Fourth-year family and community social services student, Radhika Sharma, is employed through the work study program. She can be found at the learning commons desk ready to help fellow students with WebAdvisor, CourseLink, among other student services.
Finding a job on campus can be easier than you think. Melissa Patrizi, career services coordinator for business and media studies, works closely with these students from the beginning of their post-secondary career all the way to graduation. She helps students with the on-campus job hunt, graduate school planning as well as polishing up resume and interview skills.
The work study program is designed to allow students to hold a part-time job on campus and “is intended for students who demonstrate financial need. It gives them an opportunity for employment that is flexible to their academic needs while building their skills,” says Patrizi.
Sharma agrees saying she found these positions to be very good for her. “It opened up in terms of communication, building close relationships with staff and friends, so it was able to help me develop those skills.”
Third-year justice studies student Nathan Valliere is currently employed under the campus walk program through Humber’s department of public safety.
“My job is to patrol the school so I have my safety kit and my radio. If people need to walk somewhere and they don’t feel safe and want extra security, I will walk with them. They’ll call me on my radio and then I go to where they are and I’ll walk anywhere on campus, so all the way to Queens Plate or to residence, I’ll even wait with them at the bus stop,” says Valliere.
Valliere says he loves being able to have a job that is related to his area of study. He agrees with Patrizi in that one of the benefits of working on campus is that employers are “understanding with your course schedule, especially when it comes to exams.”
Patrizi’s office also offers mock interviews and resume critiques for those who need the extra assistance before applying for a job. “Any student can meet with a CSP, a career support peer, to have a resume critique done. Often times it’s not just spelling errors or grammatical errors. It could be about arrangement of information or how things can be said in a different way that packs more ‘punch.’ Then anyone can make an appointment with their career services coordinator and do a more in-depth review of their resume,” says Patrizi.
Patrizi also says that if you have a job interview coming up, you can meet with a career services coordinator to conduct a mock interview.
Similarly, the department held a “Mock Interview Fest” on November 6 where industry professionals worked with eager students to help build on skills and confidence. Patrizi says “practice makes perfect when it comes to interviews,” which is why the department has plans to bring this event back to campus in the future.
“You’ll never lose by sitting in on an interview because it’s an opportunity to build that comfort level and skill of interviewing. The funny thing is that one of the worst things you can do in an interview is be nervous,” says Patrizi. “That’s why we set up the mock interview fest and why we continue to do it because it has a huge, huge value to our students.”
Patrizi says that hiring sprees usually occur around July for fall and winter positions and around February and March for summer positions.
Acting student financial services advisor, Shaneeza Jameer, says all students are eligible for the work study program, however those demonstrating financial need through OSAP will get first preference.
Students who are eager to land a job on campus should frequently check GH works, the school’s job portal, for new openings as well as make use of the available resources that your career services coordinator has to offer.