Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor
During my first year of college here at Western, one of my biggest concerns was trying to find a job on campus. I had only worked two jobs in my lifetime, and the idea of applying for one in a new and unfamiliar area was extremely nerve-wracking. Luckily, I was able to find one ⏤ but it didn’t pay much, which lead me to try finding other opportunities here on campus.
Handshake is one of the options all students have available on their Portal accounts. It’s an easy opportunity to see the events happening not only at Western, but at many other public universities in Oregon. Setting up an account instantly provides suggestions for jobs and internships in Monmouth and surrounding areas.
To access Handshake, students need to log into their Portal accounts. Once in the system, click the icon that looks like a wolf’s head labeled “WolfLink” in the row of icons in the left corner. This will redirect students to the website where it starts creating the account. Fill out each question and section completely, and Handshake will bring up suggestions based on the completed profile.
If you have any trouble with Handshake, you can head over to the Service Learning and Career Development Center (SLCD) located in the Werner University Center in room 119 on the first floor. The SLCD is a not only a great resource for Handshake, but also for anything pertaining to job searches and post-graduation career preparation.
One option the SLCD has available to students are mock interviews, which have proven helpful. Jennifer Hansen, the career development coordinator, stated the mock interviews were helpful to students who may fidget during interviews but were unaware of it.
“(It’s) something that we can point out so that the employer can focus on your answers and your personality, as opposed to whatever that tick may be,” stated Hansen.
The SLCD is open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday, and provides times from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. for anyone to drop in and have resumes or cover letters reviewed.
Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu
