Networking on campus: How I got my job

HEY. I’m Roger.

I’m going into my fourth year of Communication and Digital Media Studies, and I just recently got hired as a Digital Community Assistant for the summer in the Office of Student Life . Though my hiring process didn’t seem to take very long, when I think about the network of people that helped me get this job, I realize that it’s actually been years in the making. How did I land this summer job in my field? Well, I’ll tell you.

In my fall semester of 2018, I worked as a Peer Writing Tutor at the downtown campus location. When I first started the job, I didn’t really talk to anyone in the office other than my colleagues and supervisors. Over time, I started talking with another student, Trish, who was working in the same workspace but in a different position. After moving conversations away from work to our lives outside of, Trish and I got to know each other well. One day, Trish introduced me to her boss, Adam King, who is the manager of Finance and Administration for Student Life. My network of people on campus began to grow.

When Trish heard I was looking for a summer job, she told me about the Summer University Works Program here at Ontario Tech. There were various positions available - some of which were in my field of communications. Trish told Adam about my summer job hunt, which landed me in Adam’s office. Adam kindly connected me with the Digital Community Coordinator, Megan Weales (my now boss), by giving me her email in order to talk with her before the job postings were available to show an early interest in the position.

Another piece of the puzzle for getting hired was through a student in my program. From the first year to the third year, I had plenty of time to meet more students in and outside of class. One student in my program, Nashelle, who I got to know better through class and group assignments. In addition to being in my program and a Writing Tutor, Nashelle was also working for Megan at the time as a Social Media Assistant. When I told Nashelle I was applying for a summer position with Megan, she put in a direct recommendation for me.

I applied to the job on April 3, a day after they went live on the Student Life Portal . Megan got back to me on April 8 to invite me for an interview, then I interviewed on the morning of April 17 and was hired that afternoon. So, long story short - thanks to Trish introducing me to Adam, Adam connecting me with Megan, and Nashelle putting in a recommendation, and me performing well in my interview, I landed my summer job.

You never know what opportunities will arise from the people you know, so it’s important to connect with others in your community. I encourage everyone to make a new connection or two on campus, and start to grow your social network (you can even start with me)!

via GIPHY