Working her summer job at the Kansas Union, Melissa Maksimowicz, 21, a senior from Wichita, is happy to have a job nailed down before the school year starts at Kansas University.

Kansas University student Kristen Bush already has one job this summer, working as a cocktail waitress at the Barrel House.

But the Wichita senior said she’ll soon be looking for another part-time job to help pay the bills, and if her search is anything like the last few she’s gone through in Lawrence, it won’t be pretty.

Bush said she applied at every restaurant on Massachusetts Street, and didn’t get hired at any, though she had years of experience as a waitress. She’s open to a number of other options, too, including retail or an on-campus job.

“I still wind up getting money from my parents,” she said. “Which is something neither of us like to do.”

Bush will join many other KU students, many of whom will return in the next few weeks, in facing a more competitive job market for the part-time jobs that help many students pay for college.

David Gaston, director of the University Career Center on campus, helps students find on- and off-campus jobs that fit their needs.

He said he’s seen a steady uptick in applications. Twice as many students as usual are seeking about 4,500 on-campus jobs — a figure that has held relatively steady, even in difficult economic times.

There’s been decreasing interest from outside employers, too, he said. An upcoming early August job fair for students attracted 35 employers last year. Just 20 have signed up so far.

He said several employers, however, remain interested in hiring students.

“This is more challenging, but for those that are persistent and keep a positive attitude, most of those folks are going to find a position, because there is stuff out there,” Gaston said.

Bill Longmire, owner of Pizza Shuttle, 1601 W. 23rd St., said his business likely will hire its usual complement of students as drivers and other positions as business begins to pick up after the slower summer months.

Business is good, he said, but the business will likely be “playing it as close to the vest as we can” with new hiring until the impacts of the new minimum wage law and potential changes to health insurance costs become known.

“We’re kind of in a wait-and-see mode,” he said.

At Wal-Mart, 3300 Iowa, the store has openings that would likely appeal to students, said store manager Scott Matchell. The store has maintained its employee levels, and still employs about 385 people, he said.

“We’re not having any kind of trouble at all,” he said.

Most of the open positions have been because of employee turnover, and are typically night and weekend cashier shifts, he said.

Mike Reid, director of marketing and communications for KU Memorial Unions, said the unions typically hire 200 to 300 part-time workers each year, and that number has held relatively steady this year.

At new-student orientations, Reed said he handed out many more business cards than he usually did, and heard a lot more interest from incoming freshmen in jobs.

“We usually ask them if they’re interested in employment. Typically, some of the parents will say, ‘No, we want them to concentrate on their studies this year,'” Reid said. “I didn’t really hear that much this year.”