When you are an international student, finding a job on campus can be challenging. In point of fact, I would think that it is quite challenging. Because of the fact that you are a foreign student in the United States, there are a lot of factors that could make it more difficult for you to get a job or to be successful in the one that you have. But have no fear! Even if there are some things that could cause you trouble, obtaining a job and working on campus can be an extremely rewarding experience, especially for international students. However, there are certain things that could cause you trouble.
- Educate yourself on the country of the United States
There is no other method that can teach you more about your new surroundings than getting involved in them yourself. Getting a job on campus is one option for accomplishing this goal. I worked as an usher at the Concert Office of the Eastman School of Music for two years, and during that time I gained a lot of knowledge about the various parts of musical culture in the United States. One good illustration of this would be the appropriate and inappropriate behaviors to engage in before, during, and after a concert. Being there at a number of different performances is the only way I can conceive of where I could have possibly picked up on such little differences.
- Get involved in the process.
Working on campus is not only an excellent opportunity to become more involved in student life and extracurricular activities, but it is also an excellent way to make money. Not only is this something fun to do, but it’s also really cool to do when you’re trying to figure out how campus life works. If you are familiar with the way particular areas of campus function, you can not only assist a buddy who is confused about what is going on, but you can also help prevent and resolve disagreements or misunderstandings that may arise as a result of your familiarity.
- Interact with other individuals.
Even though this argument has already been alluded to in the first two, it is still an essential component of working on campus and should be taken into consideration. When you are working on campus, you are not usually in charge of everything by yourself. You are more frequently a member of a larger team, however. This was true for me during my first two years at the university when I worked as an usher, and it is much more true now that I work at Starbucks than it was before. It is impossible for a single person to take an order, prepare the meal, and make the drinks all at the same time. When you do the math, you’ll realize that it is very literally impossible. Just double this by ten. Instead of that, I have teammates that assist me with all of these different tasks. My employment has enabled me to become more familiar with my coworkers, many of whom I would not have had the opportunity to meet had it not been for the fact that I am employed.
- Include these on your CV.
When it comes to creating your CV, there are certain elements that you should include in order to make a great impression. Your CV should showcase your skills and experiences, as well as tell potential employers what you can bring to the table. Here are some essential elements that every CV should include:
A professional summary is an excellent way to introduce yourself and highlight the most important aspects of your qualifications. This section should be concise and focus on how your experience makes you an ideal candidate for the position. Additionally, always keep a list of relevant keywords from the job description so that recruiters can easily find information about you when searching online or through databases.
Your work history is also very important when it comes to crafting a strong CV.
- Make some money
Although this aspect of working on campus is largely self-explanatory, it is nonetheless important to bring up because of its significance. You may occasionally receive academic credit for your efforts, but more frequently you will be compensated monetarily. Even though the majority of student jobs on campus are not exactly “high end,” working one is a great opportunity to earn some extra cash and maybe buy that t-shirt or DVD you noticed while browsing through Amazon the other day.
- Make the most of the tax season
You might be thinking that you don’t want a job because you don’t want to deal with all of those complicated documents and try to figure out how to file your taxes. This could be a valid reason. However, as an international student, you will be required to file your taxes regardless of whether or not you really make any money. This is an inconvenient requirement. Since you are going to have to file your taxes anyhow, you might as well get one since it won’t hurt anything.
There are, without a doubt, additional benefits to locating work on campus in addition to the ones that I have listed above. But unless you’ve tried one for yourself, you won’t know what I’m talking about!
