5 tips for supervising student employees

Faculty and staff supervisors of student employees can help shape tomorrow’s leaders. Student employees are vital to daily campus operations. These roles support the university and offer students the chance to develop skills that will benefit their future. 

Supervisors can maximize the student experience by guiding professional development and helping students cultivate skills. Here are some tips faculty and staff can apply when supervising student employees.  

1. Create a plan and set goals

Each semester, prepare for student employees by developing a plan. You can set goals and expectations for your students and help them prepare for the world of work.  

Ideally, plan for projects or work that students can complete beyond day-to-day tasks. These projects can help them build a portfolio of experiences they can discuss in future interviews. Consider projects for students that stretch them professionally, teach them new skills and build professional confidence. 

As you set goals and assign work for your student employees, you could also have a conversation about skills they’d like to develop over the semester. If they are unsure, suggest that they focus on one or two foundational skills to start. These skills apply to any job in any industry and help students become strong candidates for positions they pursue after graduation. Review these tips for faculty and staff to help increase awareness around skill-building and resources to use when working with students. 

Students have access to the CliftonStrengths assessment, which can help them gain valuable insights about what they do best and how to use those strengths intentionally. Career advisors can meet with students to explore how to apply their strengths to their work, career and well-being. Faculty and staff also have access to CliftonStrengths, and comparing strengths can provide a space for discussion on how they can be used in your projects and your teams. 

For some students, their on-campus job may be their first work experience. You can help them succeed and meet expectations by sharing basic work etiquette practices. 

Discuss the importance of arriving to work on time, how to communicate schedule changes or absences, expectations for attire and other standards for workplace behavior. This can help avoid misunderstandings and teach students valuable knowledge to carry into their careers. We encourage you to remember how different cultures and customs might have various understandings of what “professional” means. Career Services has built out a section on Identity-Based Career Resources you can share.

While one-on-one meetings and performance evaluations are often not required for student employees, supervisors should plan to do them anyway. These types of feedback can help the student grow professionally and learn what they may experience in their jobs after college. 

Also, you can use these to share feedback for development. What is the student doing well? Where can they grow? Help prepare them for life after college by scheduling time to provide feedback. 

Find support with Career Services