On Feb. 16, students are invited to explore opportunities for on-campus employment for various departments within the university. The event, coordinated by the Student Affairs and Diversity Connecting Students to On-Campus Student Employment Opportunities Task Force, is open to all current OU students and will take place in the Gold Rooms of the Oakland Center from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Departments such as University Housing, Disability Support Services, Gender and Sexuality Center and the Tutoring Center will be present at the event with representatives at each table to discuss opportunities and employment with interested students. The full roster of participating departments is available on Handshake.

Kelly Dorner, director of internal affairs for career services and co-chair of the Student Affairs and Diversity Connecting Students to On-Campus Student Employment Opportunities Task Force, says the goal behind the job fair is to increase visibility of student employment opportunities especially coming out of the height of the pandemic.

“We have found that there’s really an elevated need for students to be educated about on-campus opportunities that exist on campus because they are fantastic ways to, of course, have a job, have that job be right on campus, to develop in the professional and explore what they like and don’t like. On top of that, it’s just a fantastic way to build relationships and connect with the campus community,” Dorner said.

Sama Joseph, a biomedical sciences major at OU, works in the biochemistry lab on campus running her own experiments as well as aiding graduate student experiments. Reflecting on her time working as a student employee, Joseph encourages students to seek employment opportunities that are both convenient and flexible.

“I have classes on campus of course so what I do like for a lot of the times I go to the lab like before my classes or after I have classes depending on the time so it really works out well for me so I can just manage my schedule better that way. It’s just really convenient,” Joseph said.

Joseph also states that the work she has been able to do through her on-campus employment has benefited her in terms of her coursework.

“I’d learn about these experiments in my classes but actually getting to do those is a totally different experience. You only learn the main points or [professors] tell you ‘Oh, this is the reason why these experiments are done,’ but when you actually get to do it on your own and see the results first hand, it’s a totally different thing,” Joseph said. “You can actually interpret these results into your own project. It’s honestly a really rewarding experience.”

Alex Rye, a writing center consultant and Honors College TA, states that on-campus employment has allowed her to grow in her field of study and connect with OU students and faculty while still offering flexibility.

“I’m an English major, so I have learned a lot more about writing and me as a writer through it so it has personally benefited me in that way. Also, being able to work one-on-one with people, I feel like that skill is going to really help me in the future because I’m going to law school, so, working with clients, that’s what I’m going to be doing, that’s what I do now so that’s been super helpful,” Rye said.

“I feel like with on-campus jobs and why I’ve liked it so much is because of the flexibility. They understand and have said multiple times that you being a student comes first. With the writing center, I am fully able to create my own schedule and goin and work when I can.”

Dorner encourages students to seek out student employment as it can benefit them both personally and professionally.

“These on-campus employment opportunities are out there, they’re a great way to professionally develop, they’re a fantastic way to make strong connections with the university community. We are thrilled to have students back on campus and what better way to really begin to embrace that campus community than looking into getting a position on-campus,” Dorner said.

Career Services offers a variety of resources for students to better prepare both for the job fair and as they begin to search for jobs in the professional field. Dorner invites students to utilize these resources, including resume or cover letter reviews and interviewing guides, which can be accessed on Handshake and the career services webpage.