The challenge of the job hunt
When students come to Utah State University they expect a lot of things. They expect to get a good education. They expect to have a good social environment. And they expect to find a good job to put them through college and at least get some food on their tables.
But as soon as students walk on to campus to find a job they realize it is not as easy as it seems. The fact is that finding a job at USU can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible.
Craig Sutton is a married student at USU with a child. He said he looked for a job for one month before he gave up. He also said it was hard to look for a job that fit with his schedule and gave him enough money to support his family.
Even though Sutton looked everywhere, he said he could’ve been more dedicated and followed up quicker on his applications.
“Get set in your mind what job you want, and be willing to work with your employer and bend a little bit,” Sutton said.
One problem Sutton faced was finding a job to fit a student schedule. He said the biggest problem with student employment was that the employers had al lot of full-time jobs during the day instead of part-time jobs at the night.
Other problems students are facing are that they are not familiar with all of the other places to go.
Paula Miller, student coordinator for Student Employment, said the first week of school is always the hardest to get a job.
With more than 200 students per day coming in to find a job, there is always going to be some competition, Miller said.
She said students should not depend only on USU for finding a job. There are other places to look, such as: LDS Services, Workforce Services or classified ads. There are also temporary agencies like SOS Staffing Services and Kelly Services both of which help students find jobs on a temporary basis.
Another suggestion Miller gives students who are on financial aid is to get on work-study.
“Work-study hires 700 people per year,” she said.
“It may not be the highest paying job, but it will certainly help out until students can find a better job. Also with work-study, students are guaranteed a job,’ Miller said.
“If students are looking for a job to work four hours a day, then they should spend four hours a day looking for a job,” Miller said. “It takes work to get work. Students should not give up if one job turns them down. Keep trying and eventually you will find work.”
Anthony Hildebrandt, a senior majoring in computer science, looked for one year before he found a good job.
He said it took a lot of patience. He applied to every job he was interested in, no matter how ridiculous or how much the pay.
Hildebrandt now works for Computer Solutions in the USU Bookstore.
Students at USU need to apply themselves more and need to try harder, Hildebrandt said.
Student employment is not as bad as most people think it is. Curtis Browning, a student employment specialist at USU, said student employment has everything from milking cows to secretarial work.
A suggestion Browning gives to students looking for a job is to get to student employment as early as possible.
Student Employment is open Monday at 9 a.m. and Tuesday through Friday at 8 a.m.
“Jobs go fast, so the faster you get there the better chance you’ll have at getting a job,” Browning said.
Hildebrandt said if students can’t find a job on campus they should look off campus. Department stores most likely will hire college students.
“In fact, a Sam’s Club is opening up in Logan,” he said. “So, if you haven’t found a job yet, head on over to Wal-Mart to fill out an application for the new Sam’s Club.”
The bottom line is it is going to be hard. Nobody expects college to be easy. Sometimes all it takes is applying yourself, following through with everything, and never giving up.
“If you give up you won’t find anything, but if you never give up you’ll eventually find something,” Hildebrandt said.
-bbnichols@cc.usu.edu