Students can get jobs at places like the mailroom and the school store on campus. Photo from @uricampusstore.
Although on-campus jobs are still available, students looking for a position may have to get creative during their job hunt due to limitations created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the University of Rhode Island suspended all in-person classes on March 19, thousands of student workers were hit with the reality that they were now unemployed. Some were forced to reestablish their main source of income while others joined the millions of Americans across the country who filed for unemployment.
An in-person return to campus was critical for many student workers, as this suggested the return of many on-campus jobs. Whether through an application on Handshake or a socially-distanced interview, URI students are now able to continue, or begin, their job searches.
According to Kim Stack, director of the Center for Career and Experiential Education (CCEE), there are still jobs available for students seeking employment. However, she acknowledges that options are much more limited this year.
“We’re seeing that there are certainly less on-campus jobs posted in Handshake than potentially semesters past,” Stack said. “But there are definitely still jobs that are available for students.”
Students on campus can still apply for positions at places such as library services, campus recreation, dining services and University offices, according to Stack.
According to Brett Nicolopoulos, URI’s food service retail manager, Ram’s Den in the Memorial Union is one of the many places on campus often hiring.
“We actually have signs posted all over Ram’s Den that we’re hiring,” Nicolopoulos said. “We need the additional staffing.”
Nicolopoulos emphasized the flexibility of Ram’s Den schedule, which allows students to work for short shifts in between their classes.
Ram’s Den is “all hands on deck” during the lunch rush, according to Nicolopoulos. With dining’s new COVID-19 restrictions, hiring student workers is essential for their operations.
“It’s all about speed because we don’t want people waiting in line and congregating,” he said.
Nicolopoulous encourages students to apply with their likely-increased amount of free time.
“I think it’s a great thing because social activities have been extremely limited now here on campus,” Nicolopoulous said. “For freshmen that don’t really know anybody, they can come here and get a job and interact with other freshmen.”
Outside of the available jobs within Dining Services, there are various other positions students had the opportunity to learn about during the Virtual Campus Jobs Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Hosted by the CCEE, students were able to meet directly with departments on campus looking to hire via Handshake.
Amy Albert, community engagement coordinator for the CCEE, took the lead on the event that had a little over 100 students registered. According to Albert, five employers attended the event, advertising open positions for students to apply for. A representative from Enrollment Services was also present to address any financial or work study-related questions.
Stack and Albert encourage students to not put their job hunt on hold, despite the current uncertainty involving the duration of time URI will remain on-campus. Many offices are making new positions to accommodate the campus changes. There has also been an increase in virtual positions as departments work to utilize student’s skills virtually to fill their vacancies.
“In terms of the Career Center, we’re doing a lot of evaluating how many students are coming in for in-person dropping hours versus virtual drop in hours,” Albert said. “What does support look like for virtual affairs? And how does that look different? Because support is needed, and guidance is needed.”
For students living off-campus looking for employment opportunities, the CCEE and Enrollment Services are working on a community work-study program in partnership with the nonprofit organization South County Habitat for Humanity. This initiative targets students who aren’t living on campus, but still are nearby.
Albert said that from the start of the COVID-19 concern, there have been shifts for positions to become virtual.
“I think a lot of places are having backup plans,” Albert said. “What students will probably find is when they’re interviewing for positions or when they are taking on positions, their supervisors are going to be sharing, ‘this is plan A, this is Plan B, and this is Plan C, and we’re going to evaluate as we go along.’”
Students are encouraged to follow different URI departments on-campus on Handshake to get a firsthand look at what’s available.
“To me, it makes sense to invest time. If you’re sitting in your residence hall or your home and you don’t know what to do, fill out your Handshake profile,” said Stack.