Tips for hiring student employees

Employing student workers can be a win-win situation for a student, as well as for the Purdue department that utilizes the student's talents. The student gets a great work experience to enhance his or her resume and overall educational experience. At the same time, the supervisor gets a source of relatively inexpensive but talented support.

Here are a few suggestions for finding quality student applicants and ensuring that those selected will be successful.

How do you find student applicants?

The primary resource for reaching students is the Financial Aid Office. Contact Financial Aid at 49-45056 or visit the Financial Aid Web site. Student Employment Services through Financial Aid offers several free services to help you find workers:

• Free posting of current job openings on the Purdue Student Services Information Internet site (SSINFO)
• Free posting of current positions on the Purdue and local cable television networks

What work needs to be done?

Generation Y people tend to work enthusiastically in teams, love to be assigned a challenge, want to use technology, need appreciation for their work, like to keep busy, and like diversity. If your position has all these elements, it will be attractive to a wide variety of applicants. If your position lacks these qualities, you will need to make an effort to sell the position on other merits.

• For routine tasks, you may want to consider high school students. Those under 18 years old will need a work permit. Refer to the Indiana Department of Labor Web site for information on hiring minors.
• Upperclassmen will be interested in more challenging tasks and are particularly enthusiastic about internships related to their degree work.

How many hours do you need help?

Most students are interested in working 12-20 hours a week. Working more hours may be financially attractive to the student, but may affect the student's ability to meet academic challenges. In some cases, a restriction may exist on the number of hours a student may work relating to his or her age, the time of year, or the type of work authorization.

How flexible are you in scheduling?

Most students need time off for exams or other special academic issues and may want to leave town during holiday periods. Often the students are more likely to be flexible for positions directly related to their career interests.

How much are you willing to pay for a student employee?

One way to encourage retention is to make sure the student employee is properly paid for the work. Although wages for student employees tend to be lower than for regular and non-student positions, you need to make sure you are paying an equitable and fair wage.

If budget is a concern, supervisors may want to hire work-study students. Hiring departments are only responsible for 30 percent of the student's wages if the student qualifies for the Work Study Program. For each Federal Work Study (FWS) student hired, a Federal Work Study Student Job Description Form must be turned in with the student's Payroll Authorization Form (PAF) before the PAF may be processed.

Who will do the orientation, training, and supervising?

Generation Y students may be confident, but they also require training and the proper resources to do a good job. If you don't have the time to properly train and oversee their work, it is unlikely that the students will be successful.

What else should a supervisor do when hiring a student?

Many issues to consider are the same as for hiring non-student staff. Give a realistic job preview. Discuss your expectations regarding dress, behavior, and other environmental factors. Ask students to submit a resume or complete an application. Be sure to ask whether the applicant has been convicted of a crime. Plan on conducting reference checks, if possible.

Good luck in your search for a student employee!

- Amy Boyle, human resources specialist
Housing and Food Services Human Resources

This article is an updated version from one that originally appeared in the July 2004 LeadingEdition. The original article was written by Sue Gibson and Rebecca Ross-Field.