Job hunting isn’t easy anywhere these days, but at the University, there are many avenues to help ease the job search during your first year of college.

Many students begin their search at the University’s Financial Aid Office. Some students are offered federal work-study as part of their aid package. From there, students can find specific jobs that are only offered to students with federal work-study. These jobs can be found all throughout campus from the dining hall to various departmental offices. 

Tutoring is also offered as a part of federal work-study. America Reads/America Counts is a tutoring program that allows students who qualify for the program to tutor children in the area from pre-K through eighth grade in reading and math. 

Because the campus becomes more populated when students come back after the summer, many of the businesses on Green Street, the main street on campus for restaurants and bars, are lined with flyers looking for new employees. 

Students who don’t have or didn’t qualify for federal work-study also have plenty of options for finding work. The Virtual Job Board can be found on the financial aid website and has options for students regardless of their aid packages. They have job postings for both University-based positions and off-campus positions that aren’t affiliated with the University. 

Robert Conrad, a senior in LAS, found an off-campus job by capitalizing on traditional lawn care. Conrad said he printed out flyers to advertise his services throughout Urbana. He went door-to-door in the neighborhood to promote his work. Around two weeks later, an elderly man that needed assistance taking care of his property employed him. 

Conrad’s major, global studies, requires him to specialize in a foreign language: Conrad chose French. When he learned that the man was also writing a book on a French composer, Conrad was able to offer translation services from French to English.

Conrad said the hardest part about finding this job was the time element because he had to go door-to-door to promote his services.

On the other hand, Conrad said it’s always good to think of something that’s not typical in terms of a job.

“Think outside the box and don’t be afraid of hard work,” Conrad said. 

The University also has opportunities for finding employment once the school year ends. Emily Tran, a junior in Engineering, said she found a paid summer internship through the various career fairs she attended and the Registered Student Organizations she’s involved in. 

Tran is a computer science major and says that employers from big name companies in her field such as Microsoft come to the fairs. She ended up taking a paid internship with Microsoft the summer between her freshman and sophomore year.

Although this can sound intimidating during your first year, Tran says that with a little research and a great attitude, she was presented with an invaluable opportunity. 

“I was able to get an interview with Microsoft, hook the internship, and that led to the most productive and life-changing summer of my life,” Tran said. 

Krizia can be reached at [email protected].