For many students in Eugene, finding a job is as stressful as fulfilling a degree.
With Eugene’s rising housing costs and an increasingly limited part-time job pool on campus, many UO students say finding work has become increasingly competitive, with over 300 applications for one posting during high demand.
UO reported that more than 3,000 student jobs are available across campus through Handshake. The university currently has over 23,000 students.
When asked whether the job market was challenging, Executive Director of the University Career Center Paul Timmins said, “Yes, without any question, and that has a lot of impact on our students.”
Eugene’s median gross rent reached $1,492 per month in 2024, up 80% since 2012. Students say this makes job demand more crucial.
For example, Naomi Brekke, a second-year family and human services student at UO, said she has not received responses from many of the jobs she applied for.
“The majority of places I’ve applied to never ended up viewing my application and it’s been tricky finding jobs to even apply to,” Brekke said.
She continues explaining her difficulties as an out-of-state student who needs available jobs within walking distance of campus. “There’s not a lot of places within walking distance, and in my experience, the majority of on-campus jobs are either outside of my experience or I am rejected from.”
Similarly, Nancy Allbritton, a second-year cultural anthropology student with a minor in legal studies at UO, said communication is difficult. “It is very hard to establish contact with employers on campus and it often feels one-sided in terms of communication,” Allbritton said.
Brekke added to this, saying, “I wish the application process provided more insight even if the outcomes are bad. A lot has turned into communication via AI and it can feel really disconnected.”
Allbritton said she uses Handshake, a hub designed specifically for college students and recent graduates to search for jobs, career fairs and internships. However, she still struggles to find opportunities despite applying to multiple positions.
When asked whether the competitiveness of applications or limited jobs available makes the search challenging, Allbritton said, “Both, there are definitely more people on campus than jobs, but I feel like some are more set up for job success than others, making the competition difficult.”
“Employers when posting jobs onto Handshake can decide which campus they want to post on. So we will get employers that are coming to us because they want to hire ducks and put positions in there,” Timmins said.
“I tell students it can be overwhelming at first, but the more you use it, follow employers that you’re interested in, it learns more about what you’re looking for,” Timmins said.
UO staff members and students alike point to limited opportunities, experience requirements and financial pressure that has made the market difficult to navigate.
This market difficulty isn’t limited to Eugene, but also hometowns that out-of-state students go home to for the summer.
“Even though I thought difficulties at home might be due to Oregon getting back late, very few people I know have been able to get a job that hasn’t been ongoing or through connections, regardless of their availability,” Brekke said.
When asked about what students would like to see change, Allbritton said, “I wish it was easier to apply and hear back quickly instead of waiting weeks to find out you weren’t considered at all going forward. I wish there were more entry-level positions available to students with less experience.”
UO’s career center works with students on resumes, interviews and career prep, but Timmins said students need to focus on the resources provided.
“You really want to leverage your resources; the university has strong career support available and students should take advantage of it,” Timmins said. He added that the UO alumni network is a real advantage for students.
Timmins encouraged students to begin networking early and take advantage of campus resources such as career fairs, internship programs and resume workshops. “It’s important to focus in and personalize the job search as much as possible,” Timmins said.
