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 (the) Career Center,” Maynard said. “So students log in to the Career Center website with their netID and password and search for available part-time jobs.”
Maynard said departments use students to perform typical office tasks.
“Pretty much every department on campus uses at least a few student workers as office assistants,” Maynard 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 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 videotape interview so students can watch it afterwards to see what they did right and wrong.”
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 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, more commonly known as FAFSA.
“Most departments hire work study students first,” Williams said. “Not everyone qualifies for work study, though, because it’s based on your financial needs.”
Williams said students must realize even those 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,” Williams 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 said students interested in getting campus jobs 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,” Maynard said. “The best thing to do for students looking for part-time jobs … is to go to the location and turn in (an) 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.”