by Jilly Horaneck
Elm Staff Writer
As summer approaches, Washington College students can start looking and applying for jobs and internships.
Many places in Chestertown hire students for the summer, including the Athletics Department, the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, Dining Services, Pub- lic Safety, and Residential Life. Some of the positions avail- able are caterers, dispatchers, game management, GIS positions, note takers, teaching assistants, Residential Assistants, research assistants, tutors, servers, writers, and more. Other places that are hiring are the Global Education Office (GEO) and the Natural Lands Project, both for student assistants.
Darlene Ashley, assistant director of Campus Student Employment, believes it is very important for students to have the experience of working on campus.
“One of the most important parts in this role is to make sure the students have valuable working experience for their resumes. Keep in mind, there are students who arrive to
college who have never held a job before. So their resume is lacking the work experience piece. Students should take this opportunity to work on campus; it’s convenient and well worth the time. In most positions the students should be able to answer the phone, take a message, answer questions, pro- vide direction to students, faculty and staff, make labels, make copies, file, and problem solve. Just these basic skills is a great start to a seat at the table,” Ashley said.
For most jobs a certain GPA is required to be eligible.
“We have positions for all students; there are positions that require a certain skill, and we have general positions for stu- dents to learn as they go,” said Ashley.
To be eligible for a job on campus, a person must be a student at WC.
To prepare for an interview, students should review the job description and know information about the department for which they are interviewing. They should also ask questions about the role afterwards in order to to learn more about the position.
Ashley said, “If a student plans to seek employment on campus, research what documents will be required to start
work. Many students are delayed because they have to call home and have the required documents shipped to them to finish the process. Make sure to have a resume and cover let- ter. The Career Center can assist with this. And of course, re- search the student pay pack.” If a student is offered and accepts the job, they then need to complete a pay pack found on the Human Resources website.
New student employees have to present proof they are legally allowed to work in the United States. The HR building is found on Washington Avenue in between the Larrabee Arts Center and the old Rita’s building.
Ashley added that students should always be up-to-date by checking and replying to any messages about job positions they are interested in and applying for.
Right now, Ashley is compiling all campus job opportunities into a list that will be available in the early summer on the WC student employment website with access to all open positions. Students can also visit the Career Center’s website to find internships.