A Part-Time Job Will Help You Become Career Ready
Securing a great job once you have your hard earned UGA degree will probably mean you are “Career Ready”. Other than wanting to be a UGA student when the DAWGS win the natty in football, becoming “Career Ready” is probably the secondary reason you chose to attend UGA. What does Career Readiness actually mean?
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) defines Career Readiness as “the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace”. The requisite competencies include Critical Thinking, Oral and Written Communication, and Team Work and Collaboration. These are only three of the eight competencies noted by employers as necessary for college graduates to possess by the time they enter the post-college work force. The educational experience at UGA will undoubtedly help prepare you with these skills but many employers also look for candidate resumes that include additional experience that demonstrates these competencies. What would this additional experience look like? Simple answer: a part-time job!
Part-time jobs do not need to be related to what you are studying to be beneficial in developing those requisite competencies that employers want candidates to possess. Many of you may already have part-time job experience that has put you in positions to appease difficult customers, improve communication with a supervisor, or solve a problem without the help of others. You will want to highlight these skills on your resume. We offer a number of resume samples in our UGA Career Guide to help you write your resume with these skills in mind. You can also have your resume critiqued during our drop-in hours, Monday-Friday, 11am-2pm, in Clark Howell Hall, 2nd Floor. Just bring a hard copy of your resume and check-in at the front desk.
The Career Center interacts with thousands of employers on a yearly basis and all have consistently communicated to us that students need part-time work experience on their resume to be considered for entry-level employment. Why? Because it builds Career Readiness. So, why not jump on the Part-Time Job Bus and start mastering these important competencies.
The UGA Career Center is a great resource in landing a part-time job and I’ve listed three things you can do to start the process.
1. Attend the UGA Part-Time Job and Internship Fair on Wednesday, August 21st, 11:00am-2:30pm, Tate Center Grand Hall. 140 employers will be present to meet you and discuss jobs available. First-year students are encouraged to attend this event.
2. Check out Handshake – UGA Career Center’s on-campus and off-campus job board.
3. Additional On-Campus Jobs can be found on UGA’s Human Resources job board. Click on “Graduate/Research/Students”
It’s absolutely mind-blowing how helpful the Career Center is in not only assisting students with obtaining part-time jobs but other things such as finding your car keys, plunging the toilet, or picking your nose. Okay, maybe not the last three items but I just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention. We do have a wealth of tools to help you become Career Ready and it all starts by reviewing our website at www.career.uga.edu. You can also call us for an appointment and meet with a career consultant to discuss any career related topics. We look forward to helping you become Career Ready and GO DAWGS!