Universities help to keep the wolf at bay with job centres

MANY UNIVERSITIES have by now introduced a job shop on campus. Some of them are run by the students' advice unit; some by the students' union; some are even run by one of the better-known outside employment agencies.

They are there to help students find temporary employment during term- time or during the vacations. They are quite different from career advice centres, which advise students on how to compose letters of application and CVs, what interview techniques to adopt and what kind of openings to apply for.

Aberdeen University set up its Joblink two years ago. It advertises jobs from a whole range of employment sectors, much of it the more traditional "student-geared" jobs: bar work, waiting, hotel and retail work. The unit also tries to match the candidate's area of study with the job skills required - thus providing the student not only with a little extra cash, but also with a possibly valuable CV addition.

A Joblink spokesperson said: "The rates of pay vary with the nature of the work - but we don't advertise jobs that pay less than pounds 3 an hour."

Classified advertisements in local newspapers are also a good source for jobs - but again, it is a question of applying quickly.

It's not much good phoning on a Wednesday to say: "I saw your job advert in the Gazette last Thursday." It will have gone.