The Top 10 Job Search Tips for Students
Adam Griffiths - March 10th, 2022
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Man! I need to get a job.” One of the most important things to invest your time in as a student is searching for a part-time job that will help you pay your bills but still allow you to study. Working as a student can offer a lot of benefits as it helps you manage your school expenses and prevents you from taking on student debt. That is why it is important to know the top 10 job search tips for students.
The Top 10 Job Search Tips for Students
Searching for a job can be difficult, but with some careful planning and execution, you can find the perfect job as a student. Here are our top 10 job search tips for students:
- Approach: One of the main things that will help you find the perfect job you are looking for as a student is a perfect approach. The first approach you have for a job is in the interview or in your job application. Think about the application you are working on and take a look at it from an employer’s perspective. Do you sound just like every other candidate who is applying for a job? To make your application stand out, you need to change the way you approach the job application. Talk about the skills and character traits that make you unique in the job application. This will increase the chances of you getting the job.
- Competition: Most of the time when you are applying for a job, you will be competing with a lot of other candidates. In the job sector, there is a lot of competition for job openings and the competition is much fiercer for students. Because the supply of student jobs is significantly lower than the demand, the job market for students is quite competitive. So, you need to make your case as to why employers should choose you over another candidate.
- Search for jobs online: In this day and age, it is much easier to find job postings online. There are even social networking platforms like LinkedIn that are a great place for you to build your network online. A professional online presence is going to make it much easier for you to find and get the job you are looking for. Not only do social media platforms help you find jobs, they will also give you an idea of what the current job market is like and which field has the highest demand. You can also browse jobs on job search engines, like Jooble.
- Ask your friends and family: Someone I know started working as a part-time call center representative via a referral from a friend who was already working in that call center. One of the most important job search tips for students is to spread the word that you are looking for a job. Be sure to tell your friends and family that you are looking for a job and if they see an opening, they can inform you about it. One of the most effective methods of recruitment is staff referral. So, spread the word and your friend could be your new coworker.
- Look in other places than just job postings: A major mistake that students make is that they check only for job postings and apply for them. If you go beyond just the job postings it will increase the chances of you getting hired. You could start by finding out what jobs you are most interested in and then gather the contact information for companies that offer those positions. You can try emailing team managers and showing your interest in working with them. You can even try to get an appointment with one of the employees of a company to tell them how interested you are in working for them and how you can help them.
- Think outside of the box: It is important for you to implement different strategies to help you find a job. One thing you can do is to search for jobs that are in growing fields and see if there is a particular market that you are interested in trying.
- Believe in Yourself: One of the most important things that you need to have to get a job is belief in yourself. If you are someone who is full of self-doubt then it will be very hard for you to get a job. You need to work on becoming more confident in your own skin because employers want to hire employees that they think can handle pressure and tough situations. Confidence also makes a great first impression.
- Apply for a student research position: Are you interested in doing research? A great benefit of doing research on a specific topic is that it helps you gain experience in the field. There are student research positions offered by many universities. Try going to your university’s homepage and finding out about research positions that you are interested in. Be sure to find the contact information of the professor who is leading the research program and send them an email expressing interest. Student researchers are paid by the university to do research and it helps you gain experience during your studies.
- Internships: Number nine of the top 10 job search tips for students is to try to find internship programs. Maybe you are confused about whether you would like to commit to a particular job or you do not have much experience in that field. So, to help you make up your mind you can go ahead and sign up for an internship program. Internship positions are usually low-responsibility, short-term roles that give you a glimpse into a field or profession.
- Applying for summer jobs: Summer jobs are great opportunities for students who are looking to work full time for only a few months. There are a lot of job opportunities available in the summer, which will allow you to work full time and save a lot of money. But one thing to note about summer jobs is that there is a lot of competition for them, so to increase your chances, try applying for a summer job that is not near a university. Cities with fewer students will have much less competition so it will increase your chances of getting a better summer job.
Get a Scholarship, Bursary or Grant
Hopefully, the list of top 10 job search tips for students gave you a few good ideas that you can use. Another thing you can do is apply for scholarships if you are not interested in working as a student. Scholarships are a good way for you to provide an alternative source of income, which does not require you to work after the initial application process.
To find game-changing scholarships all you need to do is sign up for a GrantMe program. GrantMe offers services designed to help students like you find scholarships that can help you pay for your education. Take the first step and request our scholarship assessment. We will handle the rest from there.