By Samantha Balsamo, Contributing Writer
Are you looking for an on-campus job? Students around the country are in search of finding a job on campus to help fill their time and make a little extra money on the side. Yet, being offered and accepting a job can be a challenge without the right knowledge and assistance.
This article will help students at Susquehanna University become familiar with resources and information to assist when applying and researching for student employment. These 10 steps will clarify resources Susquehanna University has to offer with the final goal of accepting a job offer on-campus.
How to get an on-campus job:
1.) Sign-in to your school accessible Handshake account
Handshake is a competitor of applications like LinkedIn but allows a wide range of individuals and jobs to connect. The difference is that Handshake brings people directly to jobs while connecting and talking like LinkedIn. According to the Handshake Career Center, which has worked hard specifically, “by lowering the barriers for employers to connect with new universities, Handshake has dramatically increased the number and diversity of high-quality jobs, internships, fellowships, co-ops, and experiential learning opportunities available to students of all types around the country.”
Now that we know the benefits and purpose of Handshake, we can understand why it is important to access your account. Go to joinhandshake.com and click on Log In on the top right of your browser window. The next screen you will see is shown below. Search Susquehanna University and then put in your log-in information which is your email and password to get on to your Susquehanna accounts.
2.) Set up your profile
To set up your profile, click on your icon in the top right corner and then select my profile. Handshake will help you identify where and what information to insert into your profile. You can add skills, classes you have taken, majors & minors, etc. Grace Lowry, director of Employment Services at Susquehanna University, says that employers will “review their resume for the preferred qualifications to help select the most qualified candidate(s) to invite for an interview.” Make sure that your profile is an accurate representation of who you are and who you want the world to see.
3.) Research interested positions
Handshake offers a filter feature that will allow individuals to specify what they are looking for. To access this feature, sign into Handshake and click on jobs. A row of types of jobs will appear. Click on all filters and go through the settings for what you are looking for. For example, if you would like to look at all on-campus in your major or with specific skills you want to learn or use, then you can filter those out and see what appears.
The Career Development Center has been working very hard to have more departmental jobs be placed as a profile on Handshake. Although there are jobs on campus, Allie Grill, director of the Career Development Center at Susquehanna University, says “networking is key” and that you should make rounds to specific departments you may be interested in. For instance, if you want to be in the financial field, you can speak directly to the finance office and see if you are interested, and if they have any positions available.
4.) Create a resume or update an existing resume
Students take a new step when they attend a college or university. Just like taking that new step to the next chapter of life, your resume must take that step with you. Updating high school resumes to college level writing and templates is important to become more professional.
Resumes are a quick glimpse into a person’s employment and personal life. Grill says, “Employers are looking for transferable or soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving rather than subject matter expertise.” Individuals can learn hard skills and the logistical work of a job, but the soft skills are time consuming to teach on the job and should be known to an extent prior to starting a job. This is not to say a job, especially on-campus, can’t help an employee gain those skills. Often, students have soft skills that they are unaware of and can grow on.
Grill also states that “listing coursework on your resume is 100% appropriate and encouraged!” On mySU through the Career Development Center page, there are countless links and information that can assist you when creating and editing a resume. Simply go to the hamburger menu on mySU and type in Career Development Center. Scroll down through the page and you will find specified tabs that have guided information on how to create a resume and samples and people to get in contact with.
5.) Create a cover letter
A cover letter is that above and beyond step that can set potential employees apart from one another. Grill states, “A cover letter is a great way to showcase your skills in narrative form, show a bit of personality, and demonstrate your interest in the position.” Resumes are straight forward and to the point, so a cover letter allows you to be a little bit more of yourself. Allowing the employer to see who you are in your writing while still being professional is insightful. The Career Development Centers guides on how to write a cover letter were helpful as they take it step by step through the process. Cover letters should be geared toward the specific department you have researched to apply for.
6.) Review your pieces of work with the career development center or have someone check your work
Getting a new set of eyes to check over your work is important so that you can catch any spelling errors and you can make your work look consistent and professional. Allie Grill and some others at the Career Development Center have shared their opinions and find mistakes in student’s work. Those errors are immediately caught by recruiters such as Grace Lowry. Allie Grill would like students to know that “You can schedule an appointment on Handshake or visit us during our Quick Question drop-in hours which are Monday-Friday from 2-4 p.m. in Fisher 211.”
7.) Apply for positions
Now that you have done the preparation work you are ready to apply for the positions of your choosing. Once you press the apply button, a window will appear with specific instructions to follow. All the work that you have completed with the Career Development Center is in play as your resume and cover letter are uploaded here.
Click Upload New and search for your specified documents. Once the documents are uploaded click Submit Application. It is as easy as that. Some applications just require you to submit application and then press submit again without asking for any uploads as they just want to see your interest and then have an interview. Congratulations, you have now applied on Handshake in hopes of getting an on-campus job!
8.) Set up mock interviews with the career development center in preparation for responses
In preparation for your next step in the application process, you should practice your interview skills. Interviews are always a tough part of the process as you must twist negative questions to be positive while still maintaining professionalism and being honest. Take Grill’s advice to visit the Career Development Center because they are a resource that can “discuss anything related to your professional development and can help leverage your unique interests and strengths into your next professional opportunity.” To set up an interview go to the Career Development Centers appointment page on handshake. Click on appointments and specify that your appointment is for a mock interview. It’s as simple as that to set up the mock interview.
9.) Follow through with communicating with the employers and sending thank you notes
Thank you notes make such an impression on individuals. Grace Lowry says, “Some employers have been conditioned not to expect them – but if they are personalized and thoughtful, they make quite an impression.” Being personalized and creating a brand for yourself sets you apart from the competition. Sending handwritten thank you notes when applying to universities and jobs makes a statement. Lowry noted that she “would not advise sending a ‘canned’ thank you email” because “people can spot those a mile away.”
10.) Be offered and accept a job! Wahoo! Make sure to nicely turn down any other jobs
This is the exciting part! Now that you have received an offer, you get to decide whether to accept the job or not. Sometimes this part requires you to negotiate with your employer. Negotiation comes more after college but is still vital when negotiating how many hours a week you may choose to work or when you may need to take off due to academics and potentially athletics.
Once you have made the decision as to which job you want to accept, share your response with the correct people. Although this is exciting, you still have a responsibility to inform the other jobs you applied for that you are no longer looking for a job but thanking them for their time and consideration. Keeping those relationships strong allows for an open door for the future. You never know who is going to be where in your life.
Other notable ways to receive a job on campus.
Employment is all about networking. Networking can help individuals identify what specific fields they would be interested in and would benefit them in the future. Grill from the Career Development Center says it is “100% acceptable to float around to different departments” introducing yourself and getting to understand the job. These jobs can be skills that people already have such as lifeguard certification at home and then becoming a lifeguard here.
Not only does networking help you identify what you want to do but putting your name in front of other minds allows those individuals to have an opportunity to think about you as you may be qualified or just at the front of the mind. Even Handshake experts say, “Handshake does not own your employer relationships – you do!” That statement could not be any truer.
