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Building your resume is an essential, yet often overlooked, part of your college career. Presently, it seems that every job or internship is looking for candidates who have experience in their field, making it seemingly impossible for students to enter the job market post-graduation. At the University of Michigan, there are a plethora of opportunities for students to gain said job experience, learn marketable skills, and feel ready to enter the job market when you walk across the stage.

Working While at Michigan

Working a campus or off-campus job while studying is a great way to begin building your resume experience. As a Work-Study student, working at the Office of Enrollment Management and the Office of Financial Aid, Financial Education has been a huge opportunity for me and has opened many doors for me in my academic and professional career. Using the Student Employment Office website, you can search for a variety of jobs both on and off campus that fill any gap in your resume for work experience. You can find employment opportunities like manning a desk in a student building, researching and developing new programs, computer programming, marketing, groundskeeping, driving M-Buses, working food service, and so much more! There are always new and diverse postings for both Work-Study and non-Work-Study students that are as flexible to your schedule as you need them to be.

Extracurricular Engagement and Volunteering

Often, employers for jobs and internships who are looking for student candidates also look at relevant experience outside of the workplace, such as through extracurricular activities and volunteering. Having the ability to show your involvement on campus, especially if the activity is related to your field, demonstrates your interest and enthusiasm for the role. There are many professional clubs and organizations on campus that can be helpful to join to meet other like-minded people, begin to grow your networking skills, and get your foot in the door for your career. Leadership experience through an organization, no matter the field, is also important to highlight and shows your responsibility and commitment. Many clubs on campus require you to have volunteer experience, but there are also many clubs solely committed to community service that can help boost any resume, especially if related to your area of interest. Using the Connect2Community website, you can find volunteer experiences in the greater Ann Arbor community, like tutoring students or setting up events for a nonprofit.

Campus Resources

Many students choose to work an internship or job during the school year or in the summer, and the University of Michigan has a variety of campus resources that can help you with a job or internship search. Firstly, the University Career Center hosts workshops, meetings with advisors, help and advice with resumes, job interviews, internships, career and major brainstorming, and so much more. It is your one-stop shop for job search preparation and will aid you in whatever you need to find your career success. There are also program-specific centers, such as the LSA Opportunity Hub or the Engineering Career Resource Center, that cater opportunities for students based on their major.

For those interested in adding research to their resume, resources like the Institute for Social Research, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, or the Summer Research Opportunity Program are all great places to start. You can also start by attending office hours of a professor whose research interests you and ask them about joining their team or for any connections to opportunities. For many professional fields, research showcases a person’s active engagement and expertise in their field and their ability for innovation and creativity.

Conclusion

Working and interning during your time at Michigan may seem overwhelming and difficult to manage, but Michigan’s resources make it easy to locate and find a flexible internship/job for you. Supplementing this with volunteering with your friends and joining clubs that interest you, your resume will reflect your hard work towards your academic, personal, and professional success.