Many of you have probably heard of or are using MySpace, FaceBook, or Twitter to connect with family, friends, and so on.  Those sites are mostly for fun. In the working world though, people use a professional networking site called LinkedIn. If you are currently employed or looking for jobs for college students, this is a great tool to get you connected to others so you can  exchange information, ideas, and find job opportunities.

There is a saying, “It’s all about who you know” when looking for a job.  Well there is great truth to this; especially now days when jobs are limited and so much competition is out there even for entry level positions.  Companies are much more likely to hire someone is who referred by an employee of the company versus someone no one knows.  Networking plays a big role in getting any job.

How Do You Sign Up?

Just like in any other social networking site, you first create a personal profile on the LinkedIn site.  The basic membership and profile is free and is all I have ever needed.  Once you have a profile you can build your networking contact list.  I would start out and see if any of your friends, family, neighbors, etc or a part of linked in.  If they are, request to become connected to them. As your connections build, so do your contacts.  You gain first, second, and third level connections.  It works much like the 7 points of separation idea.

How Does It Work?

So, let’s say I have a friend who works at Target.  (We are 1^st level connections)   I look up their profile and see that they have connections to family and friends. One of the friends works at HomeDepot where I am interested in working.  I send a request to the HomeDepot worker asking to be connected.  The request will say that we have a friend in common (Target worker).  If the HomeDepot workers accepts the request, they become one of your 2^nd level connections. Now that you are connected, you can contact them via email to discuss what work is like at HomeDepot and hopefully get connected to a hiring manager at a store.

Since LinkedIn is a PROFESSIONAL networking site, it is important that your communications are workplace appropriate.  This may be the place where you make a first impression and you want to make sure that impression is a positive one.

If you create a linked in profile, I would suggest that you look over your other networking sites (MySpace, FaceBook, etc and either make them private or make sure you do not have any pictures, videos, or written info that would cause someone to question whether or not to hire you.  Hiring managers and recruiters look at the social networking sites when they are verify employee information and to find information about the character of a person.  Always make sure your sites represent you in a positive way.

This is awful news for anyone still in college who is working hard to get their degree so they can graduate and get a job. Jobs for college graduates are harder to find than ever before and even if you are able to find one, it might not pay enough for you to live on your own.

Job pay going down is something that is not mentioned in the media as often as it should be. Jobs are not paying as much as they once were and/or people aren’t getting raises because employers can’t afford to give them. Many businesses have had to make a decision of freezing salaries, lowering salaries, or doing away with jobs altogether.

The recession has obviously hit everyone but it is the younger generation right out of school with little work experience that has gotten hit the hardest. College graduates are now faced with being out of school with big loans due, no where to live, and no job being offered to them. In cases like these, the safest place to go is back home and apparently 85% of you are doing just that!

HINT:
If you are just starting college, it would be smart to do some research and decide to major in something that pays well and there is demand for. Think ahead before you choose your major and you might even consider not majoring in your favorite area. After all, why get a degree in history if there are no jobs out there for history majors?

It seems right now that anything having to do with computers, technology, and science seems to have demand and jobs in those field pay well too. Figure out how you can graduate with a degree in something that will help you actually get a job. College is expensive and while those four years are fun, they are really meant to groom you for a job in the real world. Get a degree in a discipline that you will be able to profit from down the line and maybe you won’t be one of the ones who has to move back home with your parents!

Snagajob (FREE) – As a college student, you mght want a part time job to do in conjunction with school. Snagajob is the biggest online job site that specializes in part time and hourly work. This is the perfect place to go to find a part time job while you are in college.

Job.com (FREE) – This is one of the largest job sites on the Internet and you can submit your resume here and look for a job. They have a large amount of available jobs in their database.

Monster.com (FREE) – This is the single largest online job website and it is free to submit your resume and search for open jobs.

One thing is for sure though and that is that college keeps getting more expensive every year! With that rise in costs, jobs become more and more important for students. These last couple years have been very hard on university students as jobs just haven’t been as plentiful as they have been in years past. Part time jobs for college students are what most would want but more and more are having to look for full time work.

With tuition costs so high, one of the options to help make payments is to work full time. This is of course if you can find a job in the first place. Working full time (or at least around 40 hours per week) is something that few college students have had to do in years past. Now though, it might be more of a necessity than a choice.

