Published 2010-12-13T19:47:00Z”/>
Amanda Jacobs
When I first moved to Chico I was hit with all of the responsibilities of living on my own. Paying for rent, utilities and food made me realize that I needed an on-campus job – fast.
I heard rumors of the competitive job market for students in Chico and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find one. Most students prefer to work on-campus because the employers make accommodations for schedules and there is no work on the weekends or during school breaks.
I wanted an on-campus job because I was new to the school. I thought it would be the best venue to get to know the campus and meet new people.
In the beginning of my job search I applied for more than eight jobs in a week and got one interview. After having no luck, I kept searching.
School was going to start in a week and jobs were starting to fill up. I turned to the Career Center for extra help with my job search.
Andrea Lomeli, a junior liberal studies major who works as a student placement interviewer in the Career Center, helps students register and search for jobs using the school’s online job database called Simplicity, which currently has 521 job postings.
“The resources are here,” she said. “We are knowledgeable and can get people the help they need to get a job.”
The Career Center’s services include one-on-one appointments, resume building and advising when looking for career or part-time positions, said Tom Morford, a senior business major and student assistant at the Career Center.
I built a resume and started applying to every job available.
The Simplicity database has a lot of on- and off-campus jobs as well as weekend jobs, Lomeli said. They have jobs available now ranging from child-care to sales positions.
I applied for a job that called for hanging up posters on campus. It wasn’t my ideal position, but I got an interview. It turned out it was for a publicist assistant position in the public relations department for Chico’s School of the Arts.
My boss hired me because of my background in journalism and writing. He told me he was glad he found someone that had experience that could not only help him hang posters but also write press releases.
This job taught me a lot about the campus and let me get acquainted with many people. I work short shifts around my school schedule and my boss understands when I need time off because of a busy school week.
For those students who are out of luck, there are other places to find jobs on-campus besides the Career Center.
Associated Students has its own human resources department and has jobs available for CAVE, the A.S. Child Development Laboratory and the Wildcat Recreation Center.
A.S. positions can get up to 100 applicants, said Brianna Bell, a human resources student assistant.
“It’s the luck of the draw with on-campus jobs,” Bell said. “It’s about your schedule fitting in.”
I wanted to know exactly what steps students should take in order to get a campus job and compiled a list from a variety of sources.
I got the job I needed was because I unknowingly took all the right steps. I applied to positions I didn’t really want, built a resume and cover letter, took interest in my duties and found a job.
Taking the initiative is the first and last step in finding a campus job.
Amanda Jacobs can be reached at
