ORIENTATION 2011: Here’s how to find a local job, stay sane

If Columbia students are masters of anything, it’s mastering everything. If you’re looking to hit the salt mines when you’re not hitting the books, here are a few surefire ways to get employed by fall break.

1. Work the work-study. Federally-funded work study is one of the most commonly doled out financial aid packages at Columbia, and many departments and non-profits around the city offer jobs to qualifying students. The pay is decent (average pay for undergrads is $12/hour) and the hours can be pretty relaxed. Check with your financial aid officer to make sure you’re eligible and browse Columbia’s offerings at columbia.studentemployment.ngwebsolutions.com/JobX_FindAJob.aspx.

2. Hop on board a student-run business. There are several businesses on campus operated and managed by undergraduates, some of them backed by the Center for Career Education. There are a few different ways to jump in:

At the Barnard Babysitting Agency, students can work at the agency’s office in Elliott Hall during business hours and process incoming requests for student babysitters, or after attending a brief orientation, the agency will hook Barnard students up with well-paying babysitting gigs. For more information, visit eclipse.barnard.columbia.edu/~bbsitter/.

Even if the agency doesn’t hire you, the Columbia Bartending Agency’s mixology course is easily the most fun and booze-filled class you’ll ever take at Columbia. In five two-hour sessions, you’ll learn how to mix the perfect martini and impress your friends with exotic cocktails, like the Moscow Mule.

If you can charm your teachers and the agency’s managers, you might land a spot as one of their commissioned bartenders. CBA bartenders work private parties at $18/hour or more with tip and cab fare. But beware: if you aren’t one of CBA’s chosen few, real bars laugh at 18-year-olds with bartending certifications. Either way, it’s a great way to spend a Tuesday night.

The multilingual among us might try Columbia University Tutoring and Translating Agency. CUTTA offers translation, transcription, and tutoring services to students both on and off campus.

3. Stay local. There’s no need to stray far from campus for a “real-world” job. Many local businesses, like Oren’s, Le Monde, the Joe Coffee in the Northwest Corner Building, 1020, and American Apparel are known to hire students. Bring a stack of resumes with you the next time you take a walk on Amsterdam or Broadway. Don’t forget about the area just north of campus on Amsterdam—a foodie’s paradise with room for student waiters and baristas.

4. Craigslist. It can be challenging, and sometimes downright sketchy, to navigate through the spam postings and find the legitimate job opportunities. Nevertheless, Craigslist often lists openings for pet-sitting gigs, babysitting jobs, and part-time openings at restaurants, cafes, and retail establishments located elsewhere in the city. Make sure to only meet prospective employers in public places and, if something feels sketchy, it probably is. Otherwise, be prepared to email out a lot of resumes and keep retooling your cover letters.

5. Link and share. Two of the most useful resources for students looking for jobs come from the University’s career centers—LionSHARE for CC, SEAS, and GS students, and NACElink, a system similar to LionSHARE, for BC students. Both notoriously-difficult-to-navigate platforms offer a number of more career-focused listings, from internships, both paid and unpaid, to full-time jobs for soon-to-be alums, to odd-jobs posted by neighbors in the area.

Students can upload their resumes and cover letters to the sites, and then submit them to individual employers. University departments also often post openings on the sites. Sometimes grabbing a job can be a matter of seeing the posting before anyone else, so check them early and often. For more information, make an appointment with an advisor at the Center for Career Education in Lerner Hall or Barnard Career Development in Elliott Hall.

rakhi.agrawal@columbiaspectator.com