As the academic year begins, many Boise State students take on a secondary role as a university employee. They bring talents, energy and fresh perspective to departments while gaining valuable workplace skills and experience. Many students are so integral to departments, they are often hired as full time university employees following graduation. These tips will assist managers in recruiting, hiring and retaining student employees.
Recruiting
- Review campus resources. Career services provides an overview on how to hire students, human resources has a video training about student hiring, and financial aid and scholarships has a work-study resource guide.
- Post jobs on Handshake. Handshake is the university’s online job board to post a part-time or full-time job, internship or work-study position. Be sure to include a job description, duties, hours and pay rate. For pay rates, human resources provides a list of student pay grades. For instructions on posting a position, visit the Handshake website.
- Host a table at a job fair. To join an upcoming job fair, contact career services at career@boisestate.edu.
Hiring
- Finalize a start date. New student employees can begin their employment at any time in the payroll cycle. If a department is transitioning a student worker to a new job classification, they will need to begin employment at the start of the pay period. Dates can be found on the payroll and holiday website.
- Determine weekly hours. Every student employee classification has different guidelines for the amount of hours they can work each week. Visit the career services website for guidance on the right number of hours for each student.
- Follow job aids to add the new employee to the university system. Access job aids in the Bronco Hub job aid and resources website and search for “hire a student” to find job aids for hiring students, work-study or graduate assistants.
- Fill out an I-9. New employees need to fill out an I-9 on or before the first day of employment. New employees will need to bring original, unexpired documents to the human resources department, such as a driver’s license with a social security card or birth certificate, or a passport. Visit the I-9 website for acceptable documentation.
- Set up direct deposit and a W4. New employees will need to provide bank information for direct deposits and file for tax withholdings. For student workers without direct deposit, checks will be sent to the address on file – this can cause an unfortunate delay for out-of-state or international students. Visit the employee self service website for more information.
Retaining
- Conduct time and labor training. For students using Bronco Hub to input hours, new employees and their supervisors should review student and work study employee time entry. One of the most important factors for students being paid on time and correctly is accurate time entry and approval.
- Provide job training. Student workers are still learning, so it’s important to provide expectations, training and support so they can be successful in their new roles.
- Be flexible. Supervisors are encouraged to provide flexibility for classes, homework and extracurricular activities, particularly providing time off during exams and breaks. Hours should be reviewed before the start of each new semester as class schedules change.
For information about posting a job, recruiting and supporting a student worker, contact career services at career@boisestate.edu.
For information about federal work-study, contact the financial aid work-study team at faworkstudy@boisestate.edu.
For information about student hiring paperwork, payroll or taxes, contact human resources at hrs@boisestate.edu.