How to Get a Job on a College Campus

Working on a college campus offers many advantages. You job will likely be secure, you will have access to health insurance and retirement accounts and the environment is professional. Getting a job on a campus is a little different from getting a job at a busineess, partly because of the availability of recent graduates who will also be job-hunting. But by taking a few things into consideration, you will be on your way to that perfect job at your local campus.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. The best way to come out ahead of the recent graduates is simple. Start looking for job at any time of the year other than between February and June.

2. Write a list of each college and university in your area. Use a search engine if necessary.

3. Go to the website for each school. On the main page there will usually be either a Search function or a Directory Button. If there is a Search function, search for “Human Resources.” If there is a Directory button, click it and search for Human Resources. Go to the HR web page.

4. Click on the button for jobs, typically titled, “Job Opportunities,” or “Employment Opportunities.”

5. Use the search function. There will be a couple of ways to search. One is to "Enter keyword from Job Description." If you use this type, be sure to include all the possible responsibilities you could successfully do. It is usually best to leave this blank. "By Location" is often another search method. If the campus where you want to work has several locations, be sure to search only those locationsby holding down the CTRL key and clicking each one. Try "By Job Category and/or Job Type" and choose those that apply to you, using the CTRL key and choosing each. Options include "Faculty," "Administrator," and "Staff.” Look through the entire list; sometimes there are other options at the end you should consider, such as, “Temporary to Permanent,” or “Full Time 9 month Schedule.” Hit Search.

6. Look through the results of your search. If you find jobs you want to apply for, cut, copy and past the job description into a document. Save the document under that school’s name. Do this for each college.

7. Write a resume and cover letter, if you don't have one. Use samples from a web search for the layout. If you have a resume and cover letter, open those documents.

8. Read through the job descriptions and underline or bold the parts that you have experience in. Include any non-paid work such as volunteer work and personal responsibilities at home.

9. Make sure the resume for each position focuses on your skills and experience that will be useful in that position. Use "File/Save As" on your computer to save a copy of your resume for each position you want to apply to.

10. Save a cover letter to go with each resume. Make sure you focus on the experience and skills that will be useful in that position.

11. Go to the human resource web page for each college. Usually you will need to set up a log in email and password to submit your resume.

12. Submit your resume and cover letter for each position, using the ones you wrote for each.

13. When you are called for a telephone or in person interview, reread your resme and cover letter in preparation.

Tips & Warnings

• When you search for the college websites, go to "Google," choose "Advanced Search" to the right of the box, put in the school's name in the 'Search for this exact phrase.' In the box for "Search within a site or domain" put in ".edu"
• Do on line research on typical salaries for similar positions, so you will have an idea of the salary you can request. Some schools do not list salaries for positions, but others do, and you can get an idea of the typical salary.
• Spell check and grammar check your cover letter and resume.
• Keep your resume to 1 page, no matter how brief you need to be.
• Give details on your jobs for the 10 previous years. If you want to note that you have more years of experience, note on your resume, "Previous job experience is also in the area of ..."
• Most college campuses expect employees to dress, at a minimum, in business casual style.
• For your interview, dress one step above this, by dressing in simple, conservative business clothes.
• Re-read the job description and the resume before going to an interview.
• Don’t lie or exaggerate about your experience.

Resources

• Peterson's offers lists of colleges and universities for college students, but you can use it to find schools in your area.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Earn your degree from industry experts at University of Phoenix. Take the next step in your career.