When ‘keeping your jobs’ is a critical need for financially strapped college students with part-time, co-op and summer jobs, there are things you can do to improve your continued employment opportunities. Working students who are concerned about their job stability should:

1. Get a good understanding of the basics of your jobs.

has. Understand exactly ‘what’ has to be done and ‘how’ to do it

b. Identify the people they serve: Supervisors, Internal and External Clients

vs. Become an expert in the most difficult and technical aspects of your jobs.

d. Strive to improve your relationship with co-workers and customers.

me. Learn what your customers want and how they want it

F. Know the no-nos that end up at work and should be avoided

gram. Identify the people above them with the most influence over their future

H. Be willing to make some sacrifices for your employers.

I. Understand your supervisor’s needs, wants, quirks, and hot spots

d. Make everyone around you look good

2. Do the job to the best of your ability (be an asset to the employer)

has. Meet or exceed quality requirements

b. Meet or exceed the expected quantity or volume

vs. Meet or exceed the level of service that customers need and expect

d. Anticipate problems and suggest solutions or ways to prevent them.

me. Communicate effectively. Keep people informed. Warn them of problems

F. Comply with time and punctuality requirements

gram. Keep a positive attitude and willing to try.

H. Help others when they need it

I. Improve the image and reputation of the employer

3. To impress others with your work ethic and willingness to contribute, student employees should ask these questions, when appropriate.

has. Whats Next?

b. What else can I do?

against How can I help?

d. How can I do this aspect of the job better?

me. How can I better serve my customers?

F. How can I learn more about it?

gram. Who has the information I need?

4. Serve your Internal and External Clients

has. Identify your primary and secondary customers.

b. Know the preferences, needs, desires and expectations of each client

against Know the idiosyncrasies of each client

d. Offer customers more, better, faster, when and where they want it

5. Generate ideas for:

has. Improve the quality and speed of products and services

b. New products and services

vs Attract new customers

d. Improve profit margins

me. increased sales

6. Build good relationships with other employees and other departments.

has. Exchange compliments with everyone. Be kind and smile.

b. Listen and learn from the best employees

vs Being there when others need help

d. Be willing to share information.

me. offer encouragement

F. Learn who can be trusted and who can’t

7. Accept the fact that there are things beyond personal control.

has. Regardless of job performance and likability, bad things

sometimes it happens to employees, through no fault of their own

b. Create a backup plan that can be implemented if something

What about your job security?

8. The backup plan to find another job should include these actions:

has. Get written references and recommendations from the most

awesome people they have worked with

b. Ask these same people for ideas, suggestions, and contacts

can help them obtain useful information for the job search

against Visit the Career Services Office

d. Talk to the Teachers to see if they have contacts and suggestions

me. Update your summary: emphasize contributions, achievements,

successes and areas of exceptional performance

F. Identify and contact each employer that is of interest to you.

gram. Identify and participate in Professional and Local Associations

business organizations

H. Make a list of potential networking contacts. Use your network to

identify employment opportunities and additional contacts.

I. Develop some positive work-related examples and stories that can

used during networking meetings and interviews

d. Create and follow a script when talking to network contacts

k. Be flexible about the new job they take on. In tough times, jobs are few

Recognize that student employees need to perform well before things turn sour drastically for their current employers. They should do everything they can to be an employee their employer wants to keep. Exceptional job performance will sometimes positively affect the difficult decisions that struggling employers may have to make. However, when keeping the current job is not possible or does not seem possible, wise students take the first steps that will put them in the best position to obtain another job.