Tips to snag short and long-term jobs

Many students opt to find a part-time job while attending school for a variety of reasons that offer both short-term and long-term benefits.

A survey conducted by WORKFORCE Plus showed that students listed one of the primary reasons they sought part-time employment was to earn money toward school expenses and secondly to address personal expenses by expanding their budget.

However, there are other advantages that go beyond the short-term quick fix that part-time employment brings. For instance, you could end up landing a job in a related field of study that allows you to gain real world experience.

Here are some tips to guide your process prior to beginning your full-fledged search for employment.

The Plan

•Be sure to schedule your classes accordingly, so as not to create a conflict with your new employer. Since your school schedule is more than likely going to change each semester, it is very important to make sure the employer is willing to work around your schedule.

•In your search, look beyond your chosen field of study, as you are likely to find other opportunities and levels of exposure that would not have been there had you limited your search process.

•Other ideas to be included in your search could be opportunities to explore other cultures and opportunities for diversity.

Once you have had an opportunity to outline your strategy, the best tip to use in executing your plan would be to network with as many people as possible both within your chosen area of study and outside.

If you find that you need help with handling those challenging interviewing questions, you can visit the recently launched workforce blog at youremploymentsolution.org.

Now to answer the question, why would an employer be interested in hiring college students? Well, here are just a few of the reason why. Employers who hire part-time workers can realize economic and human resource development gains. Additionally, it can supplement their current staff of employees, especially when the operation is one whose hours extend into nights and weekends. These time frames normally offer the greatest relief for students who have morning or afternoon classes. In addition to the shared benefits, students who work part-time may also find that a host of employers offer perks to employees.

If you would like to secure information regarding other local employment opportunities, please visit our Web site at www.flus.org While you’re on the site please take a moment to review the employer recruitment page, which highlights area employers who are seeking to hire large numbers of employees.

Kimberly Moore is the chief executive officer of WORKFORCE plus.