Finding a Job at University
Christina Daniels, 2nd Year, BSc Politics
Whether you need a job or not, many students at university will consider undertaking some form of part-time employment alongside their course; either to support themselves, or to fund their shopping sprees, and nights out in Rubix. As a student myself, and someone that has worked for most of my time at university, I thought it would be useful to share my experiences and give you a few tips that I have learnt over the past two years.
If you’re just starting university then applying for a job as well as settling in to a new city may seem like a daunting task, so I’d recommend giving yourself some time to get used to your new home first. There are plenty of jobs in Guildford and you’re sure to find work, so don’t stress about that, just take your time.
Do you already have a job at home? If you currently have a job back at home, I’d recommend checking if the company has another branch here and discussing a transfer with your manager. A lot of my friends have been transferred from their branches at home. This is not only great for term-time, but it also means that you can often transfer back to the branch at home during the holidays to carry on working. That way you won’t have to worry about staying in Guildford during the holidays or having to find another job when you get back.
Update your CV! Before applying to any jobs make sure you have updated your CV with any new employment or qualifications you have gained since writing the last version. A few tips for your CV would be: make it clear and concise; try to use bullet points in place of paragraphs; and, remember to include anything recent that would make you more appealing to an employer. I’d also have a look online at some templates for formatting ideas as this is also key to a good CV. Lastly make sure you have included your updated contact details so they are able to contact you for an interview.
Apply everywhere! Now this may sound obvious but I thought I’d include it anyway as I didn’t do this in the beginning. Don’t make the same mistake I did which was applying to two or three jobs online and waiting to hear back from those before applying anywhere else. Go to the library and print off a load of copies of your CV. At the top make sure to write your availability including the preferred days/times/hours you are looking for so they know as soon as they look at your CV. Pop into town for an hour or so and just hand your CV in everywhere. I would also take a look at the Friary employment opportunities page as they list all the latest vacancies of stores within the Friary.
Try not to apply online! Most vacancies will require you to hand in your CV to the store to apply, but some will allow you to apply online. I would recommend visiting the store with your CV and seeing if you can apply that way. I have noticed that unless you have to apply online, the store appreciate it a lot more if you go in store. It just shows them that you are really interested, compared to if you just apply online from home.
Where else to look? The top three websites I have used in the past to find a job are: Experience Guildford Vacancies, Indeed Jobs and the Friary Employment Opportunities website. Perhaps write down a few places to go and hand your CV in to them on your next trip to town.
What about the holidays? This is where it gets a little bit tricky, over Christmas and Easter I try to take holiday leave so I can have some time at home. I also discussed my situation with my manager who then arranged my shifts to give me the most amount of time at home as possible if I couldn’t take holiday leave. During the Christmas period you are often not allowed to take any leave because it’s busy so that’s something to keep in mind. You could also see if there's the possibility of transferring back home over the holidays. I find Christmas the hardest to work out but in the past I have just worked a couple of days in the week and then had a few days at home and just been back and forth. The best option is to talk to your manager and see what options they can offer you. Over summer you could either take holiday leave, transfer home or find a job back home for the summer and try and find another job when you come back to university in September/October.
Those are all my tips for finding a job but I also have a couple of key points I wanted to mention with regards to actually working and studying.
Don’t Overload Yourself! Now let’s not forget that you have worked incredibly hard to get to university so don’t overload yourself with too many shifts/hours at work. Yes earning some extra money as a student is important, but you don’t want to end up sacrificing the quality of your university work or your attention to it by working too much. So be sure to have at least one day off a week to completely relax or get some reading/work done for university.
Get Organised! I’d recommend getting a diary to note down when you are working to help you plan your week. Try to plan out your time to get your university work done around going to lectures/seminars and going to work. This way you won’t be panicking about when you’ll have time to get an assignment or reading done throughout the week, as you can plan when to do it.
So those are all my tips and key points to remember when looking for a job at university. Don’t forget to still have fun and enjoy your time as a student as it’s an experience you’re likely to only get once so don’t work too much... and of course good luck with finding a job!
