Navigating Student Employment
Welcome back to campus, everyone! With the start of the school year, the nice paychecks from your awesome summer job aren’t coming in anymore. What now, you ask? Look no further! The University’s student employment opportunities are here to help. Whether serving a double latte at Starbucks, setting up sound equipment for a show in Strong Auditorium, or assisting your favorite professor with their research, there are loads of opportunities for working on campus during the school year. Here are some tips and tricks for navigating and making the most of student employment at the University of Rochester.
1. FAJobLink
The best place to start looking for work now that you’re back on campus is the FAJobLink student employment system. Located on your Blackboard page, FAJobLink provides a handful of different tools and resources to help with student employment. The first tool you’ll want to check out is the Job Board, which you’ll see a link to as soon as you enter FAJobLink. Employers on campus and at the Medical Center are always posting new positions for student employees, and there’s even a search engine to help you find positions with hours and responsibilities that work best for you. You can submit job applications, complete your Wage Theft Prevention Act, and stay updated on your application status. Make sure you read over each job before you apply; some employers might ask for additional information or documentation beyond your standard résumé. Our video tutorials will give you the full run-down on using the whole system.
2. Other resources for jobs
FAJobLink is definitely a great place to start your research into finding on-campus work, but that isn’t the only place to look. Do you have a professor doing research that you’re interested in? Talk to them! Research assistantships are not only greatly needed and appreciated by professors, they can also bolster your résumé and make grad school and job applications stronger. Were you both passionate and proficient in a course you took last year? Maybe that course needs teaching assistants next semester. Even just popping your head into a campus office to express interest in what they do can go a long way. The more you network and pitch yourself as an asset to potential employers, the better chance you have of finding a job, especially one where you’re getting more than just a paycheck.
3. Federal Work Study
You may have received a Federal Work Study award as part of your financial aid package. What is work-study? Why isn’t it showing up on your bill like your other sources of financial aid? Federal Work Study is an award through which the federal government pays at least 45% of your wages for an on-campus job. Some employers and departments don’t have the funding to pay full wages to a student worker, so having Federal Work Study makes you more attractive as a potential candidate. In fact, some jobs are only available to students who have work-study eligibility. The funding comes through to your paycheck like any “normal” wages would, and from there you can put it toward tuition, next semester’s books, or something fun on the weekends. If you are not eligible for Federal Work Study, don’t worry; many jobs on campus do not require work-study eligibility, so there are plenty of options.
4. Completing your I-9
An I-9 is a federal form that all employees are required to complete in order to be allowed to earn money through a wage-paying job. Essentially, the form is required for two reasons: one, to verify your identity, and two, to confirm that you are eligible to work in the United States. Part I of the form is completed at newi9.com. From there, you’ll want to contact the Financial Aid Office to set up an appointment to complete Part II. You’ll need to bring some original documentation to the office (no photocopies!) so one of our staff members can verify your identity and work eligibility. You’ll be given a list of the acceptable documents once you’ve completed Part I, and you may need to reach out to your parents/guardians if you don’t have the necessary documents with you in Rochester. Without having completed an I-9, you are not allowed to start working and earning wages, so it’s important to take care of it as soon as it looks like you’ll be getting an on-campus job.
5. Making the most of your on-campus job
What’s the best part about working on campus, you ask? Well, making money, of course! Every other Friday, waking up to a nice bump in your bank account will be great! However, earning some extra dough isn’t the only thing that can benefit you from working during the school year. For one thing, it’s a great resume booster! Whether you’re applying to graduate school or hoping to enter the workforce right out of college, showing that you were able to handle the dual responsibilities of being a student and employee at the same time speaks a lot to your hard work, dedication, and effective time management. All those traits are hugely important and an employer or graduate admissions office will take note.
Beyond just your résumé itself, on-campus work can be a big help in developing some of the intangible skills that will help you both now and later in life. If you get a position that isn’t related to your field of study, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot you can learn. Customer service experience will always come in handy when it comes to personal interactions. Observing how a professional office environment looks and operates will make your transition that much smoother into the professional world when you’ve finished your degree(s). You may think you’re just getting a paycheck, but there’s so much more you can learn while working on-campus.
On-campus work is one of the many awesome opportunities that Rochester provides our students, and we love to see how active and engaged our student workers can be. Keep an eye and an ear open; you never know what neat job opportunity might turn up! Visit the Gwen M. Greene Career Center in 4-200 Dewey Hall for all things career-oriented. And, of course, feel free to reach out to your friendly financial aid counselors with any questions you might have.