There comes a point in every student's life when he or she wonders, "How the heck am I going to support my addiction to the gelato at Sweet Retreat?" The obvious answer (besides begging the parents for money or turning tricks in Charles Village) is to get a job.
There are many campus resources available to help students find employment both on and off campus. The Student Employment office, located in the basement of Garland Hall and on the Web at http://www.jhu.edu/~stujob, is the best place to start your search for on- and off-campus jobs.
Some students worry that all on-campus job openings were filled back in September when the Job Fair was held. This is not true, according to the Director of Student Employment Lynn O'Neil.
"We have more jobs than we can fill," said O'Neil. O'Neil pointed out that there are currently 47 Hopkins-affiliated jobs posted on the Student Employment Web site.
Other students don't seek campus employment because they assume campus employers only hire students granted federal work study, a program in which 70 percent of the student's paycheck is paid for by the federal government and only 30 percent is paid for by the university.
"Our office works to dispel myths concerning work study," said O'Neil. "The fact is, more students work [on campus] who don't have work study than do." According to the Student Employment Web site, less than half of the approximately 2000 undergraduates working on campus are paid through a work study program. O'Neil and her office have also been working to open up more jobs for students without work study.
"When staff are posting or hiring, we try to discourage them from asking for work study only candidates. We tell them to do an interview and determine which student is the best fit for the job, not to just hire the kid with work study. Because if it isn't a good fit, the student will just leave."
The office of Student Employment encourages students to visit their Web site to obtain information about job openings, work study, taxes and transportation.
"All of our jobs are posted online, for both on- and off-campus and work study and non-work study jobs," said based on location, work-study requirement or job category. Each listing links to a description of the pay rate, the start and end dates of the employment, and the hours necessary per week.
After deciding which jobs to apply for, students may apply for campus jobs online using the universal Hopkins application form.
"[The application] can be used for any JHU job that's posted on the Web site," said O'Neil. "It's a new feature this year. What the application really is a foundation of a resume which you can keep adding to for four years."
The Student Employment Web site also posts many off-campus jobs. These employers do not accept work study or the universal Hopkins job application.
Those not ready to commit five to 15 hours of their week to a job, yet who are still looking for cash, may apply to "Quick Cash" the data base of temp jobs offered through Student Employment. Students can sign up at http://semps.ses.hsa.jhu.edu/stujob/quickCash.cfm to be notified via e-mail any time a temp job opens up.
"The average turnaround time for these jobs, meaning the time from the e-mail being sent to the time a student confirms, is 15 minutes," said O'Neil.
"That service came out of students saying "I don't want to work full time, but I'd still like to earn some money.'"
Work study students may get preference in hiring, but they have the extra burden of paper work.
"Work study students need to get their work study form from Student Financial Services and then bring it to their employer, who sends it to student employment," said O'Neil. The myth that work-study earnings are tax-exempt is false.
"All student earnings, except those from a nontaxable fellowship or stipend, are taxable," O'Neil said.
For those who wish to work at a job that will help them advance their career the Career Center can help students find a paid internship.
The Career Center provides lots of brochures and free magazines concerning strategies for choosing and pursuing your ideal career.
The Career Center encourages students to register and use HopkinsNET, the Hopkins alumni database. This database connects students with alumni who might offer them jobs, and it also features career advice.
