Jaime Villanueva, senior program coordinator for career education, advises mathematics sophomore Dennis Rodriguez on his résumé June 16 in the Career Center office in Brownsville. MICHELLE ESPINOZA/ THE RIDER
Thinking about getting your first job on campus can be a little intimidating; the Career Center will guide you through every step of the way.
“We have on average over 3,000 students probably working on the campus throughout the year,” said Lourdes Servantes, associate director of the Career Center. “Taking off the alumni, we have just over 9,000 students on our system.”
The UTRGV Career Center helps undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni who want information about jobs on campus, how to create a résumé, how to dress for an interview, what to expect during an interview and provides assistance to students who are trying to declare a major.
“We assist students with everything having to do with the job search, whether it’s trying to identify what type of careers they might be interested in.” Servantes said.
Students can set up an appointment to meet with a student career adviser by calling the offices of Career Center on both campuses, but only the Edinburg campus offers walk-in appointments.
Students can search for jobs on and off campus by logging in to myutrgv.edu and clicking on the Career Connection app, Servantes said .
Here students can create a profile with their essential information, upload résumés and cover letters. They can also make appointments for job interviews and sign up for events offered by the Career Center.
A student must first upload a résumé before scheduling a job interview; that way, an adviser can review the résumé and help them make changes, if necessary.
International students who have received a job offer must have an F-1 visa and apply for a Social Security number. They may work only up to 19 hours a week.
The summer is the ideal time for students to apply for a job for the fall semester because once the semester starts, there will be fewer jobs available, said Jaime M. Villanueva, career education senior program coordinator for the department.
“For freshmen, we don’t recommend the first year, maybe not even the first semester, to look for a job because we want them to acclimate to the new environment,” Villanueva said.
The Career Center is located in Student Services Building 2.101on the Edinburg campus, and in Cortez Hall 129 on the Brownsville campus.
For more information or to set up an appointment, call 665-2243 or 882-5627.
