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Summer Job Hunt

Students should make use of campus resources to benefit from summer jobs

Students should make use of their career services office on campus and leadership opportunities to assist in a job for the summer. Students should find a job, which is beneficial to their career.

Leron Barkley

barkleyll@vcu.edu


As school ends in the months of May and June for most students there are possible options to passing the time during the summer months.
Students use the summer break for vacations, camps, workshops or to find a temporary job. If in need of help with the last option, students should contact their career services office at their school for assistance.
The Career Services Department at Shenandoah University provides numerous services and resources to students. Students have access to information regarding summer job opportunities. They also can receive information on possible majors or areas of interest if they are undecided on a career. Other major services include assistance with resumes and improving interview skills.
Career services at Shenandoah are set up to provide assistance to students with their careers, but students can also build a resume by taking advantage of opportunities on campus. “One of the best ways to build experience is through school organizations,” said Director of Career Services at Shenandoah University Jen Spataro. “Students can be come well-rounded individuals through their involvement in clubs during the school year.”
Rip Roberts, a recent graduate from Shenandoah University, believes the leadership qualities he developed as the president of the Black Student Union, a student organization on the Shenandoah campus, helped with his personal development through college. “I learned about the responsibilities of leading an organization and the importance of time management when conducting meetings and putting together events, which is a skill needed in almost any job setting.”
Along with schools organizations, students can develop skills through workshops provided during the school year. The career services at Shenandoah provide workshops in interviewing and resumes. Students perform mock interviews; discuss proper attire when completing job applications in person and at an interview. Students can also have their resume critiqued, develop a cover letter, put together a portfolio and attend etiquette dinners. “These services help students become prepared to enter the workforce and provides awareness to details for students to ensure they are presenting themselves to the best of their abilities,” said Spataro.
Presentation is as important as any other aspect of the interviewing process. “I believe my physical appearance is important when attending a job interview,” said Krystal Pittlekau, senior at Shenandoah University. “How I present myself separates me from other candidates in competition for the same job.”
Spataro says students should perform research on companies prior to the interview. This allows students to have prior knowledge about the company and discover how the job will assist in career development. “One of best techniques when in an interview is to write out a list of questions gathered from research because this is an easy way to show a strong interest about the company to the employer.”
Spataro says students in college should apply for an internship or practicum to build experience. An internship or a practicum, allows a student to find out if they like a certain career. She also said students should set up a time to job shadow a person in their career field to observe daily activities and ask questions.
Receiving on the job training is important for students before leaving high school or college because of the general skills developed in daily work activities. The Sportsplex in Winchester, Va., is an organization providing sports leagues and recreational activities to the surrounding community. The organization has indoor courts and fields for football, basketball, lacrosse and soccer. The organization also provides summer developmental job opportunities for students in different areas, such as management, food services and customer service. “Working the customer service desk allows students to develop service skills through their dealings with customers and answering phone calls on a daily basis,” said Sportsplex Customer Service Manager Michelle Novara. “I remember beginning my career with the Sportsplex in high school and how this job provided more experience than any other of my previous jobs.”
On the job training is beneficial to students along with knowing where to access online resources to gain tips and ideas about searching for a job. Visit the career services Web page of Shenandoah University to find out information on jobs, workshops, information on possible majors or careers and contact information to speak with the career services staff. Other alternatives include visiting an online job search engine specifically assisting students in job development. These job search engine resources include snagajob.com and about.com, which provide articles on popular jobs for students, finding internships, improving resumes, the job interviewing process and inside information on different career industries to name a few of the offerings.



Contacts

Jen Spataro, director of career services at Shenandoah University
(540) 665-5412

Michelle Novara, customer services manager at Winchester Sportsplex
(540) 868-2200

Krystal Pittlekau, senior at Shenandoah University
(540) 272-9792

Rip Roberts, recent graduate of Shenandoah University
(540) 846-0824

Dallas Pryor, recent graduate of Shenandoah University
(301) 305 2779

Links

Shenandoah University Career Services Website: http://www.su.edu/studaffs/careerservices/

College Central is a Website helping students with searching for jobs and posting their resume. www.collegecentral.com/su

Career 15 is a Website connecting students from private institutions to top corporate employers.www.vfic.org/career15.html

Snagajob.com is a Website with quick reference guides for students providing tips to a successful job search. http://snagajob.com

About.com is another quick reference job Website assisting students. About.com Careers