Ben Liddle

Whether you need to put gas in your car or repay a debt to a Colombian syndicate, the easiest (and most legal) way to earn money is to get a job. Since you’re already attending RIT and probably coming here every day, it stands to reason that an on-campus job would be fairly convenient. Thankfully, RIT is a bustling metropolis and, like any city, has plenty of jobs to help support its infrastructure. Job opportunities are everywhere and there’s little chance for outsourcing.

That being said, finding a job that fits your skill level, schedule, and interests can be a little bit of a challenge. Additionally, full-time students are only allowed to work part-time hours, so your application for ‘Co-President of RIT’ might be turned down.

The place to start your job search is the Student Employment Office (SEO), a division of the Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services. The SEO, located across the hall from the RITz in the Student Alumni Union basement, is in charge of the administration of all on-campus student employment, which includes making sure you are eligible to work.

The SEO Card

In the world of on-campus jobs, the SEO Card is your golden ticket. An SEO Employment Eligibility Card is required to work anywhere on campus and effectively streamlines the hir ing process. In order to obtain one, you must be registered as a full-time student (12 credit hours or more). Also, you must complete an I-9 form, a document required by the US government verifying a person’s ability to work in the United States.

Now, before you go running down to get your card, you’ll need to have a few things in your pocket. For US citizens, a valid form of government-issued identification is needed, such as a driver’s license, state identification card, or a current US passport. If you bring the license or state ID, you’ll also have to provide a social security card or birth certificate. Foreign students need to provide their visas and accompanying work eligibility documents.

The job search can be an arduous process, especially if you don’t know what kind of job you’re searching for. Before you begin looking for work, be sure to identify what kind of work you want to do, as well as what work you’re qualified for. You need to get organized.

Your best bet is a résumé, a document that details who you are and what your qualifications are. Chances are, you had to write one of these in either high school or First Year Enrichment and haven’t looked at it since. It’s important that the information on your résumé is up-to-date and accurate; that way, potential employers won’t end up calling a disconnected number.

A résumé should look professional, be well organized, and provide your academic and employment histories, as well as any relevant skills or interests you may have. Even though you may be applying to no-collar jobs, a résumé still indicates that you are serious about the position and could give you an edge over the competition.

Now that you’ve taken the time to get to know yourself a little bit better, you can begin finding your dream job. Reporter doesn’t have a classified ads section, so you will have to turn elsewhere for job postings. Thankfully, RIT provides an in-house system for on-campus job listings on the SEO website. There, jobs are broken down into several different categories:

• Academic: Jobs dealing with academic services, such as note-taking and tutoring
• Athletic: Positions relating to the athletic department
• Clerical: Jobs that focus primarily on office work, such as office assistants
• Community Service: Jobs or volunteer positions for the betterment of the RIT community
• Computer/Technical: Any job where some technical experience is required, such as HelpDesk Technicians and Lab Assistants
• Food Service: Positions in any of RIT’s dining or food storage facilities
• Maintenance: Jobs involved with the upkeep of the campus
• Services: A variety of jobs closely tied to maintenance and security
• Miscellaneous: An amalgam of different jobs

Most of the job listings include relevant skills, responsibilities, and the type of hours that you could expect to work. Many will even include a pay rate, which is generally in accordance with the RIT wage schedule.

Ben Liddle

Wage Schedule

RIT pays student employees an hourly wage based upon the complexity of their job and how well they perform it. Each job is assigned a level of pay, and since New York State minimum wage was increased in 2007, the levels have been labeled 2 through 5. Level 2 pays minimum wage at $7.15 per hour and level 5 employees start at $7.90 per hour. Each pay level has the opportunity to earn merit raises of 15 cents.

For jobs whose skill or work level exceeds that of the wage schedule, special accommodations can be made for an increased salary.

Beyond the Numbers

Once you get past all of the number crunching, you’ll want to look at the perks of the job. Perks might include being able to do your homework while on the job, getting free meals, or furthering your career goals. All jobs have perks. Finding the one with the best is a challenge in itself. The only real way to do that is to ask somebody who works there.

ITS Helpdesk

Josh Rabinowitz, a fifth year Applied Networking and Systems Administration student, is a student employee at RIT’s Information & Technology Services’ (ITS) tech support desk, which is located on the first floor of the Gannett Building (7B). The desk supports a variety of computer and networking issues for both students and faculty.

