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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1984)
sjsXoicIlus s r> d llj -4 j c~> sympathetic to students' /=it Ease, The Battalion T^riclay, TVTarcrH 30, 1<?&4 5 needs Graduates offer job hunting tips Photo by Mike Davis Kimber Barton, a computer science major from Lake Jackson, works as a bartender at the Aggieland Inn. Jobs in restaurants, bars sought by students By BONNIE LANGFORD Staff Writer A degree in business doesn’t a job make. Too many tales have been told about college grads working as taxi drivers. Although no set formula can help in getting a job, knowing what others went through to get their jobs can make the hunt a little easier. Three former stu dents tell of their experiences in the search for a job. Marilyn Bennett graduated in the spring of 1983 with a de gree in management. She knew that she didn’t want to go to work for a corporation, but she wasn’t sure what she really did want to. The summer after she graduated she had interviewed at the placement center one time, for a job with a youth camp. She did go work during the summer for a camp, Finished there in July, decided she would like to work with kids and started looking for a full-time job. “I got the the United Meth odist Reporter, and started looking through the ads for youth directors,” she says. “I sent out a lot of letters and made a lot of phone calls. “It’s important to be patient. You just have to wait, and know there’s going to be a job out there somewhere. Once I real ized that, I wasn’t so worried.” Bennett says she was looking for a job in the Texas area, and sent a few letters and resumes off, but there weren’t many jobs available. The technical writing course she took here is what helped her the most, she says. She learned to look at the letters she sent from the employers point of view, and know what they looked for. She ended up applying for a part-time job at McKinney First United Methodist Church, she says, and during the interview, interviewers added more re- sponibilities — gradually turn ing a part-time job into full time. She is now their youth di rector, and is in charge the youth groups, as well as the Sunday school program. “I just took a chance,” she says. “That’s what you have to do.” It was her general attitude and priorities that they looked at First, she says. “They were interested in what I would do with the kids,” she says. “Then they asked about my experience, then the grades and degree.” Bennett encourages students to keep from being buried in the books, be creative, try new things and take on responsibii- ties. She says that her outside experience really helped her get the job; she worked with an outreach group for junior and senior high students while she was in college. The experience she gained from organizing everything from banquets to outdoor re treats has helped in her job, she says. Another recent business graduate also says his outside experience helped him get a job. Clyde Wright, who grad uated in August of 1983 with a degree in accounting, says his being involved in the Business Students Council made it easier to talk to recruiters. He met re cruiters at the business fairs, and these were the people he sent letters to when he was looking for a job. Wright says that he had orig- nally planned on graduating in December, and then on going to law school, but he changed his mind and graduated early. He didn’t use the placement center to Find his job with Coastal Corp. in Houston. “I never could get organized enough to go over to the place ment center,” he says, “so I sent out 200 resumes, got 12 inter views and three job offers.” Wright’s being an Aggie also helped him get his job. “The chairman of the board for Coastal, and several employ ees, are Aggies,” he says. “They have been successful in the company, and so we’re ex pected to be successful too. Ag gies have a good reputation.” Expect strange questions dur ing interviews, he says, and be prepared to ask questions about the company; have something to talk about. He says he had one interviewer ask him what time it was, and then ask him what time it was in Paris; an other one talked to him for an hour about baseball. When looking for a job, peo ple shouldn’t be too anxious, Wright says. Don’t jump at the First job offer, he says, unless it’s a really good job, because there will be other offers. Another Aggie accounting major who is working locally says that patience is the key to getting a job. “It pays to give them time to process your application,” says Sheryl Scott. “I got several of fers from companies in Dallas after I had taken a job here.” Scott used the Placement Center to interview for jobs. She says she wanted to work in Dallas, so she interviewed with the big eight corporations, which limited her chances. She then went to Dallas for a week to interview with compa- See “Business” page 13 By ERIN PYLE Reporter Working in a restaurant may not be the easiest way for col lege students to earn pocket money, but juggling work and studies is routine for student waiters and waitresses. Lisa Klement, a secondary education major from Dallas, enjoys her job as a waitress at the Interurban restaurant. Kle ment says the pressure of trying to keep up in classes and work ing is not too intense at Interur ban because students Fill out work requests. “Four days before the follow ing week, we Fill out a schedule request stating when we can and cannot work,” Klement says, “but if something comes up and you Find you can’t work your schedule, the other students will Find someone to work for you.” Klement says the key to bal ancing work and school is Find ing an employer who under stands the conflicts of both. “Interurban is terrific for stu dents,” Klement says. “If you have a test, they won’t schedule you when you need to study, and if you have to go to class, they make sure you are out of work on time even if it means letting you out early.” Bryan Muzny, a senior petro leum engineering major from Houston, feels that working at the Dixie Chicken has not hurt his grades. “I only work about two hours a day so I really don’t have to worry about work taking too much of my time,” Muzny says. Debra Bower, a senior educa tion major from Oklahoma, says working is a great way to release tension. Bower works at Farmer’s Market about 15 hours a week, and says that she feels the pres sure on her helps her manage time better. Amanda Kelley, a sophomore petroleum engi neering major from Spring, also works at Farmer’s Market. “Instead of wasting my spare time, I can enjoy it by making some extra money,” Kelley says. Chris Gummelt, a senior ac counting major from Fort Worth, is another waitress at In terurban. Gummelt, who is married, manages to work 25 hours a week in addition to going to school and sharing the household duties with her hus band. Gummelt says that be cause of work and school, she and her husband are more like roommates. Some students find part-time jobs too demanding. John Hundt, a junior accounting ma jor from Gainesville, says he took a job at Farmer’s Market because he needed the money but decided to quit because he was not studying during his time off from work. Hundt says that he does not plan to mix work and school again.