Finding a job in college can be a challenge — especially with everyone throwing different advice at you. Here are 4 places to keep in mind when job hunting on campus.

Your College’s Job Board

Your college job board has jobs that are actually possible for college students to do and these jobs don’t have the atrocious line of “5+ years’ experience necessary.” These jobs are catered towards college students so they may line up nicely with the kinds of classes you are taking. This makes these jobs more applicable to students because they can finally apply the things they learn into real-life situations. The jobs posted on the student job board are also more likely to work with a college student’s schedule.

Other Campus Resources

What if your college doesn’t have a job board? Interestingly enough, dropping by your college’s Career Center is another great place to find jobs. Most Career Centers have job listings for both current students and soon-to-be graduates. Plus it’s a great place to get your resume checked or do a mock interview! Take a walk through your college’s student union or student center. More often than not, you will see flyers featuring job openings around campus. Another idea is to walk through buildings where professor offices are located. Many of them may be looking for student assistants and will post information outside their office doors.

Student Organizations

As a member of the Society of Human Resource Management, I can fully advocate that joining clubs is a great way to find job opportunities. Some professional clubs often have their own exclusive job boards. Besides privatized job boards, clubs also have access to more resources than individuals do when they go job searching. Furthermore, you could discover job opportunities if you go on club-sponsored company tours or if you have the chance to meet professionals through a club networking event.

LinkedIn 

At some point you will probably hear the phrase “it’s not what you know — it’s who you know.” While you can easily find entry-level jobs on LinkedIn, it’s not probable that you will actually get that job for the sole reason that everyone can see that job. If you think finding a job on your college’s job board is difficult, imagine trying to compete against tens of thousands of applicants. It’s still possible to get a job via LinkedIn, but it’s not as likely — especially if the application says “easy LinkedIn apply”; that’s a good indication that there might really be tens of thousands of people applying for that position. Having said that, creating and maintaining a LinkedIn profile is important. Connecting with people will further your career later and may even help you discover a job that isn’t posted there, but offered directly to through someone you connect with.

Finding a job that fits into your schedule can be hard in college, but many places work to accommodate a student’s schedule. Taking time to look around your campus may help you find some hidden gems or point you in the right direction, so keep your eyes open, chin up, and don’t give up!