Ben Liddle

Reporter: What is your job here at the ITS HelpDesk?
Josh Rabinowitz: Every student worker pretty much does the same thing... We help people who need help with computers, RIT’s network — anything related to the infrastructure here, whether it’s wireless, or VPN, or you know, ‘My password doesn’t work,’... that sort of thing.

R: What kind of qualifications do you need to have in order to get a job here?
JR: Knowledge of basic computer skills, Apple, Windows Operating System... anything really. Good customer skills, being able to speak with a person or communicate with a person... Being able to understand what exactly the issue is... Computer skills and being personable is what got me my job.

R: How did you get the job?
JR: I applied for an opening, of which we have every quarter... We [my supervisors and I] sat down and did a quick interview, determined what [my] level of skills [was], what sort of hours I was looking for, and I got the job.

R: How did you hear about it?
JR: I actually knew [ITS] was here. This is my fifth year, I started two years ago... I was at RIT for three years, worked at Commons, sometimes didn’t have a job, and I knew that ITS was in my field. So I was looking for something [in my] major. I happened to walk by one day and just asked for an application and here I am.

R: Any horror stories?
JR: No, it’s pretty much the same day to day. Certain people are more difficult to deal with, but the issues are really the same. If we get issues we can’t handle, which happens a lot, they get escalated to the next level of support, which is like the network team... Retirees are sometimes difficult to deal with... We support them indefinitely... You have to work at their pace... Patience is a big part of this job.

R: Are there any perks at the ITS HelpDesk?
JR: One of the biggest perks is, if it’s not incredibly busy, I can do homework... If I have reading to do, if I have a project to do; [I can do] pretty much anything short of listen to audio or video... There are some proactive projects that we’re not required to work on, but it’s great to develop new things.

R: Is there any chance for promotion?
JR: There is, from student help desk representative to senior representative... Every year, there’s an evaluation. You sit down with a supervisor [and get evaluated]. Monetarily there’s a chance for a promotion, but position-wise there’s only [one chance]... But that doesn’t really matter, because it’s a lot of fun. The people that I work with generally have the same interests... so it’s a good environment.

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Research Assistant

Phillipe Barreyro, a fifth year Computer Science major, is a research assistant with the Networking, Security and Systems Administration (NSSA) department.

R: What do you do as a research assistant?
Phillipe Barreyro: I write all the code for [the NSSA] research projects.

R: Are there any benefits?
PB: I make my own hours. I don’t have to use the ridiculous Kronos machines to punch in or out. I [have fun] in the lab and it’s open 24 hours a day, so I can go in there and study. It’s a nice little break from Building 70.

R: How did you get your job?
PB: A good friend of mine is the [System Administrator] for that lab. I was taking classes with him this summer and I was not trying [to take classes]. It was a very informal application process. I wasn’t really even interviewed. The same [day], I got the job.

R: Does your job further your career goals?
PB: I want to do research when I get out of here, so it kind of helps. But it’s from a networking angle, so it’s not really too relevant to my course of study.

Ben Liddle

R: What would you say your best moment on the job was?
PB: When I started the job in the summer with my own project: Re-creating or re-simulating biological networks using networking structures. I actually finished the project and was able to get more resources or financing to continue that. I was given a lot of leeway from the very beginning. I didn’t [screw] up.

R: Any funny stories about your research?
PB: That I want published? I plead the fifth.

The Commons General Employee

Matt Korzenieski, a third year Computer Engineering Technology student, works at the Hettie L. Shumway Dining Commons.

R: What’s your job at the Commons?
Matt Korzenieski: General Employee, because, like a lot of places on campus, you float around to wherever you’re needed. I’ve done pizza, I’ve done Quiznos, I’ve done deliveries, I’ve done grills, I’ve cooked, I’ve served, I’ve cleaned. Multi-tasked.

R: And how long have you worked there?
MK: Two years.

R: When you first applied, did you have to go through an interview process?
MK: Not really. It was kind of like, “Hey, you seem like you have some experience, can you do this, can you do that? Okay, we’ll put you there, and if you like it, have fun and go at it.”

