DECATUR - In a tight job market, it can be difficult to land any kind of summer job.

Yet some students have found a way to get hired for jobs they actually enjoy.

And while others wonder why they cannot even land an interview to work at the least desirable workplace, the students who have the best summer jobs know what it takes to impress employers.

Either intentionally or as a matter of course, some have been doing the right things to land their dream jobs for several years.

Ashley Guntle, a sophomore at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, has been working at the Scovill Zoo for the past four summers. Her duties include cleaning, painting and running the carousel.

"It's fun because you get to watch the kids," Guntle said of the carousel assignment. "They get really excited."

Guntle, who loves animals and likes working with the public, applied for the job early in the spring of 2003.

"She had such a great personality, we had to hire her," said Mike Borders, the zoo director.

Borders said he fills a few openings every summer from more than 200 applicants. There are 22 summer positions at the zoo, but most of them are filled by students who have worked there in previous years.

Borders said the first thing he looks for in an applicant is a great personality.

"You can teach them the job, but you can't teach personality," he said.

And the process of examining the applicant begins the minute he or she sets foot at the zoo.

"We find out a lot when they pick up the application," Borders said, adding that he welcomes input from current employees, who check out the potential employees. "If they smile, if they're nice, we find out right then. First impressions are so important."

Melissa Baer, a senior at Eisenhower High School working her second summer at the zoo, also made a good impression on the staff.

"It was the only job I applied for," she said.

One might think she would have had enough of the zoo as a child, when she and her mother were regular summertime visitors, sometimes five days a week. But she still loves showing up there as a paid employee.

"Who wouldn't want to come to the zoo almost every day?" she asked. "It's awesome."

She works mostly in the gift shop and concession stand. "I don't do the dirty work," she said.

Andrea Hogan, youth and family director at the Greater Decatur Y, hired 18 counselors for its day camp, Camp Sokkia.

She looks for applicants who are strong leaders, experienced in working with younger people in camp settings. They should be creative and enjoy working with children.

"They have to set a strong example for the kids," Hogan said. "If they don't have any experience, they have to have really good references."

Some of the positions are filled by former campers who have worked a year or two as volunteer junior counselors, but there are some slots available for outsiders.

Hogan, who also hires some other employees at the Y, said there are young people who disqualify themselves on sight.

"We have people coming in with T-shirts saying things like 'Your boyfriend called me last night,' " she said, adding that others come in for interviews with their pants hanging low, revealing their boxer shorts. "That's just not appropriate. Your appearance is important. Even though it's a camp counselor job, they need to put their best foot forward."

Applicants don't need to don a suit and tie, but Hogan recommends business casual attire.

Hogan appreciates when job applicants tell her if they have other activities, such as sports, that will compete with work hours. While there is some flexibility, she does not want to find out later that there are more days they cannot work than they can.

One of her pet peeves is teens who just don't show up when they have a conflict. Some don't realize that the impression they make on one job may determine whether they get hired for the next one.

"I think they take for granted the importance of every job," she said.

Anthony Mansur, a counselor at Camp Sokkia for the past six summers, said he appreciates the job.

"What's better than running around outside, playing with kids?" said Mansur, a sophomore at Millikin University.

Mansur, who had been a camper at Sokkia and then served as a junior counselor, was hired as a counselor at age 14. He previously worked at a cleaning business owned by his grandparents.

"This is more fun because it gives me practice in dealing with kids," said Mansur, who plans to become an elementary school teacher.

Brian O'Neill, a junior at MacArthur High School, became a counselor this summer after serving two summers as a junior counselor. He appreciates that he does not have to stay indoors, flipping burgers or performing menial type tasks.

"You're running around, playing games," he said. "Most of the kids are the coolest kids in Decatur. They're really fun, which makes it easy."

Hogan said she does not have to advertise to find excellent counselors each summer.

"We have counselors who really like to be here," Hogan said. "It's not just a paycheck."

Huey Freeman can be reached at hfreeman@herald-review.com or 421-6985.