Looking for a job – next summer?
Even as this summer season seems to be lingering, lifeguard agencies up and down the Southern California coast are already holding tryouts to fill lifeguard towers for seasonal positions for next summer, a shift in how recruitment has typically happened at most departments for decades.
“Everyone is going early. A lot of departments have been down on staffing levels, so they are trying to get them in early,” said San Clemente Marine Safety Lt. Sean Staudenbaur, whose department is holding a tryout on Sunday, Oct. 15.
State Parks held a tryout at Crystal Cove in September, while Huntington City Beach has a tryout on Saturday, Oct. 14. The trend follows what Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguards have done for years, recruiting early fall for the next year’s summer staffing. LA County held tryouts Oct. 7 with about 200 applicants showing up.
Rather than having one big tryout day in winter or spring, most agencies are also shifting to having several smaller tryouts throughout the year – all of which include a series of swims and runs – allowing agencies to do early planning and offering flexibility for potential applicants.
Huntington Marine Safety Division Chief Eric Dieterman said instead of one “big show,” where hundreds of applicants try out, doing “continuous recruitment” is a more practical way to net the next wave of guards.
Following this Saturday’s tryouts, there will be two during the Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 24 and 25, planned intentionally for students who may be home for the holidays. Another will be held Jan. 6, and the final round Feb. 3 before the academy starts in March.
Spreading out the tryouts into multiple dates not only allows for more applicants to show up, but is also a way for someone to train for another date if they don’t pass right away, Dieterman said of determined applicants.
“That’s the value in this tryout method. We’re not just netting the fastest,…
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