8 College Jobs to Build Skills, Network

Want to boost your job prospects after graduation? Any part-time work during college can give you an advantage.

"Balancing work and school shows you can manage your time," says Nicole van den Heuvel, director of Rice University's Center for Career Development. "And jobs that aren't glamorous show that you're not a prima donna." But with a little strategizing – and a little luck – you can land a position that will really enhance your resume. 

First step: Go directly to the campus employment office during freshman orientation. "You'll be on campus before the upperclassmen. Take advantage of that," suggests Michael Sciola, Colgate University's associate vice president for advancement and director of career services. 

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Here are some skills-boosting job ideas. 

1. Social media coordinator: This job, which involves using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress and similar platforms to spread the college's or another employer's message, will enhance your communication skills and is likely to make you savvy about the latest technologies. Experience could also include data analysis, looking at various metrics that measure viewer engagement, and strategizing how to improve those metrics. 

Another perk is that you practice networking. "Twitter makes the world a lot smaller," says Charles Garner, who worked 11 hours a week as social media coordinator for the Office of Student Activities at Florida A&M University before graduating in the spring and being commissioned as a naval officer. 

Garner wanted to burnish his credentials for an eventual career in public affairs. "Your network is your net worth," he says.

2. Campus brand ambassador: The race to grab college students' attention and dollars has companies like General Mills, Google and Coca-Cola hiring on-campus ambassadors to do everything from wear the brand's logo to tweet about the products. 

Besides learning sales, marketing and strategy, you'll get a grounding in the products – and the inside track on a job after graduation. To stand out, you’ll need creativity, but if you’ve got it, work as a brand ambassador often leads to sales and marketing trainee programs.

3. Help desk staffer or computer salesperson: You'll obviously pick up tech skills manning your school's help desk, but chances are you'll learn them working in the electronics section of the campus store, too. Because many schools require students to have laptops, the campus store is where the machines are issued. You'll often install software and do minor troubleshooting, plus gain product knowledge that could prove valuable when you're job hunting. 

After four years in the campus store at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, Sam Hudson, who graduated in 2012, approached a representative at a job fair looking to fill positions at Lenovo. "I said, 'I've been giving out your computers for a couple of years,'" says Hudson, now an account coordinator for the company in North Carolina. 

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4. Office of institutional research assistant: This is the office that surveys students, alumni, professors and parents, which could involve quizzing the freshman class about the first-year experience, asking parents about their education financing plans and gathering alumni perceptions of the school. So any job in this office will offer an opportunity to learn about collecting and analyzing data. 

"I think that's one of the best tools any kid can have," says van den Heuvel, from Rice. "To go into consulting, to go into investment banking, to do so many things." 

5. Career center staffer: Any job in the career center teaches customer service and how to interact in a professional environment. "If you work in the career center, you'll learn how to greet people and how to make small talk," says Sciola. "All these little things are so important in getting a job." 

Problem-solving and computer skills also will come into play as you help students and employers who are having trouble logging in or who want to post a job. Plus, think of the job-search wisdom you'll soak up and the facetime you'll get with potential employers.