With class, homework, papers and maybe even a little time for fun, finding a job to fit a tight schedule isn’t always easy for college students.
Many students have loads of work and a lack of time. Yet, with the right preparation and a little investigation, students can handle work and school, University career advisers said.
Campus is a place students can begin their search.
Laura Negrini, Job Center manager at the Office of Human Resources, said approximately 5,500 students are paid in on-campus jobs annually.
A lot of students are employed in various positions in the Department of Recreational Sports, University Dining Services, Housing and Residential Life, and Facilities Management, she said.
Many resources are also available for students looking for jobs after graduation. The College of Liberal Arts offers an elective course for all students called Career Planning (ID 3201), which covers topics such as resume writing, job-search strategies and interviewing.
Although this course is open to all University students, students should research the programs offered by their own colleges, said Paul Timmins, lead career services coordinator at the Career and Community Learning Center.
“Many colleges offer career courses that are tailored to students in specific colleges or majors,” he said. “Each college specializes in helping its own students.”
The St. Paul Campus Career Center is unique in that it serves multiple colleges. Heidi Perman, a career professional at the center, helps students with deciding how to use their majors.
Perman also suggests students should visit their career offices.
“Job searching is an acquired skill,” she said. “It is something that has to be learned. A lot of students just go out there and do it without taking the time to learn strategies or expectations employers have.”
Students are prone to only check newspapers and the Internet in search of jobs. Statistics show 75 percent of all available jobs are not advertised but found through networking, Perman said.
Timmins agreed about networking’s importance to students’ success.
“Talk to other students, friends, faculty and family, asking them if they know anyone working in the industry,” he said. “Students are often surprised at how willing people are to help.”