R: Do you have a worst moment?
MK: No specific moment. You have to know some sign to work with and serve deaf people. There were some stressful moments trying to work with deaf people.

R: Is there any chance for promotion?
MK: Oh yeah, I was actually offered a student manager position. I didn’t take it, because I didn’t have my schedule set, and I wasn’t willing to work the weekends... As long as you show that you care a little, there’s always going to be some sort of promotion available. They do give us raises. Even though minimum wage out here is really high, 10 cents here or there is kind of nice if you work for long enough.

Telefund Caller

Danny Maffia, a fourth year Interpreting major, is a senior student supervisor at RIT’s Telefund office. The Telefund office is responsible for keeping in touch with Alumni and asking for donations via telephone, TTY, and video phone.

R: What do you do as a senior student supervisor?
Danny Maffia: We oversee the supervisors and oversee that everything is working okay and working with [the Associate Director]... We hire, we train, we monitor the callers. We make sure that they’re having fun. We play games with them, motivate them, and set their schedules.

Ben Liddle

R: How did you first get involved with the Telefund?
DM: Before I had gotten to RIT, I had worked at more of a telemarketing company, where we tried to get people to take people to take timeshare tours... One of my friends... told me that she was applying [to be a caller], so I was like, well I did phone stuff before and this is on campus, so why not?

R: While you were a caller, what was your best moment?
DM: I can’t specifically think of one moment, but just meeting so many different people. Probably my closest friends are from there. My one best friend was my supervisor at the time and we still keep in contact, she’s already graduated almost two years now. She’s great. So that’s the best, the friendships you make and the closeness. It’s such a small work environment.

R: Any bad moments?
DM: It’s been stressful, we’ve gone through a lot of supervisors. That’s been the most stressful part, we’ve gone through many... it wasn’t the right fit for them. We’re lucky that we have [our current one], because it’s been a much better match. Probably the most difficult challenge was working with supervisors that weren’t familiar with what we do. It seems to be getting better.

R: As a caller, what do you do?
DM: Your job is to update the alumni’s contact information, bring them up-to-date about improvements going on around campus, and then also to talk to them about alumni support. Really our job is twofold: Updating our records and telling them about homecoming and things that are going [on], and also tell them about donations for the school.

R: What are some of the perks that go along with the job?
DM: It’s a great job. There’s tons of prizes all the time that we offer for the callers. We play games every night... You’re talking to the alumni, getting along with them, you meet new people... People have gotten co-ops through our department, just by networking. It’s a great networking tool. I got offered a co-op, and my program doesn’t require a co-op... We have food for them all the time, we’re really flexible.

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Office Assistant

Clement Pin, a third year Mechanical Engineering major, worked at the Registrar’s Office as an Office Assistant.

R: What did you do at the Registrar’s Office?
Clement Pin: I scanned photos and f iles and made ID cards. Office things: Scanning files, taking those files that were scanned and indexing them, not much to talk about. It was a good time, because you got to talk to people in the office.

R: How did you get the job?
CP: I went online and looked it up on the SEO website. I got stung by a bee on my way to the interview... so I was sitting in the interview with ice on my ear.

R: What was your best moment on the job?
CP: I got to take down some shelving units once. So I got to make a lot of noise, pull screws out, and have fun for eight hours versus staring at a computer screen.

R: What was the worst part of your job?
CP: Probably having to come in early during the end of the quarters, it’s hard to keep up with the [school] work and work at the same time.

R: Any perks about working at the Registrar’s Office?
CP: You don’t have to wait in line for transcripts, but no not really... Sometimes I had to go get mail from the Hub, that was kind of fun. I got to get coffee and food. It wasn’t bad at all, I loved it.

R: You couldn’t register early?
CP: Nah, no perks like that.

R: How many hours did you work?
CP: When I started, I was probably working 12 hours, or something like that. By last year, I was working 16 or 18.

R: Why did you leave the job?
CP: The hours they had didn’t really work with my schedule.

Jobs will inevitably range from the incredibly mundane to the exciting and extravagant. Finding one that best fits you is a prospect that no one can write in a magazine, but just sitting there isn’t going to help you pay for that hot tub in your basement. So go get a job!

For more information on current job openings, check out the SEO website at http://www.rit.edu/emcs/seo.