Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a student worker at Chapman University? From the benefits of being a student staff member to stories about our personal experiences as Peer Career Advisors at the Office of Career and Professional Development, we are here to help you learn a little more about working on Chapman University’s campus!

Benefits of Working On Campus

Flexibility

Unlike traditional part-time jobs, on-campus positions are designed with student schedules in mind. If you are like many students who spend their summers in a different place than you spend your school year, then you’re in luck; campus employment offers a wide range of positions during the school year only.

Campus employers also know that life as a full-time student can get hectic with finals week, midterms, and essays, to name a few. Most positions offer flexibility to help students prioritize their school work, especially when nearing finals.

You are often given the opportunity to trade shifts with coworkers to give yourself the necessary time to get schoolwork done and participate in campus activities.

No Need to Commute to Work

No car? No problem! Working on campus comes with the obvious benefit of working, well, on campus.

There is no need to commute to work, freeing up more time in your day. California freeways are the worst, so it is best to just avoid them altogether. If you wanted, you could get from class to work in 5 minutes.

Build Connections with Other Students and Full-Time Staff

Many students prefer to work on campus because of the relationships that they are able to build with fellow students as well as faculty and staff.

It is always nice to have more friendly faces on campus, and working with fellow panthers is a great way to meet new people.

Being a student is the perfect time to start building your network and working on campus allows you to do just that. Working with students is also nice because every one of them understands the basic struggles of being a working college student.

You never know, maybe you’ll have a class with one of them!

Positions for all Majors and Levels of Experience

Every single college from Argyros to Wilkinson has student workers, so there are positions available no matter what your major is and level of experience.

There are many different positions available depending on your skillset and how you want to be challenged. From administration and advising positions to research and tutoring roles, there is something for everyone.

Departments on campus you can potentially work for:

  • Center for Global Education
  • Residence Life and First Year Experience
  • Center for Undergraduate Excellence
  • Tour Guide
  • Office of Career and Professional Development
  • Public Safety
  • Research Assistant
  • Argyros School of Business and Economics
  • First Aid
  • Student Employment Services
  • Leatherby Libraries
  • University Services
  • Residence Life
  • Alumni Engagement

**Please note: This is not a comprehensive list. View the Chapman job board for all available positions!

Our Personal Experience

Catthy’s Story

Outside of what is listed above, each department and position at Chapman provides additional benefits and experiences that vary from student to student.

Prior to working at the Office of Career and Professional Development, I spent many months applying to different internships at my dream companies, hoping to even get the chance for an interview. This was followed up by many rejection emails or, sometimes, no responses at all. I was at a standstill, not knowing what parts of my applications were holding me back.

In Fall 2021, I began working as a Peer Advisor at the Office of Career and Professional Development. We were trained on all aspects of career development and ways to optimize our resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn, etc.

My resume wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as good as it could be. As soon as I finished my training, I changed this and recreated my resume so that it showcased my skillsets and experiences in a more effective way. I later applied to similar positions at the same dream companies I had been rejected from a few months ago and ended up receiving interviews for every single one of them.

My resume had virtually the same information, yet something as “simple” as learning the right way to present it changed everything.

I am very grateful to work in this office; I met and connected with so many great students and staff members, built interpersonal skills within my appointments, and have grown professionally as a result of being here. My appreciation of Chapman and its services provided to students and alumni has continued to grow.

Even outside of being part of the student staff, I strongly encourage anyone to take advantage of these resources in any way!

Emma’s Story

I’d had many jobs before coming to Chapman University in the Fall of 2018, but none gave me the opportunity to connect with my coworkers in the same way as my on-campus positions.

Having first worked on campus as a Public Safety Cadet and now working as a Peer Advisor at the Office of Career and Professional Development, I have worked with some amazing people. Your Chapman coworkers can be extremely valuable connections to have.

In my department, we make a point to endorse each other on LinkedIn and help each other get our dream jobs. It is a truly unique experience to work with people who are at the same stage of life as you and who understand the struggles of being a full-time student with a job.

Having good coworkers can make the workday fly by, and I have always found that to be the case at Chapman. Some of my favorite memories of working are simply sitting at a table with my coworkers and talking about life as a student. I love walking into a class on the first day and seeing one of my coworkers wave me over.

The people I’ve worked with on campus have been of all different majors and years, but we all work together because we want to get an education and have a great future.

I love my job, and I know that my coworkers are helping prepare me for my future. If you are at all interested in working on campus, take a look at Chapman’s job board to see what’s available!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I need to have a work-study to work on campus?

No. While Chapman does prioritize students with work-study, it is still possible to get a job on campus without work-study.

Make sure to filter your search in the “Job Type” section when viewing the list of on-campus jobs to “Non-Work Study” or “Either WS or Non-WS” if you are looking for non-work study options.

Check the job descriptions of each position to ensure that you meet the requirements as well!

Can they accommodate my schedule (working during finals week, etc.)?

Yes! One of the benefits of working on campus is understanding when it comes to school and work-life balance. They understand the fact that we are students.

Whether it’s midterm season or finals week, we are given that flexibility as long as there is open communication about when we are working!

Do I have to work on the weekends?

Some Chapman departments are open on the weekends, and others are not. Check the hours for the department you are applying for to know if you might be expected to work on weekends or not.

There may also be random weekend events so it’s important to consistently coordinate your availability with your supervisor.

What happens if I get sick and need to adjust my schedule?

As you work on campus, you will accumulate sick hours that can be used whenever necessary.

If you need to adjust your overall schedule in any way, it is important to communicate with your supervisor and discuss the options.

Can I work multiple jobs along with this job?

It is not uncommon for student workers to work other jobs outside of what they work on campus; however, because of the flexibility in scheduling, it is possible to work at Chapman and balance it with other jobs as well.

You can also hold multiple on-campus jobs at once as long as it does not exceed a total of 19 hours combined per week.

It is important to always communicate with your supervisors at the different departments what your expected hours are at each department so you don’t exceed the 19 hours!

Life as a student is chaotic enough without the challenge of finding a job for the school year. On-campus jobs take away the stress (and commute!) by giving you ways to make money and gain valuable experience that are catered to your busy schedule.

Check out the Chapman job board for the most up-to-date list of available positions and make an appointment at the Office of Professional and Career Development for help with your resume and cover letter!

 

Listen to the most recent episode of The Panther Pod to hear what other student workers at Chapman have to say about the benefits of working on campus, what the process of getting an on-campus job looks like, and more!