Having a part-time job while at uni isn’t just a useful way of topping up your loan – it’s a way to build up your CV and gain invaluable experience, whether in your long-term chosen field or not. This page contains some general tips on finding and applying for part-time work.
Rather than waiting till the point when you really need a job, it’s always a good idea to get ahead of the game if you can. Many people will be looking for work at the start of the autumn term, so you may find that opportunities are thin on the ground at that point. With that in mind, the best time to start looking for work is before you arrive at university – the second-best time is now.
It’s really useful to have a well put-together, up-to-date CV on hand – or even more than one CV, tailored to different types of work. Even when you’re not sending it round to employers directly, it’s a really useful thing to refer to when filling in application forms or writing covering letters.
Check out the E&E Team’s guide to writing a CV here.
Work experience is always a big plus when putting yourself forward for jobs – and of course at this stage in your career, it’s the one thing you may well not have a lot of. What can make a difference here is getting involved in things outside of your studies – whether that’s clubs and societies at the Conservatoire, putting on your own events, voluntary work, etc. As well as building up experience and skills, the simple fact that you can show yourself to have taken the initiative to get involved with things like this can be a big plus in the eyes of employers.
Jobs at the Conservatoire
There are often vacancies at the Conservatoire for Café Bar staff, stewards, Estates, Venue staff etc – these are generally advertised at https://jobs.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk/, on internal socials and/or on Life. Even if there isn’t anything advertised, it’s always worth going up and asking people or emailing.
Job sites
There are a lot of job listing websites out there, many of which – like Save the Student, Student Job, Just Student Jobs and E4S are aimed specifically at students. It’s also worth looking at the big ones like Indeed, Totaljobs and JobCentre Plus.
Social Media
A lot of prospective employers (especially smaller local ones) are as likely to share their vacancies on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram as anywhere else. For some sectors there are also specialised Facebook groups (such as Leeds Bar Grafters for bar work) that are handy for keeping an eye on opportunities. LinkedIn is also worth investigating – their jobs section is algorithm based, meaning the more you use it, the more relevant opportunities will be pushed your way.
If you’re using your social media accounts to contact potential employers, do give some thought to what else you are posting. Endless photos and tales of messy nights out won’t create the best impression, and if you’re using socials regularly for work purposes, you may want to consider setting up a separate account (and setting your personal account to private).
Approaching employers directly
A tried and tested method is simply to walk into a shop, bar or venue, CV in hand, and ask if there are any vacancies. Even if they don’t have anything at that moment, just having a conversation with someone and getting a name and an email address (and giving you theirs) can be really useful – they might well end up contacting you in due course if something does come up. And if you’re looking to gain experience in a particular sector (sound engineering or studio work for example) they may well be willing to let you shadow someone on a voluntary basis, which may lead to paid work later on.
The Employability & Enterprise team are always here to help – drop us a line at EaE@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk or come and see James, Mark or Lauren in room 401.
