When students are on the hunt for a job, they often look to job openings on campus. However, problems can arise when looking for such opportunities.

“It depends on availability for positions a lot of times,” said Tasha Gooden, a career coach in the Career Services department.­ “There’s peak times over the summer before the school year. That’s when a lot of the hiring goes on. So a lot of students might miss that time.
When they go apply for positions, positions are already filled.”

Aleta Wolfe, a career counselor at Career Services for 29 years, encourages students to continue sending out their résumés to various departments even if positions are already filled. Opportunities sometimes open up when working students graduate, Wolfe said.

Gooden advises students to constantly update their résumé, look for jobs and be persistent.

“Always continue looking for job networks, get to know the different departments on campus even if they’re not saying they’re hiring,” Gooden said. “Take your résumé over to them. Introduce yourself to them, and let them know, ‘You know what, this is my situation. I’m looking for a position. If you do have something that comes up, contact me.’ ”

Wolfe said the Federal Work Study Program might be one reason for students’ difficulties finding on-campus jobs.

Through the program, students who receive financial aid are able to apply for on-campus jobs funded by the federal government. Students who work at Career Services exemplify this, Wolfe said. They are paid $8 per hour but the center pays them $2. The remaining $6 is funded by the government.

Both Gooden and Wolfe suggest looking at Bulldoglink, a career-search database for Fresno State students and alumni. It is constantly updated with new job openings for on- and off-campus positions.

Johanna Walther, who is majoring in child development at Fresno State, found it difficult looking for on-campus jobs.

“They [Career Services] kind of gave me the run-around,” she said.

The only resource she found was Bulldoglink.­ She said it was not helpful.

“I know it’s hard because the university is big, but just letting the main departments know, ‘If students have questions about jobs, send them to this place,’­ she said. “Just have a central area even at the Student Union.”

Conrad Trembath, a Fresno State student majoring in geography, has worked at the on-campus Subway since March 2010.

He said it was easy for him to get this job. However, he found the job opening through Craigslist. Trembath said many of his friends did manage to find jobs through Bulldoglink and on-campus job fairs.

Although it was easy for him to find a job, he feels students do struggle with the on-campus job search.

“I think it’s difficult to know where to look, and I think it’s harder for people along the years to get on-campus jobs,” Trembath said.

Career Services always assists students, but the students also have to put in the effort, Gooden said. Career Services helps students prepare their résumé, sometimes spending about an hour working on them.

“Students have to do the footwork, too,” she said. “We encourage independence and taking the time to look.”