College Strategies

Lesson 7: Part Time Jobs: the Good and the Ugly

A job can be crucial for some students to simply survive. however a job while in college can give you a very competitive edge once you graduate. In this lesson we go from finding a job to having one, and everything in between

Finding a Job

There are several different resources you should all use when looking for a job. It will give you a sense of what is available and in the end hopefully you can pick the job that will suit you best.

One of the places to go is the career center in your college. They should have a wide variety of listings in a large range. They should also list jobs on campus, which can be very attractive for several reasons:
- no or little commute.
- employer understand you are a student, so there is usually more flexibility in hours
- Better cash!! A lot of campus jobs pay better on average than “traditional” student jobs off campus.

Friends and family can be great resources as well. Sometimes a friend of your uncle might need help in his store/business and has not advertised it. Speak up and let people know you are out there and available for exploitation. Let your friends know as well; the place they are working at might very well be looking for additional staff.

Browse your local newspaper, and look at opportunities that are close by and seem flexible. If you are a student school has to come first at all times. Jobs always come second. You will need to find an employer who is willing to bring up a little bit of understanding for that; otherwise you will not have a good time working for them. The moment you are refused a day off to study for a final exam, it is time to quit.

Take yourself under the loop; look at your qualities and above all what you want to do in life. The look for people who hire someone with the skills and mind set you have. Drop of resumes as if they were leaflets, but only at businesses you are truly interested in working for. Also find out the appropriate person’s name to direct your cover letter to. Nothing is more damaging to your job prospects than addressing your letter with “Dear Sir/Madam”.

Never ever write a resume that is longer than two pages, and never send a cover letter longer than one page. You have to capture the person’s attention in a few paragraphs, and if you can’t they might get bored and your letter will end in the trash. Check around if there are resume writing workshops available or clinics you can go to. It is a skill you have to acquire that might be more important than most of the skills you are marketing.

The competition is fierce, especially for well paying jobs, so you have to market and promote yourself very well to stand out. Never lie on a resume or cover letter though; never say you have a skill you don’t because if you do get hired based on that you will be fired for the same reason. Worst is that your employer will not be a good reference for a future job, and putting it down on your resume will risk future employers to contact the person who fired you. So don’t advertise something that is not true, rather if there is a skill that is highly sought but you don’t have, touch on it in your cover letter. You can mention that you are not proficient but do learn fast. The fact that you mention it is rather a plus than if you don’t.

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8