For students seeking employment opportunities on campus, Mississippi State University offers several tools to assist in the job search.
Scott Maynard, director of the MSU Career Center, said students can use the Career Center website to find jobs in a variety of locations on campus.
“Many of the departments on campus advertise their positions through Career Center,” he said. “So students log in to the Career Center website with their netID and password and search for available part time jobs.”
Maynard said it is common for departments to use students to perform typical office tasks.
“Pretty much every department on campus uses at least a few student workers as office assistants,” he said. “As long as the department has funds budgeted for student workers, the department will employ students.”
Some locations do not post job listings on the Career Center portal, so students should check with the particular location to find out about possible jobs, Maynard said.
“Places like [the] Sanderson, the library and dining services don’t post on our site,” Maynard said. “So it’s important for students to check with these places periodically to find out about jobs.”
In addition to posting jobs online, the Career Center helps students prepare for the job search process.
“We’ll help students make resumes and conduct mock interviews,” Maynard said. “We even do a video tape interview so students can watch it afterwards to see what they did right and wrong.”
Niah Jamerson, freshman communication major, said the Career Center website helped her find a campus job.
“I found my job as an office assistant for the Day One leadership program on the Career Center website,” she said. “The site has a lot of really helpful tips for not just finding available jobs but actually getting hired for one too.”
There are many benefits to working on campus, Jamerson said.
“I like that I can just walk to work after my classes because the buildings are so close,” she said. “I think it’s a really good idea for students to try to work in the offices on campus because the bosses are really understanding about class schedules, and they’ll work with you around exams.”
Jamerson said she also enjoys the sense of Bulldog pride in the office.
“I like how everyone in the office is part of the same Bulldog family,” Jamerson said. “It’s just a really friendly and easy-going atmosphere.”
Sandra Williams, accounting assistant for the Work Study Office, said students can increase their chances of getting a campus job by applying for work-study on the FAFSA.
“Most departments hire work study students first,” she said. “Not everyone qualifies for work-study, though, because it’s based on your financial needs.”
Williams said it is important for students to realize even students who qualify for work-study have to take an active role in the job search process.
“We don’t place the eligible work study students in positions,” she said. “We post jobs on our job board in the lobby at Garner Hall, but it’s up to the students to call the people and schedule the interview and fill out the applications.”
Maynard suggests students who are interested in getting campus jobs for the fall semester should begin the application process now.
 ”A lot of these places go ahead and start lining those jobs up in advance as current student workers graduate,” he said. “The best thing to do for students looking for part time jobs for the fall semester is to go to the location and turn in application now so the place will know they want to work next semester. It’s always a good idea to get an early start on the application process.”