Gaining employment while in school is a goal of many Texas A&M students, and Jobs for Aggies is an organization designed to help students navigate this often confusing and stressful realm while also providing other services.
Jobs for Aggies, also known as the Student Employment Office, helps students achieve their goals by providing employment resources and professional development opportunities. It offers a variety of services to students, notably an online database where students can find and apply for available positions, but also much more, including events, workshops and community programs.
While finding a job and earning money is important, Jobs for Aggies sees employment as more than just a paycheck, said Colleen Sisco, assistant director of the Student Employment Office.
“Student employment is part of the educational experience,” Sisco said. “It is a form of experiential learning that, upon reflection, students see tremendous value in.”
The jobs available to students are wide-ranging, comprising both on- and off-campus employers. There are currently over 300 jobs in the database, and Sisco said she has never seen that number fall below 200. Summer sees the most jobs posted with positions that need to be filled before the start of the school year, but there is no slow period.
Tessa Thomas, Bush School Class of 2020, has used Jobs for Aggies to get multiple jobs, finding the process easy to navigate.
“The website itself is pretty self-explanatory and straightforward, with it being easy to look for jobs and search online,” Thomas said. “However, I did find the site to be a little bit outdated, although this didn’t impact its usability.”
The ease of use was a theme among students who used Jobs for Aggies, said Lauren Chilton, Class of 2017 and Bush School Class of 2020.
“Sometimes you apply right through the website, other times it redirects you to another place, but it’s really straightforward, not confusing at all,” Chilton said.
Chilton worked at the same job for over a year, having merely applied online and been interviewed before being hired. Sisco said one of the misconceptions about Jobs for Aggies is they place students with employers.
“That is not part of what we do,” Sisco said. “We offer resources in assisting students, such as showing them how to navigate the job board, answering questions and managing expectations.”
The department does, however, act as the human resources department for all student employees. If a student has a problem with their job or if the employer wants to take disciplinary action against them, it is the Student Employment Office that handles that process.
While Jobs for Aggies has been a great tool for many, Thomas does caution students about potential employers. She was almost the victim of a scheme that would have defrauded her of thousands of dollars, but she was alert to suspicious clues and figured out that the company was illegitimate. When she brought the situation up with Jobs for Aggies, she was surprised to hear there are no checks on employers who post jobs.
“I told them there was something suspicious, but they told me they don’t screen or verify employers,” Thomas said. “Anyone can post a job on Jobs for Aggies, so my advice would be just to be careful when looking at jobs.”