It may feel like the semester just began, but summer is just around the corner. We all know what that means — time to find a summer job.

For many students, the springtime job hunt is a time when you exhaust your resumé stack by applying to every restaurant, café and bar that you can think of. What many students don’t know, however, is that the university offers a host of summer jobs for students.

While part of the allure of a summer job is to spend your time off campus, the university has a lot going for it in terms of prospective summer employment.

One of the great things about working on campus during the summer is the variety of jobs that are up for grabs.

If you’re itching to enjoy that seasonal sun, you can work with Student Works Painting or as a general maintenance labourer around campus. But if you’re looking for a job that is more mentally rigorous, then you can find work as a research assistant for the Canadian Light Source or as an assistant for agriculture research. The bottom line is that there is a variety of job types on campus throughout the summer and most likely one suited for you.

What’s more, working at the university over the summer can give you valuable skills for vocational opportunities down the road. The more research-intensive jobs will help you improve your analytical skills and also give you work experience that may assist in applying to graduate school.

More broadly, many of the jobs offered at the university over the summer can be great additions to your resumé and CV.

One perk to being on campus in the summer is that it’s gorgeous. This alone, in my mind, is one of the best things about working on campus. Another good thing is that there’s none of the casual existential dread in the summer that you see in students from mid-March to the end of April — a true bonus.

As a student, the best place to search for a summer job on campus is on the University of Saskatchewan website. It provides links where you can find out about job postings and career internships and also outlines when employer sessions and other networking events take place.

You can also look into CareerLink — attached to the university website — for a list of new job postings. The search options for CareerLink allow you to filter the search for a job that fits the location, start time and general description of your choosing. Once your filter has been decided, each job posting is filled with further useful information such as qualifications for the job, the job’s duties and the deadline for the application.

Additionally, you can manipulate the filter to find a summer job tailored specifically to your major. This is especially important, as you can find out about jobs that you never realized you were qualified for.

Not only can CareerLink help you find a summer job, it is also an excellent resource to find employment once you have completed your degree. Try it out — it’s well worth your time.

If you’re still having a hard time finding a job on campus, then you can always ask one of your professors. While students get to leave the university for the summer, professors are still here and often aware of student job opportunities in their respective fields.

Be sure to get your applications in soon — the deadlines are passing quickly!

—

Tanner Bayne

Graphic: Lesia Karalash / Graphics Editor