Money is a topic of great importance to college students. There are bills and living expenses to cover, all while trying to maintain a social life with what is left in the account.

It’s time to stop putting off the job hunt and get out there.

Unfortunately, while more students are looking for work, fewer businesses are hiring due to the dramatic population shift that occurs every summer in Bowling Green.

Mark Koldan, general manager of Mr. Spots, noticed a slight shift in business, which he said does affect his hiring.

‘Our hours are shorter by about an hour each day, and the overall volume isn’t there so we do cut back a little bit so it does affect my hiring,’ Koldan said.

Koldan said Mr. Spots generally has few positions open this time of the year due to the many employees that stay on after the school year ends.

Gabrielle Crisp, shift supervisor at Panera Bread, also noticed the shift.

‘We usually do decline a little bit, and we do have students that go home and then we hire workers to come in and fill the gaps and then we keep them and integrate everything in together,’ she said.

Crisp said Panera is always accepting applications, which are available through their Web site.

‘We just hired four people, and then we are going to make sure they get through training and everything, and then we’ll probably hire maybe one or two more people towards the end of July,’ Crisp said. ‘We like to do it in spurts to make sure everyone gets trained properly.’

Koldan echoed that sentiment. He said Mr. Spots will also be hiring in late July to try to get ready for the rush that comes at the beginning of the school year.

For those still on the hunt, the Career Center offers students resources in finding work.

Peg Bucksky, the job location and development program coordinator at the Career Center, talked about the program and its purpose.

‘The job location and development program was started in April of 2000 at BGSU to work with employers in the surrounding areas and assist employers with their hiring needs by providing them access to qualified, motivated and career focused BGSU students to fill part-time and seasonal vacancies,’ she said.

Bucksky recommended students take advantage of WorkNet, by continually updating their account and viewing local job vacancies listed on the Web site.

‘Be proactive, attend Career Center workshops, visit the Student Employment Office and attend BGSU job fairs,’ Bucksky said. ‘Students may also want to check classified ads, employer Web sites and even make cold calls.’

One dilemma facing some students is whether to get a co-op/internship in their field which may be hard to come by and may offer little to no compensation, or to get a job unrelated to their major that will provide money for the short-term.

Chris Miller, a senior interpersonal communications major, has been busy filling out applications with no success up to this point.

‘I am at the point where I do not want to take a menial job that will have no value to my resume with post-grad job searching,.However, without a degree you are almost forced into taking a local job, with low pay, and will not relate to what you plan on doing for an actual career,’ Miller said.

Bucksky said students will benefit no matter what route they choose.

‘Either way, students will be learning valuable transferable work skills,’ Bucksky said.