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Enriched Student Employment

Navigating UT Student Employment Workshop 

March 26, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. on Zoom

Register to receive the Zoom link  

 

The Enriched Student Employment initiative is meant to:

  • Provide tools and professional development to on-campus employers to help them elevate part-time jobs within their departments.
  • Educate students on the value of part-time campus jobs through the framework of career competencies and demonstrating how to communicate skills to future employers through resumes and interviews.

Departments, offices, or other UT-affiliated employers can contact the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration to schedule a consultation on implementing Enriched Student Employment with their student employees. Use the resources and examples to get started.

Position Descriptions

The first step in enhancing your student employee positions is evaluating your job descriptions.

  • Have you adequately described the duties and responsibilities of the role?
  • Do they include information about skills or competencies that students will gain on the job?
  • Is there the potential to include a learning outcome?
  • Have you outlined any requirements that are necessary to fulfill this role?

See examples of embedding NACE Career Competencies in job postings to help students understand what they skills they are learning on the job.

Student Data Analysis

Peer Career Advisor

Reception Assistant

The Hiring Process

Next, include the following in your conversations during interviewing and onboarding:

  • An overview of the skills and competencies that the student may gain in this role. Review the NACE Career Competencies.
  • Ask the student how they see this job fitting into their career preparation.
  • Be clear about your expectations and ask the student if they have expectations about the job.

Supervision

Have periodic supervision conversations at least once a semester and discuss:

  • What new skills have you gained through this position?
  • What competencies have you improved through your work?
  • What are areas you believe you could still improve in?
  • Are there new projects or tasks you’d like to take on?
  • In what ways is this job helping you with your career preparation?
  • What are your career goals? What skills do you need for that career? What skills have you used in this position? What else could you do to develop those skills?
  • Can you see this job helping you achieve your career goals?
  • What are your CliftonStrengths? How can your Strengths help you succeed in this role?
  • What have you learned in the position?
  • What has been a challenging situation and how did you solve it in the moment?
  • Have you used anything that you learned in your classes on the job?

Ask your students to rate themselves on the Career Competencies and set goals about which ones to develop. Utilize this self evaluation to guide to conversation.

Learn about enhancing the employee experience through CliftonStrengths.

Evaluations

Formally evaluate your student once a semester or once a year:

  • Consider having students complete self-evaluations and comparing to supervisor evaluation.
  • Weave career competencies into the formal evaluation.
  • Include goals, developed together, in the discussion.

Utilize the examples below to develop an evaluation appropriate to the student employee role you supervise.

Student Employee Evaluation

Example Self-Evaluation

Reflection

Finally, reflect on the experience:

  • Were your student employees more invested in the job/work environment as a result of the enhancement?
  • Did you see growth in your student employees?
  • Did you improve your supervisory skills?
  • Do you know your CliftonStrengths? If so, how did you leverage them as a supervisor?
  • What would you change or do differently with future employees?