Creating Opportunities

A successful Work U opportunity has a mix of “I know how to do this” and “I am learning new skills” that allows students to develop specific resume-building skills.

It’s important that each opportunity is open to students from a variety of academic majors. We have found that employers receive the most interest when they don’t specify a particular major and instead focus on the skills and traits they are seeking in applicants.

It is also vital to have dedicated mentors to advise and supervise students during the 130 hours (10 hours/week x 13 weeks) they will be assisting you.

• Real work assignments (not making coffee and photocopies)
• A mentor
• To be included
• A work station
• Feedback

• Confidence and clarity on their professional future
• New skills working on meaningful projects that contribute to the department
• Real world experience to add to their resume
• A chance to build their professional network

When planning for your Work U opportunity, we highly encourage you to consider paying your intern. Though paying is not currently required (except for Boise State departments), we know that unpaid internships limit applicant pools as many students can not afford to participate in an unpaid opportunity. Information about pay will be visible to students when they make decisions about which opportunities they want to be considered for. 

See compensation options here.

If you have never submitted a Work U opportunity before, you’ll need to complete our New Work U Employer Partners Intake Form. Someone from our team will then contact you with next steps for submitting your opportunity to make sure we are matching your needs. You can find the deadline to submit an opportunity on the Work U Timeline page.

We have improved the submission process to make it easier for you. You no longer need to repost your opportunities from your own Handshake employer account – opportunities will now be posted from a central Work U account. If you’ve already participated in the Work U program and wish to re-submit a previous Work U opportunity, reach out to worku@boisestate.edu before the submission deadline and we will re-post the opportunity on your behalf. You can find the deadline to submit an opportunity on the Work U Timeline page.

Because of the timing of when students register for classes, and the time it takes us to match students with appropriate opportunities, the deadline to submit your opportunity is early in the semester prior to when you will receive a student.

• Fall opportunities are typically due by late February
• Spring opportunities are typically due by late September

You can find the upcoming deadline to submit an opportunity on the Work U Timeline page.

Hank Ebert, our Experiential Learning Employer Relations Representative, is here to help! He can assist you with determining if Work U is the right fit for you, help you create your opportunity, or answer any questions you have about the process. Contact him at henryebert@boisestate.edu or (208) 426-5415.

An engaging, informative Work U Opportunity Description (similar to a job description) is the key to recruiting students for your organization.

To see what a good opportunity description looks like, see the example opportunity descriptions at the bottom of this page.

If you have questions, need assistance, or would like your description reviewed before you submit it, contact Hank Ebert at henryebert@boisestate.edu or (208) 426-5415.

Overview:

Boise Boutique hotel, Boise’s Premier Four Diamond Boutique Hotel, is seeking a highly creative and motivated Work U student for our Art Curator Project in our fast-paced Sales Department. In this project, you would help create a unique local arts experience for our guests.  The project will assist in the selection, cataloguing, care and display of the art wall, contained in our lobby, which is dedicated to featuring local artists.

Opportunity/Project Duties

• Sourcing art through various local artists for our spring and summer season
• Assisting in the sourcing and implementation of commissioned projects
• Overseeing shipment and storage of art to include coordination with place of origin, transporter and hotel staff
• Creating records/databases to maintain proper cataloguing of art
• Ensuring proper care of both stored and displayed pieces
• Planning an exhibition and/or programming and creating exhibit layouts/schedules in conjunction with Director of Sales
• Helping with developing and maintaining standard operating procedures
• Attending meetings, civic/community events, exhibits, etc. to promote hotel and its art

Qualifications:

• Team oriented, self-starter with good organization, time management and communication skills
• Ability to multi-task and adhere to deadlines
• Must be creative and have the ability to develop new ideas

Skills you will develop:

• Learning about aspects of art collection management and exhibition curation
• Gain relevant experience working within the Hospitality and/or Tourism industry in a four star boutique hotel
• Ability to work with local artist community

Overview:

The goal of Talent Acquisition goes beyond filling positions; it is a strategic approach to attracting, sourcing, recruiting, assessing, hiring and onboarding the best talent for Regional Medical Center. We are looking for Work U students who can assist us in this endeavor.

Opportunity/Project Duties

• Working side by side with recruiters to learn how to find candidates to fill positions throughout the Regional Medical Center health system.
• You will get to participate first hand in resume screenings, phone interviews and creating job offers
• Shadow departments that are within the recruiter’s scope to give the recruiter and the Work U student a better understanding of the positions you are recruiting for and what the recruiters are seeking in candidates

Qualifications:

• Good listener with desire to learn about the recruiting process
• Able to work in fast-paced environment

Skills you will develop:

• Good listener with desire to learn about the recruiting process
• Able to work in fast-paced environment