Michaela Gaffke / Winonan

The delicious smell of buttery popcorn wafted through the air while students milled around East Hall and talked to on and off campus employers, searching for their next job.

Winona State University’s Warrior Jobs hosted the Part-Time Job Fair to help students in their job searches. Tables lined East Hall in Kryzsko Commons, 25 of those tables representing employers.

“The fair brings employers to the students,” DeAnna Goddard, director of Career Services, said. “New students don’t often know the area, and bringing the employers to them exposes them to a variety of job opportunities they might not have known about.”

One of the on-campus employers included Chartwells, advertising flexible schedules, future career opportunities and an easy commute to work. The current job openings included working at the two dining halls on campus, working the retail areas in Kryzsko and catering.

Chartwells is owned by Compass Group, which is a Fortune 500 company, so students can add that to their resumes.

Students who are interested in a career in food service would benefit from a job with Chartwells, Tracy Jaquette, one of the representatives of Chartwell at the fair, said. Jaquette stated that students also have the opportunity to become supervisors.

Career Services was one of the other tables at the fair, advertising student help and work-study jobs in a variety of departments on campus. A sheet of open opportunities for students was featured on the table, along with resume help. Goddard also went on to mention that work-studies and student help are different.

Students who are eligible for work-study receive a letter when they apply for FAFSA and student help is based on requirements like major and skills, Goddard mentioned.

Goddard also spoke about how some of the benefits of working part-time in college are an income, working in a professional setting, developing a professional skill set and supporting future employment.

Working on- versus off-campus have different benefits. It is easy to go to class, work and then class again without having to drive [while working on campus], Goddard said. Students also learn the university differently; they take ownership of the university in different ways.

According to Goddard, on-campus employers are more likely to put academia first and work second, but many of our off campus employers who are here today understand that academia is very important.

Goddard went on to talk about one of the main benefits of off campus employment is the possibility of post-graduation opportunities within the company.

Lindsey Miller, Events Coordinator, said, “Students can gain skills from any employer, on campus and off.”

Career Services is located in Maxwell Hall. Students can also go online to schedule an appointment with Career Services or see the list of available student help or work study jobs.