What is important
Before you start your job search, you need to establish what is important about the job that you are looking for. Do you have certain number of hours that you want to work? A set amount of money that you want to make? For a sample budget, visit www.theguideto-studentloans.com/budgeting/.
Work in your department
Do you want to stand out to future employers? Give yourself an edge in the job market by getting a job in your department. Often these jobs aren’t posted, because they are snapped up so quickly. The best way to get a job in your department is to ask a few of your professors if they are doing research projects and need research assistants. Often this job is as simple as filing; sometimes this job could involve slogging through microfilms in the library to find facts or articles. You might even be assisting in experiments. Find out the nature of the job before you begin. Speak to the department secretary and drop off your curriculum vitae in case any professors are looking for help (even she might be looking for some student aid). A curriculum vitae is like a resume, but it highlights your scholastic accomplishments. For this, you would be able to put down any major projects that you have done.
Consider being a Teaching Assistant
Have you ever taken a course with a teaching assistant? Did you do particularly well in that course? You can visit that professor, or the professor who is currently teaching the course, to see if you can get a teaching assistantship. Sometimes these are paid positions. Other times you can be a teaching assistant for credit. Decide which is best for you. Remember: these don’t all have to be in your department.
Secretarial Positions
Universities and colleges are massive bureaucracies. This means that there are many administrative assistant positions in order to get all that paperwork under control. Find out where students can apply, and you could land a job at the front desk of the Humanities Centre, or you could man the desk at the Student Resource Centre. Of course, all campuses are different, but find out where you can work at yours.
Special Interests
Oftentimes you can work at the Women’s Centre, the GLBTQ space, or the childcare centre on campus. You could get a job at the international student centre, or at the aboriginal students centre. Do you fall into any special group on campus? Chances are that you could find a position doing something that you like based on your status on campus.
In Your Field
Do you want to work with computers? Consider a job at with the information technology people on campus. You could answer the helpline when students call in for tech support. You could supervise the computer lab.
Are you planning on working in the arts? Why not apply to the box office to get some front of the house experience? Box office experience looks great on any musician, artist, or actor’s resume, because it shows that you truly have a passion for the entire field and are more than just a diva.
Do you think you might be a teacher? If you are interested at all in working in the resource centre, getting a job at the library might be an asset to you.
The list of jobs on campus related to your field goes on and on; these are just a few examples.
Go all in
If you can co-ordinate a centre or institute, do so. Work for a year in the child care co-operative, then become the co-ordinator. This will give you added responsibility, but will also improve your resume and help you get involved. Remember, however: don’t overschedule yourself or get in over your head. The reason you are in school is for the classes. The rest is icing on the cake.