Working full time while you go to college is not the optimum situation because it leaves a student with too little time to study and have fun. Attending college is a full time job in itself and when you add on the stress and time constraints of a real full time job as well, you have a situation where the student might be stretching themselves too thin. With college costs so out of control though, many students don’t have any alternative other than to work as much as they can.

Jobs for college students should be part time jobs in a perfect world. The balance between classes, studying, having fun, and working part time gives a student the best environment to do well at all things. When you add in too much work you have to take away time from the other areas that are important too. Right now though, it is unfortunate that so many college students have to struggle daily to make ends meet. Working full time for these kids is something they have to do just to stay at school.

Jobs in sales can pay you a set wage, a commission only wage, or some combination of the two. If you work in a shoe store like Nordstrom for example, your payment will be comprised of a base salary along with commissions on all the sales you make. If you are good with people and like working this sort of job, you might be able to make significantly more than you could at a regular job that pays hourly.

College student jobs can be anything imaginable and right now employers have fallen on hard times. If you are a student who has the talent for sales, you might be able to get a job and keep it easier than your friends who go after other types of jobs. Right now in this economy, a good salesperson is a valued employee and any smart employer would be anxious to keep you.

Sales jobs can be in almost any arena you can imagine. Retail sales is the type of job you might think of first but there are also many other sales jobs that are in other areas of business.  Any product that is sold, and there are billions of them, will have some sort of sales aspect and job associated with it.

Of course, you will need have experience to get most of those jobs but the fact remains that jobs in sales are everywhere. If you have a knack for connecting with people and being able to convince them to buy, a college job in sales might be just what you are looking for to bring in some extra money and start your career at the same time.

If you are able to live in your home town and go to a community college. you will be interested in looking for jobs in your area. Jobs for community college students may be more plentiful than if you are going to a school in a small college town. Many community colleges are in or near major cities which will open up a lot of job possibilities.

Going to a community college is not as prestigious as attending a major university but it should not impact your ability to get a job while you are in school. Employers are looking for good, reliable help and if you have some experience and are dependable, you will be able to get jobs just as easily as if you were going to a bigger school.

Many big universities will accept credits from community colleges and some students go to a smaller school for two years and then transfer later for the last two. This way, they save money on tuition and they end up with the same degree from a major university just like everyone else who graduates. Theadded benefits are that they get to live at home and have a better chance of finding jobs which means it is cheaper and they are able to pay for their college degree more easily.

However, whether you really need to look for jobs for college students or not, it is a good idea to get one and work all through college. The main reason for this is the job experience you will gain and be able to put on your resume after graduation. College students have quite a bit of free time and even if you only get a part time job of perhaps 10 hours a week, it will be something you can list on your resume.

Employers like to see job applicants who are ambitious and who have shown a history of wanting to work. Even if you don’t really “need” a college job, if you get one anyway no one will ever know whether it was out of necessity or whether you just decided to work your way through college. Four years of college is a great start but if you can add 3 or 4 years of working while you are taking classes, it shows employers that you are a hard worker and you will be coming to them with some of that very valuable job experience.

Whether you need the extra money or not that a college job would bring, it is great to be able to set some aside for later. Once you graduate you will find that your bills start mounting up fast as you will have rent to pay as well as utilities, transportation, food, and all sorts of other costs. If your parents cut the cord after your schooling, the money you save while working at your college job will be very nice to have.

Your university will have a career services department where you can also go but now days, with everything being online, your first step should be to scour the website for jobs information. You will probably be able to find a section online that is a free place for students and alumni to search for internships, part time jobs, full time jobs, volunteer opportunities and other types of job openings.

The good part of being a college student (or an alumni) is that you may have access to this type of resource while the general public will not. During your college years, you should take advantage of all the different things that are available to students because it will give you an advantage in finding jobs over everyone else. Your college website may also have information you can use on how to write a resume and tips that will help you get your first job.

Work is hard to find now and 2010 will be another tough year for all students looking for jobs. If you have access to some sort of online jobs search site through your college website, it would be a smart thing to take advantage of it!

