With an increasing number of employers seeking not only a university education but relevant, hands-on job experience, college students often struggle to find a job that is flexible enough to be worked into their busy lifestyle.

Working as an on-campus student assistant provides a unique and flexible opportunity to build connections and gain the skills that employers are seeking. 

Kendall Herod (sophomore, Biology) says that her job as a student assistant in the Provost’s Office has put her in a position to network with academic professionals and to build her communication skills in a business environment. 

“It’s allowing me to practice making connections and how to make good connections, and developing relationships in a professional manner,” she said. “We have deans of other colleges walking in constantly…we have professors looking to be hired for our campus in different departments, we have people coming in for meetings…It’s really allowing me to see what it takes to be professional,” said Herod. 

Herod said that her job has put her on a first-name basis with many of the campus’ most important figureheads, including the Provost herself. 

“Mrs. Greer is so personable! She’s so sweet and you kind of forget how important she is,” she said. “The dean of my college knows me by name…you get to talk to a lot of people and professors you never would’ve gotten the chance to talk to,” said Herod. 

Currently, there are 745 student employment positions filled on campus, according to data from Human Resources. Many, but not all of these positions involve clerical work like filing paperwork and answering phone calls and emails.  

There are two types of on campus jobs are offered to students, regular student assistant and Work-Study positions, according to Ana Contreras, the Financial Aid Work-Study Adviser. 

“The Federal Work-Study program, it’s a grant given to students who are eligible through FAFSA,” said Contreras.

Federal Work-Study provides funding for the campus to offer students jobs. Rather than being granted the funds outright, students must be hired for Work-Study positions in order to earn their allocation. 

While only students who are granted Work-Study funding can apply for Work-Study positions, any current Stan State student can apply for a student assistant job as long as they meet the position’s minimum qualifications.

Michaela Dole, an Administrative Support Assistant in the Human Resources department who specializes in student employment, said that in her experience most student assistants are re-hired by their employers each semester until they graduate.

Dole, whose own work as a student intern at Stan State opened the door to her current position in HR, explained that on-campus work equips students with unique skills that other part-time jobs may not offer.  

“This allows them to open doors and learn the more clerical side, which you don’t realize that you actually need when you’re going into a job,” she said, adding that other entry-level, part-time jobs are “great, but they don’t give you those clerical skills that you need to get into any type of position…It opens doors, it gives connections,” said Dole

Dole said that the percentage of student assistants who go on to obtain a staff position on campus is “very high,” indicating that herself and many other members of the Human Resources department started as student assistants and worked their way up to a full-time position.

On-campus work not only offers unique networking and resume-building opportunities, but a flexible and personal environment that many other part-time jobs aren’t able to provide. 

For Yvonne Serrano (senior, International Business and Spanish) her job as a student ambassador for the study abroad program in the Office of International Education has made a huge difference in her life. 

“I’ve had a very special relationship with the people here and I think that makes a huge difference, absolutely huge difference,” said Serrano.

“The fact that I’m on campus, I have a job on campus, is really nice,” Serrano said. “They’re really flexible with my schedule…I’ll be very busy and they’ll let me study an extra hour or two and take one or two hours off work, or if I need more hours they know I’ll put in work.” 

Herod, who in addition to working on campus also competes with the Stan State Track & Field team, said that her employers have been similarly flexible and understanding of her busy schedule. 

“I’m really appreciative of how flexible they are with hours,” said Herod.

Her employers were understanding when she had to take time off work to travel for indoor track, and celebrated with her when she made it to the Indoor Track & Field Championships. 

“When I had gotten the chance to go to nationals, my office threw me a party…It’s really, really cool to have that kind of support,” said Herod.  

Both student assistants and staff members agree that student help is vital to helping the campus run smoothly. 

“Maybe it’s the grunt work, but it’s such an important part…it keeps the campus going,” said Dole.  

Herod agreed, indicating that her work on campus has given her more appreciation for everything that goes on behind the scenes in the academic environment to keep things running smoothly.   

“You go to school and you think everyone just handles stuff for you, but you don’t know all the trouble and all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes to make little things happen,” Herod said. 

Oftentimes, working in an on-campus position gives students an opportunity to learn more about the type of environment they want to work in after college. Serrano indicated that her work as a student assistant has helped her plan out her next steps after her graduation this May. 

“I want to actually own a business,” Serrano said, explaining that her supervisors and coworkers helped her plan out her future. “They motivated me, they were very encouraging…this job kind of put the pieces together.”  

Herod encourages fellow students to apply for on-campus positions. “I tell people all the time…if you’re looking for a job, just keep checking online,” said Herod. 

She indicated that these jobs are much more accessible than people think. “You’ve just got to go in and be yourself,” Herod said. 

If you are interested in applying for an on-campus job, click here to view available student assistant positions and here for available Work-Study positions. For more information on the Federal Work-Study program, visit the Financial Aid office, MSR 100. Postings are updated regularly as new positions become available.