A lot of students find it difficult to make their SU last when there in addition to fixed expenses should be room for a little bit of fun in the budget. For a lot of students that’s the reason why they get a student job. Getting a student job is a very good idea if you need to complement your SU; a couple of extra bucks is always nice.

Economy is an important factor in getting a student job but why not combine the economic gain with the opportunity to get a network and some practical experience. A good network and practical experience can make the difference once you graduate and need to look for a job.

It can be very difficult to get the job of your dreams, and for some people it is difficult just to get a job. The more you do already as a student to qualify you to the job you want the bigger your chances are when the time comes to send the job application.

As a student, you may think that you don’t have the time for a job in between school and social activities, and maybe you don’t the way you lead life just now. If that’s the case you may want to rethink your priorities because a good and relevant student job can have bigger importance for you and your career than you maybe think right now.

The good network

You have probably often heard that your network is important in your professional life, and that many people get a job of their network.

It may sound as some modern job adviser nonsense, but it isn’t. Your network can be of an incredibly big importance for your future career. Therefore, the sooner you get started on creating your network the better.

It may sound a little prohibitively. At first think about the network you already got: your family, your friends and people your family and friends know. It’s possible that one of them knows a good place where they need someone like you. If that’s the case you have saved a lot of time and strength on writing and sending applications.

When you meet new people, your network expands. You can yourself be more or less active in expanding both your private and your professional network. If you for example want to expand your professional network, you can try to get a student job which is relevant to your future career.

A relevant student job might give you some new contacts. Contacts relevant to the field you later wish to work in. Contacts who might know someone who needs someone like you. That’s how your network might shorten the way between you and the job of your dreams.

From a relevant student job, you can also get a relevant recommendation to use in a later job search. A good recommendation can show a potential new employer what you can do. Thus, this can also be a way to shorten the way to a new job.

It can be difficult to stay in touch with people to whom you only have a professional relationship e.g. former employers. However, it can be worse it to put an afford in staying in touch because it will often be people in the same professional community as you who can help you in your job search.

What you can do is putting your professional network in system e.g. by creating a profile on LinkedIn.

On LinkedIn, you can become friends with e.g. your employer at your relevant student job. Thus, you can always contact he or she in an informal way if you need help. For example, if you know that your former employer knows someone who works where you’d like to work. In that way, your network can get you the foot inside the job of your dreams.

A good network isn’t just about what you can get out of it. It’s also about what you can contribute with. A network must be looked after. Stay in touch and make your own contributions then it’s more likely you too will receive help when you need it.

Practical experience

Besides good contacts and a large network, a student job can give you some practical and relevant experience. Experience can be the factor that convinces a potential employer that you are the best candidate for the job.

When you send a job application you are usually asked to attach your CV. Relevant and practical experience will look good at your CV – also if the experience comes from a student job. If you don’t have any relevant experience your CV might look a little empty or be full of experience not relevant for the job you want. That’s not useful for the employer.

Relevant experience sends a good signal to an employer: already as a student you have done something to improve your relevant qualifications. Although it’s just a few hours a week, a relevant student job can show a potential employer that you desire the job and that you are willing to do something to improve yourself.

As a newly graduate you will often discover that experience is necessary if you want to get a job. A lack of experience will often be why you don’t get a job. It will seldom be your great results from school that makes the difference. Usually no one wants to hear about them. The place of work has an interest in what you have done, and that you know how to act as an employee in a business.

Of course, education is important, but mostly it isn’t the most important thing when you are looking for a new job; that’s your experience.

Therefore: get yourself a relevant job already as a student. That can be the reason why you get a job.

In addition to looking good at your CV a relevant student job also gives you the opportunity to find out if you have chosen the right study. Is the work you do or the work your colleagues do something you would like to do when you graduate.

If you wish to get a network with relevant contacts from your student job you need to get the right student job.

The job as a bartender probably won’t give you a relevant network or relevant experience if you are studying to be an embryologist or a cand.mag. Therefore, choose your student job carefully. Find out what kind of experience and qualifications you want and think about that when you are searching for a job.