Full-Service HR

Hiring College Students

Ella Baker
Student employees
Reading time 3 Mins
Published on Aug 30
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Considerations when hiring student employees

School is back in session and students across the country are applying for part-time positions in college towns. Student employees can be the ideal candidates to fill gaps in your staff, but you’ll need to make sure that you’re prepared for when adding them to your staff. From additional coaching to lack of job experience, there are special considerations you’ll need to know when hiring students.

 

Be clear

Since many college students may be getting jobs for the first time, they aren’t likely to have a lot of prior work experience or knowledge of your industry. To help make sure that everyone understands the expectations and the requirements, you’ll want to make your job descriptions as clear, interesting, and relevant and possible. In addition to the list of specific job duties, be sure to include information about the company’s values, mission, and culture – and be prepared to explain what you mean by each of these. If you use any jargon in your job posting or regularly in the course of work, develop a basic glossary of terms for ease in onboarding.

Coaching

Approach the training of your student employees as a coaching opportunity. Help your new employee understand the company inside and out and be sure that they understand best practices. Just because this is a part time job doesn’t mean that it can’t be a great learning experience and opportunity for professional growth for the student. Offer training tips and opportunities to shadow or be mentored by more experienced employees. It may take a little more time and effort, but it can pay off in the long run – especially if your student employee sticks with your company throughout their college career and beyond.

Flexibility

If you’re going to hire a student employee, you’ll need to be flexible. Rather than setting a fixed schedule and expecting your employee to be able to meet it, consider offering a flexible schedule or setting a week-to-week schedule. Expect requests for additional time off requests just prior to and during finals weeks or around holidays when many students return to home. Ideally, you and your student employee will communicate regularly regarding their availability and ability to juggle work and school.

Student employment and Sheakley

Hiring student employees can be the right choice for many companies that need to fill part-time roles, but there are special considerations that you’ll need to be prepared for when hiring students. If you can accommodate flexible scheduling and extra time for training, student employees may be the perfect choice for you. With more than 115 years of combined experience, Sheakley’s HR outsourcing and PEO team can help you determine the best course of action to achieve your company’s goals.

Get your free HR consultation with a Sheakley representative today. Stay up-to-date on all things Sheakley by subscribing to our blog and following us on social media. Join in the discussion by commenting below.


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