Currently, I work as one of the Building Supervisors at the Info Desk at the Cohon University Center (CUC) on campus. Thankfully the process for acquiring my current job was easy, only requiring a casual interview.
Soon after Orientation, I had heard of a place that dedicates resources to students of minority backgrounds called CMARC, the Carnegie Mellon Advising Resource Center. I visited CMARC in order to familiarize myself with their staff. There was a student employee making copies for the staff, who I quickly became friends with. She, Melanie, told me she worked at CMARC because she was work-study eligible. Her job was a work-study job. I appreciated her directness since she understood how it was necessary to work when financial aid did not cover all the expenses.
Her recommendation was to bring a résumé to a desk manager in order to begin working. But who was hiring? She answered this question before it could escape my mind. My next destination, she told me, was to head to the CUC’s Info Desk and speak with the manager there.
But did I know the manager? Did I really have the audacity? Was I good enough? Was I ready? Would I be declined? I had all these questions and more in my head as I ambled to the Cohon University Center. I found a public printer in the CUC, where I made three copies of my résumé. Then I headed to the Info Desk, my feet shuffling at a languid pace. You could say I was nervous. At the Desk, I noticed a student typing on their laptop; they must had been typing away on a problem set while at work. So there are other student workers here, I thought to myself. I asked the student worker if the manager was hiring new student workers. Rather than reply, their response instead was a turn on their swivel chair toward one of the offices behind him and a smooth croon, “Juuuudy!”
The woman named Judy rose from her chair and approached the front counter of the Info Desk. The student worker repeated what I had told him to Judy. She eased my anxiety with a courteous “Hello” and then pitched that she was in fact looking for students to work, particularly if they were on work study. Like Melanie, Judy was direct.
When I said I was both interested in the job and work-study eligible, she led me to her office behind the front counter for an interview. I was pleased that she actually read my résumé, which at that point only consisted of high school activities and organizations, like National Honor Society. The interview was typical; I described who I was and why I wanted to work in customer service. Then I had to fill in a paper schedule; circling the shifts on the schedule that I would be able to work. Her only comment was that I remove National Honor Society from my résumé because “everyone at Carnegie Mellon was a part of that.” After the interview, I was hired!
I worked Friday and Saturday nights as those were the only shifts left to fill. For me, it was OK since I soon loved my job. Plus, on Friday nights, there were fun events at the CUC where a different student group played music on the speakers and brought lots of free food.
It’s now my sixth semester at the Info Desk. With a resolve to serve others, I am paid to answer people’s questions and give directions to guests. I notify students when something they lost has been brought to the Info Desk. I feel like my competent in my job, which pleases me every time I work.