The Student Employment Office is calling UNM's on-campus job fair - held the first week of school - a success.
Twenty-three percent of studentsˇwere offered anˇinterviewˇatˇthe fair, according to survey results released this week.
Forty-five percent of students who attended the fair were freshman, 16 percent were sophomores, 20 percent were juniors, 8 percent were seniors and 9.5 percent were graduate students.
"Students and employers were very pleased," student employee manager Marisa Castaneda said. "The job fair was a huge success."
Student Employment conducted the survey to get student feedback on the job opportunities offered on campus, Castaneda said.
She said students can take advantage of nearly 200 student employment or work-study jobs that are available in the first week of school, and these positions allow students to maintain employment and focus on education.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
However, Castaneda said there are crucial differences between the student employment and work study options.
To qualify for work study, students must meet financial aid requirements, receive financial aid funding and be enrolled at the University at least part-time - six hours or more - in a degree-seeking program, she said.
Student employees need not qualify for financial aid - the only requirement is to be a student qualified for the position, Castaneda said.
She said students who take advantage of either opportunity find invaluable flexibility.
"Students can work for a couple hours, attend class and go to work again," she said. "You don't have that advantage with an outside employer."
Katherine Coronado said she used to work at a regular job off campus and is now much happier being employed through work study.
"I like it - it's nice because they understand you have school," she said. "Other off-campus jobs just don't care."
Ronald Martinez, director of financial aid, said the major differences between the two only affect the employer or the hiring department.
Work study requires the employer to pay 30 percent of the student's salary, and the other 70 percent is paid through the grant or financial aid program the student has been awarded, he said.
Student employment requires the employer to pay 100 percent of the student's salary, Martinez said.
Between the two programs, plenty of jobs are available on or off campus, and many are through nonprofit agencies.
Castaneda said working with these agencies is a win-win situation for everyone involved.
"Many nonprofits want to work with UNM," she said. "It's easier to pay out 30 percent, and a lot of positions are just wonderful."
Castaneda said it is important to the University to preserve these relationships. Thirty-five to 40 nonprofit agencies are contracted with UNM, and if a student wants to work with an agency that's not contracted, UNM will work to partner with them and make a position available, she said.
"They give community service-type experience, so it gives the students the opportunity to become familiar with the organization and what kind of jobs are available," Castaneda said.
Martinez said this experience helps students learn to balance school and work.
"Research shows working on campus does affect retention and graduation rates," he said.
Available jobs are always online - new jobs go up everyday, and many are still available, Castaneda said.
