What jobs can you get during college?
Getting a job of some sort during your college career is absolutely essential.
Employers these days look for people with big brains and lots of experience no matter how old you are. I have looked at countless graduates’ CVs over the past 2 years and I would only ever hire someone if they have a job of some kind to discuss. So what kind of jobs can you do?
Getting a job doesn’t have to mean sweating it out in a shop, or even donning your suit and hitting the city in a big internship. There are so many ways to get good experience that will help you with your job search later on, you just need to choose the right one for you. Of course, as a student, some extra money is always useful or even essential.
With all this in mind, here are X many ways you can get relevant experience whilst at college.
Student Bodies and Charity Committees
There are student societies for everything these days: from cycling to debate and everything in between. These clubs don’t happen on their own, however, and they need you to help make these things happen. There are so many roles that are needed such as:
President.
Vice President.
Treasurer.
Marketing.
Logistics.
Junior committee member (often 10 or more positions).
As an employer, I would happily consider someone with this type of experience. As a student, I took up very similar positions to this and discussed them at length in my interviews. In order to win one of these positions, and they can be highly competitive, join these societies early and then be an active member in your early years. When junior positions become free you should apply for one in order to get your foot in the door.
Paid local work
Getting a job at a local restaurant, bar, shop (or anything else!) is a rite of passage for many young people. It’s the surest way to put money into your pocket and will be a great way to see how the world of work actually operates. It shows you have the commitment and a strong work ethic. Whilst it won’t guarantee you the dream job working in Google or another big corporation it will help to show your future employers that you are going to work hard for them.
And it puts money in your pocket… did I mention that already?
Work Experience and Internships
If you want to land your dream job after university (Google, Apple, Goldman Sachs and other big names) then you absolutely need work experience and internships. The two terms are often used interchangeably but there are some subtle differences. Work experience is typically unpaid, a week or two in length and less prestigious. Internships can be any length from two to twelve weeks and should be paid. They can lead directly to job offers after you finish your degree as well which is handy! There are different avenues to secure these jobs.
The first way is through personal connections. At smaller companies, this is often easier as staff have more flexibility to offer experience opportunities and to take you under their wing.
The second method for securing internships or work experience is through official application routes. The bigger companies will often have official internships which require an application and interview to win. These are very prestigious and really competitive. Make sure you take the application seriously.
Finally, some companies offer the chance for paid-for internships. These can be a great way to get your foot in the door if you don’t have any experience to date.
For more advice and what opportunities are out there contact the Libra Careers team today.