All Articles

I Applied to Every On-Campus Job to Write this Ultimate UCI Student Job Guide

08 September 2021

A student working an on-campus job.

On this page

Why should you consider getting an on-campus job?

  • Get real work experience for your resume.
  • Meet more people at UC Irvine: staff, professors, and other students.
  • Make extra money, usually $15.50 to $18 an hour.
  • [International student] Get your American Social Security Number (SSN).

Materials Needed

  • Resume: A short summary of your background, usually one page. List your education, experience, and skills. Pretty much always required.
  • Cover Letter: A letter explaining why you fit that specific job. Usually not required, but nice to have.
  • Schedule: Shows when you are free during the quarter. Required for almost every on-campus job I applied to at UC Irvine.
  • Transcript: Shows how you did in your past classes. Some people say employers can tell how “hard-working” and “serious” you are from your grades, though that is up for debate.
  • Work-Study Permit: Required for work-study-only positions. Work-study is a federal student aid program, and only students who qualify can apply for those jobs.

Hiring Timeline

  • Most job postings appear 1-2 months before each quarter begins. For example, for the fall quarter, the job postings appear in July or August.
  • More positions are available in the fall compared to winter or spring quarters.
  • After submitting your resume on Handshake, expect to wait 1-3 weeks for an interview invitation if you are shortlisted.
  • You can then arrange your interview time. It’s a courtesy to pick the earliest slot you are available for.
  • Some competitive positions may have multiple interview rounds.
  • If you pass the interview, expect to wait an additional week or so for the official offer.
  • If you accept the offer, you need to pass a background check before you can start working.

How to Narrow Down Your Job Search

From my observation, on-campus jobs can be categorized into four types:

Jobs that align with your major (Example: Software Engineer, IT Support, Administrative Assistant)

  • Pro: Better for your resume and for landing a full-time job after graduation
  • Con: Few openings, tough to get

Jobs that align with your interests (Example: Video Editor, Graphic Designer)

  • Pro: More relaxed since you like the work, and you get paid to get better at a hobby
  • Con: Few openings, and it may not help your resume depending on what you want to do later

Research-related jobs (Example: Research Assistant, Data Entry Clerk, Equipment Maintenance)

  • Pro: Easier to ask for recommendation letters and to get ready for grad school
  • Con: Long hours, not flexible, low pay, and many require work-study

Low-skilled jobs (Example: Meal Server, Library Checkout Clerk, ARC Desk Worker)

  • Pro: Many openings, hiring all year, pay is usually above minimum wage
  • Con: May not help your resume depending on what you want to do later

Figure out what you actually want first. Weigh the pros and cons above, then decide where to spend your applications.

What I usually recommend is finding a job that lines up with your career goals and gives your resume something to build on. You could take a food server job for better pay, but it will not move your career forward. You are still in college, and you will make far more if you land at a good company after graduation. So taking a $5 an hour pay cut now is worth it for being a stronger candidate as a senior, unless you really need the cash.

Some examples to give you ideas:

  • Pre-Med students work as medical scribes for UC Irvine Health
  • Pre-Law students work for the International Center helping international students get work authorization
  • Engineering students work at the Office of Information Technology as computer help desk employees
  • Arts students work at Merage School as video editors for their online executive courses
  • Psychology students work as research assistants on user interface studies and present papers at conferences

My Background

I prepared two resumes for different types of positions.

Computer Science Resume

  • Summer internship at a major tech company
  • Published 2 iPhone apps on the App Store
  • Won 4 international awards during freshman year
  • Leadership experience in hackathons
  • Technical skills and the languages I know

Video Editing / Graphic Design Resume

  • Experience in YouTube video production
  • Video editing and graphic design portfolios
  • Comfortable with several editing programs
  • Comfortable shooting on a DSLR

Results

The data below is from August 2021 to September 2021.

Success Rate

  • Submitted applications: 78
  • Reviewed applications: 39 *
  • Rejected with no interview: 4
  • Interviews offered: 12
  • Interviews attended: 3
  • Job offers: 3
  • Accepted job offer: 1

* This means the manager viewed the application on Handshake.

Interview Experience

  • UCI Alumni Association: Great experience, a 3-part interview with questions a lot like the ones on LinkedIn
  • UCI Merage: Informal and friendly interviewer, 15-question questionnaire
  • UCI DETI: First-round interview with 2 detailed questions and a Q&A

Final Thoughts

  • On-campus jobs are not that hard to get, because only UC Irvine undergrads like you can apply.
  • If you apply to at least 50 positions, you will almost certainly get one. If 50 applications get you nothing, either your resume has a real problem or the job market does.
  • Applying to more jobs and applying early beat rewriting your resume for every posting. You can still write one resume per field, like I did.

An on-campus job is a good first line on a resume, but it is not the one recruiters end up screening on. For what comes after it, I wrote about what actually makes CS recruiting hard and what the first year of a full-time job in big tech looks like.

Good luck with your job search!