Making the most of every experience

Maximizing your Work-Study Job Experience for the Future

Basic Professional Skills

A Work-Study job does not have to be related to an academic program or career goal to be valuable. Any Work-Study job can be enjoyable and profitable while helping you gain experience and a better understanding of the work world. Of survey results from 1200 human resources professionals in a variety of U.S. companies, 94% said that, "given two applicants with equal academic qualifications, they would select the candidate with part-time work experience over one without work experience."(Kincaid, 92) What can you learn in a part-time job that enhances your academic achievements? "All employers want an employee who is honest, bright, prompt, dependable, hard-working, eager to learn and easy to be with." (Kinkaid, 127) You can demonstrate these fundamental skills and qualities through proven performance in any type of job, not necessarily one directly related to your ideal career.

In addition to skills in demand, you can develop the skills you need to produce better results: effective time management, communicating work criteria, self-awareness of your strengths and weaknesses in the job setting and how organizations function. You learn what to expect from a supervisor, work performance evaluations, and become sensitized to issues such as working with confidential material and representing the institution to the public. One of the most valuable skills in any career is the ability to work in teams. Job experience can give you the opportunity to work with a wide range of people from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in a variety of roles.

The workplace differs from college in significant ways – there is less concrete feedback, more imposed structure and less control over your time and work. The student with job experience has the potential to make a smoother transition from college to work.

Your First Credentials

Whether you are looking at Wall Street, graduate school or non-profit organizations, employers and admissions officers are looking for work experience that demonstrates your ability to make the most of every opportunity. Three or four years in a Work- Study position with progressively growing job responsibilities, regardless of how directly it is related to your target career, can build valuable employment experience. In many jobs, you can expand routine tasks to take on new responsibilities. The more initiative you show on the job the more likely you will be given higher level tasks and be promoted. Take a typical job path in the Office of Resources: file clerk—front desk assistant—special projects coordinator—student staff leader. Solid growth in your Work-Study job tangibly demonstrates your reliability, trustworthiness, teamwork, creativity, self-direction, and initiative – qualities in high demand by recruiters and graduate schools.

Expanding Opportunities

A first-year student plans on majoring in a science and possibly go pre-med. Her first Work-Study job is in a lab where she starts with washing test tubes. She has the chance to learn how a lab functions, leading to a position as a faculty lab assistant. From this experience, she selects her undergraduate research project, which leads to a prestigious summer internship in a national laboratory facility, the work from which forms the basis of her senior thesis. From building opportunity upon opportunity, the she gains valuable experience that contributes to her acceptance into Harvard Medical School.

Another student works at the Media Center to become more comfortable with computer technology since she realizes that these technological skills will be required for almost any industry. She becomes proficient with a variety of software and hardware and learns much about her own interests. Through her exposure to the college's television and audio facilities she discovers her love of film and plans a career as a film producer after her graduate studies in film.

Building Work Relationships

Many Work-Study supervisors possess a wide range of work experiences and can be valuable resources to you as you plan your career. Almost all employers and graduate and professional programs expect employer references, even from Work-Study jobs. A supervisor who has worked with you for several years will be able to speak to your qualities and potential with compelling depth. A supervisor writes the following recommendation for one of her work-study students: "Sue would be a valuable asset to any organization she chooses to work for. She is well spoken and able to deal with difficult questions and situations on the many tours she gives for the Admission Office. She has shown strong managerial and administrative skills, whether she is organizing special program materials, entering data or responding to requests at our front desk as a receptionist. We require a high degree of confidentiality and integrity, and Sue has proven herself deserving of the trust placed in her."

Service to the Community

Work-Study community service jobs provide students with a wide range of opportunities while contributing needed services to community organizations. Jobs are often in health care, neighborhood agencies, tutoring reading and math, family literacy, and support services to the disabled and elderly. You can earn money for school while making a significant difference in someone's quality of life. Giving back to the community has become important for many corporations and a dedication to community service is a prized attribute.