1) Waiting tables  – This job tops the list both because of the potential to make money and the flexibility it affords. Waiters and waitresses often make good money in tips, especially if they are outgoing, friendly, and have a good personality. It is also a job where you can work part time and often get the hours you want or need to fit your schedule. Additionally, if you do a good job, that restaurant will usually hire you back later if you decide to quit because good help is hard to find.

2) Freelance work- With the Internet being in almost every home now, the opportunity for freelance work has never been better. if you are a writer or someone who is good with computer graphics, there are all sorts of freelance jobs you can get online. Whatever your online skill is, there is probably someone who is willing to pay you for it. This type of work is also the most convenient there is as you will never have to leave home or your dorm room. This makes online freelance work one of the best jobs for college students!

3) Bank teller - This is something I did in college and it is not a high paying job but it looks good on a resume. The job of being a bank teller requires you to be good with money as well as with people. It is something you can often do part time and it requires little more than to show up on time and do a good job. If you are interested in finance or a job in that field, working as a teller in college is a great idea.

4) Research assistant – Many professors have an assistant or two who help them with various things such as grade papers and even teach a class or two. If you are tops in your class and can get hired on, it will be a very convenient job that might even help you in the future. A solid recommendation from a college professor will help any student get their first job in the real world in that field.  

5) Internships – There are both paid and unpaid internships available to college students. Predictably, the unpaid ones are often easier to get but the paid ones are out there for those that qualify. Internships may not necessarily benefit you as much while you are doing them as they will later when can add them to your resume. Employers like to see college graduates that have been active in their chosen field and have had some experience in it. Being able to put an internship on your resume will jump you ahead of many of the candidates that don’t have any work experience.

6) Lab assistant – If you are in any one of the sciences, there may be opportunities right there for you to get a job. You might also be able to get a job as a lab assistant in an off campus environment as well. Becoming a lab assistant in your chosen field of study will also help you learn more and it is something that will stand out on your resume.

 7) IT support job -The need for IT help nowadays has gone through the roof and if you are in that field, you may be able to find an on campus job in that area. If you scour you university for this type of job, you may find that there are more opportunities than you think. It will also help you solve problems and give you experience in your field that you can take with you and the pay is decent as well.

8) Care for the elderly - The baby boomer generation is growing older now and there has never before been this kind of need for help for the aged. Our society continues to grow older and many seniors need help with daily care, physical training, basic grooming, and everything else we take for granted every day. There are home health care jobs as well as jobs at retirement home and other such facilities and the need for these jobs keeps growing.

9) Library assistant- One of the best jobs for any college student is working at a library. If you go to a big college, there will be a handful of libraries where you might find work. The great part about an on campus library job is that it will be walking distance to where you live and it may give you lots of time to study. Libraries are quite and during some shifts, they are close to empty. This will give you the opportunity to make money and get some studying in at the same time.

10) Fitness instructor – if you are one of those people that spends a lot of time at the gym and has had some fitness training, you might be able to get a part time job right there. You can take certification tests and teach classes or do personal training and it can often be done around your school schedule. Fitness is extremely popular right now and new gyms are popping up all over. This gives you the opportunity to get paid for something you like to do.

If you are looking for part time jobs for college students, a great place to start online is at Snagajob. They are the only website on the Internet that specializes in part time and hourly jobs and you can search for potential opening by just putting in your zip code.

You can find hourly and part time jobs at many retailers, restaurants, and other places that have a need for people to fill shifts. Especially right now with the holiday right around the corner, seasonal jobs are going to be opening up and you want to be first in line to get them. With job competition so high, these seasonal jobs will probably be taken quickly so you want to aid your search by using Snagajob.

Another thing you might want to do is to search on foot for those part time jobs by going around to places that might be hiring. The college students who do find part time jobs will be the ones that put in the most work trying to get them and have the most work experience. At the college level, you should have a resume by now and use that wherever you apply for a job. Not everyone will have one so you should have a better chance of standing out from the crowd if you do have a resume to give a potential employer.

Part time jobs for college students can be found wherever you look if you are imaginative. Keep your eyes and ears open and make as many contacts as you can. Let everyone you come across know that you are looking for a job and sooner or later you will find something. The students who go out of their way to look both offline and online at Snagajob will be the ones who end up finding employment over the holidays.