School is back in session, the holidays are upon us, and the one thing on most students’ minds is: “Where am I going to come up with some extra money for the things I need?”

In today’s tough economy, jobs are hard to come by for many people. In a recent interview with Melanie Chamberlin, an assistant general manager for Wendy’s restaurant, I was able to glean some insight into the “how and why” to enter into the fast food job scene as a student.

Chamberlin has been working in the fast food business since she was 16-years-old, and at Wendy’s for the last 10 years. Starting off as an inexperienced crew member, she worked her way through each level of management until becoming a store manager. After starting a family, she stepped down a level to allow more family time.

When I asked Chamberlin why she chose to work fast food, she told me, “I was sixteen, in high school, and needed money.” She said she first worked as a waitress elsewhere, but the pay was horrible and the scheduling was a mess.

There are many benefits for students when working in a fast food restaurant. I was told that most fast food restaurants, not just Wendy’s, are very accommodating and create work schedules according to the availability of their employees. As a manager, Chamberlin said the part-time workers help out tremendously. She said that in other job markets, like office or factory work, everyone is looking for full-time work and eight- to ten-hour shifts. In a fast food restaurant there is a great need for employees who only want to work three to five hours a day to help fill the gaps. This arrangement benefits both the company and its employees. The company gets the people it needs to work, while the employees get a schedule that fits their activities and schooling.

Experience is important to every employer, and experience can dictate your pay scale. Getting your foot in the door, by working in a fast food restaurant, can give you that much-needed experience. Chamberlin said that is another benefit for students working at fast food restaurants. Students get a great start in the “real world” by working at Wendy’s, where they will learn responsibility, discipline, and relationship skills. She understands that “fast food work is an in-between job for many. It’s a job that holds them over until they graduate and get a job in their degree field. The skills an employee learns here will compliment any degree skills—making you a more marketable person to employers.”

As a person involved in the hiring of employees, Chamberlin noted that the interview really starts when you turn in your application. Staying professional is probably the most important thing. Make sure, when you turn in your application, that you come in clean and (for guys) shaven, and act like it is your first day on the job. You never know when you will get an on-the-spot interview.

If you don’t get a call right away, just be patient, Chamberlin said. “Sometimes we just don’t have the room on our staff to hire people, but the applicants that make a good first impression are always kept on the top of the pile.”

If it is, in fact, your first job, she said to make sure you note in your employment history the activities in which you participate at school. These would be things such as community service events and college clubs. People who are more active and involved seem more determined and, therefore, are more likely to get the job.