February 22, 2010

Students encouraged to apply for temporary census jobs

The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring more than a million temporary employees to help conduct the 2010 census this spring, and college students 18 and older are being encouraged to apply.

The part-time positions are considered resume builders for students, who will be able to note that they’ve worked for a widely recognized federal government agency in a position demonstrating their initiative, independence, responsibility, reliability and ability to work as a member of a team.

Census workers locate households and explain to residents the purpose of the census, conduct brief personal interviews and help neighbors complete their forms. Enumerators, as they are called, must be U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents or noncitizens with an appropriate work visa, among other requirements. A valid driver’s license is needed for most positions. The jobs offer competitive wages, paid training and reimbursement for work-related expenses such as mileage. Census workers generally work in the communities in which they live. Bilingual speakers are especially encouraged to apply.

The Census Bureau conducts its count every 10 years as a way to gauge how many people are living in the United States, along with who they are and where they live. The data collected determines such things as local and state government rep- resentation, as well as how much federal funding communities receive for roads, housing, education, health care, public safety and other services.

“These census jobs may be ideal for our students who are looking for a way to make extra money, and we encourage them to apply if they are interested,” said Susan Boswell, dean of student life on the Homewood campus.

University leaders said they consider the census count extremely important and are urging students to take it seriously and fill out their forms when they arrive in coming weeks.

To apply, call 443-927-1200 to sched- ule a short employment test. Applicants can also call the toll-free jobs line at 866-861-2010. TTY users should call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. For more information, go to http://2010 .census.gov/2010censusjobs.