Students can find the perfect job that fits their schedule, whether on or off campus, with the help of Career Services.
This on-campus center assists students with finding positions on-campus, local jobs, research positions and internships with feedback on resumes or CVs, and even set up interviews with future employers. Additionally, 90 percent of the resources are also available online.
According to the Career Services website, jobs can be searched on another website called Wildcat JobLink based on search criteria that filter options such as part-time and full-time jobs. Internships can be searched based on location and major selection.
“Procrastination, I think, is the student’s biggest enemy,” said Jeff Patten, one of four career counselors at Career Services. “Your four years here at the university go by quickly, and you want to be making sure that you’re accumulating some experience as well as your knowledge base so that you make yourself marketable for potential employers.”
Kal Cramer, a computer science junior, said that his internship allows him to demonstrate to his employer that he can effectively engage in a real work environment as a student programmer for the Lunar and Planetary department’s OSIRIS-REx mission. He said his work at the university benefits his studies in school because he is able to make a difference in the field of research and programming.
Patten added that Career Services helps a range of students, from helping freshman figure out what they want to study to assisting graduate students who need help critiquing CVs for Ph.D. candidates. Career counselors as well as the career services website help students to prepare for interviews by providing a resume guide.
“Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us about questions you may have, because we’re going to do our best to make sure you have access to the best resources and answers to the questions you may have,” Patten said.
Students need to be proactive in preparing to join the workforce. They need to show employers what they bring to the table to determine how they fit the job or positions.
Networking is just one of the many advantages to using Career Services. It helps to make sure Wildcats form connections with faculty and alumni. It is never too early to start looking for jobs or internships.
“We have college career ambassadors who help us promote our activities to the various colleges in the universities,” Patten said. “We also have students who are employer ambassadors who help us maintain contact.”
A great opportunity to start looking at jobs and internships is at the Student Employment Fair, which takes place Aug. 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the third floor ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center. The fair features both local and on-campus employers. The fair helps students identify what employers are looking for, so they can start making themselves marketable.
Sponsored by Vector Marketing and Apple Inc., companies like H&R Block, Farmers Insurance, and Plato’s Closet Tucson attend the fair and offer a variety of positions. With a list of 64 different departments and programs present, plan for this event at the start of the semester. Last semester 1,296 students participated in the Student Employment Fair.
“Don’t wait,” Patten said. “The sooner you take advantage of opportunities the better prepared you’re going to be, the more competitive you’re going to be, and so it’s really important to make use of the resources we have.”
Career Services is located on the fourth floor of the SUMC, and is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.with walk-in hours or by appointment.
