About State College, PA Jobs
State College Jobs: Overview
Home to Penn State’s main campus in central Pennsylvania, State College is inevitably defined by the hulking influence of university life. Beaver Stadium hosts the Nittany Lions football team, a major local attraction with several Big Ten Conference championship wins. Meanwhile, the sizeable Palmer Museum of Art features a permanent collection of over 10,000 objects—extending across many centuries and cultures—in addition to rotating exhibits. Densely populated (with the greater environs nicknamed Happy Valley), State College is full of quality-of-life assets, from loads of parks and walking trails to multiple libraries, good schools, friendly residents, cultural activities, and a bustling downtown district.
As for State College jobs, academia reigns supreme here, with work widely available in the education field. Other important sectors include food services, retail, construction, and government. Housing and the overall cost of living tend to be on the higher end, but well-paying jobs with upward mobility, low crime rates, and utilities and transportation expenses that are cheaper than the national average make up for this. If you need more options, take a look at Altoona and Harrisburg nearby, as well as Pittsburgh further west.
Popular Jobs in State College
As previously mentioned, you’re definitely in the right place if you’re pursuing academia—or just want to work in education—since the omnipresence of the university system and its influence cannot be downplayed all throughout State College.
Adjacent to Penn State’s campus is the massive Mount Nittany Medical Center, which is a founding member of the prestigious Penn State Cancer Institute—both of which dispense healthcare jobs, as do several other smaller providers. Plus, residents here enjoy a fertile restaurant scene, as well as lots of shopping opportunities, which open up a solid retail sector too.
Also, try magnifying your search with these specific options:
Update Your Resume
Is your resume in tip-top shape? If not, opt for a free resume review from Monster, which will assess your content for the right keywords, proper formatting, and intelligible phrasing, among other things. Need some guidance on how to add volunteer work on your resume? We can help you with that too. And we have resume templates for almost every profession to spur your creativity.
Oh, and don’t forget to include cover letters with your job applications, as they can be what determines your victory over the competition—at least to get that first interview.
Interviewing for State College Jobs
Even if you impress your recruiter with your resume and cover letter, that can only get you so far. The all-important job interview is always looming. But anyone can learn a few tricks and pointers to get through it.
Inevitably, some companies may want to speak with you virtually at first, so here are effective video-interview tips. Certain questions don’t have obvious answers. You may even get stumped. But here’s how to tackle those unnerving behavioral interview questions. And remember to ask your own Qs about the team too.
How Much Do State College Jobs Pay?
The median household income in State College is $34,005. But the salary you can make will ultimately depend on the job and the field you’re in. So hop over to Monster’s Salary Tools site, type in the job title, and you’ll see its median salary in State College. Want to know how that holds up against the national median and similar positions? We have that too. And we’ll also help you become a salary pro with advice on anything from how to negotiate the best possible offer package to how to handle pay cuts.
Want to Learn More About Companies Near You?
Do corporate ethics matter to you? What about management style? And flexible schedules? Maybe you want to work remotely a few days of the week? These questions (and many others) should be part of your application process to ensure your values (and needs) are congruous with the company culture. We recommend you do some research on your own, and then go over Monster’s series of company profiles, where you can take a gander at:
- brand mission statements
- number of employees, photos, and videos
- website and social media links
Join Monster Now to Enhance Your Search for State College Jobs
While enjoying a superior quality of life in State College, take your job hunt to the next level by becoming a Monster member. Once you create a profile—free of charge—you’ll be able to seamlessly apply to any jobs you see. Plus, we’ll give you bonuses at no extra cost: Foresight about the future of work, trends happening in your industry, and customized alerts about relevant openings sent directly to your phone so that you don’t have to waste time raking through our job listings.