5 things to do to find a job on campus

With the cost of college on the rise and showing very few signs of stopping, many students look for on and off campus jobs to finance their educations. By acquiring a job or an internship, college students can learn valuable life skills such as time management, budgeting and cooperation, all of which are skills which will serve students for the rest of their lives.

While the benefits of having a job are well known, places to look for a job may not be, especially for new students. Here are some in-person and online resources for students to find jobs and internships.

1. UConn Online Resources

The Office of Student Financial Aid Services (OSFAS) website is a great resource for students looking for jobs. The website, studentjobs.uconn.edu, contains links to an FAQ section for commonly asked questions about how and where students can find jobs as well as more specific questions like how much students are paid and how many hours students can work.

The website also links to JobX. JobX is an online portal for UConn students which lists all UConn jobs and the application details. Jobs listed on the site include positions at Dining Services, Athletics and University of Connecticut Information Technology Services (UITS). Students can scroll through all job listings or they can filter their searches by job category (one through three based on difficulty and prior experience), employer, time frame, wage and hours worked per week.

JobX is a great resource for students looking for entry-level positions who have never had a job before or for students who have worked multiple jobs and are looking to add to their resumes.

2. Work-Study

JobX also lists work-study positions in addition to student labor positions. Federal Work-Study is a need-based financial aid work program for college students to work part-time while attending school. Work-Studies are decided by OSFAS typically in mid-September, according to the OSFAS website. They are awarded to eligible full-time students who have submitted their FAFSAs by the March 1 deadline.

Work-Study opportunities are also available through the Office of Community Outreach website at volunteer.uconn.edu, and through off-campus employers on JobX.

3. Flyers

Flyers advertising jobs and internships can be found across campus. In particular, they can be found in the Student Union, Laurel Hall, the Homer Babbidge library and residence halls. Because flyers are so abundant, it is easy to overlook them as pieces of useless information, but a flyer is actually how I found out about my summer job at UConn. Don’t let the cheesy lines deter you from reading flyers put up around campus because they could lead you to your next job.

4. Email Chains

Many undergraduate departments routinely send out mass emails to students about events, faculty, classes and job and internship opportunities related to their majors. For example, someone I work with got an internship with the Universal Pictures communications and marketing department as the result of one of these emails.

5. Center for Career Development

For students who are unsure of either their major, their future job opportunities or both, the Center for Career Development (CCD) is a great resource. The CCD offers a guide to help students identify a major and career as well as professional development classes including resume critiques and mock interviews. The CCD annual career fairs also enable students to connect with employers and recruiters. The specifics about the all-university, STEM and Careers for the Common Good career fairs can be found on the CCD website.

6. Networking

Networking when you get a job is an integral part of establishing and developing professional relationships that eventually may lead to future employment opportunities. While the job application process may at times seem like a daunting and impersonal process, it often relies on word of mouth and recommendations between co-workers. The more positive, professional interactions students get, the more people there will be to advocate on their behalf.

These are just some resources for students to find employment opportunities on campus which goes to show that you’re not as alone in this process as it may seem. Additionally, if you’re unsure about applying, just do it anyway. Simply applying can’t hurt an applicant’s chances and it may even lead to a networking opportunity. An employer may not think of you as a good fit for their organization but can send you in a different direction.

As a final word of advice, I would encourage freshmen who are unsure of whether or not to get a job or who have never had a job to wait until later in the semester or in the spring to get a job. Your first semester of college is full of difficult changes and adding a job onto that may make the transition even more stressful. Ultimately, determining whether a job is the right decision is an independent choice, but there are plenty of resources to help students come to that decision.

Alex Taylor is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at alexis.taylor@uconn.edu.