us putting in an application.

We called the next closest one, Lake Louisa State Park , and the coordinator, Jenny, was super nice and helpful.  She had no openings, but she explained the best way to apply:  Don't just fill out the ap (by clicking here:  Volunteer Opportunities ) ...but call the park you are interested in and then follow up with a hand-written ap.  You can get the contact info at the bottom of the home page for many campgrounds by going to ReserveAmerica.com or Recreation.com and searching the campground or area you are interested in.  Here's a link:  Campground Addresses and Phone Numbers   According to Jenny, the campground managers get a steady stream of emailed applications...and they often just get lost in the deluge or deleted.  But a good application that comes in the mail (especially with a picture and a friendly note of introduction) gets filed for when an opening does come up.  We followed Jenny's instructions and mailed our explanation of what we hoped would happen...and sure enough....the next month she called with an offer to work for a one-month opening she had.  We wanted something for the whole winter, but she promised to hang onto our ap in case something "bigger" opened up.  [If you need help doing any of this, just email me at camphost.white@gmail.com ]