Work@Weber

If you are a new or veteran supervisor of student employees, the resources below will help you through the process of hiring a student employee from funding a student position to completing new hire paperwork.

• Funding Student Positions

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  50/50

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  The 50/50 Program will fund up to 50% of the student employee’s wage.

  *Funding is available for new positions only.

  Learn more about 50/50

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  Work-Study

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  The Federal Work-Study Program provides funding for part-time undergraduate & graduate student employees with financial needs.

  Learn more about Work-Study

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  Other Funding

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  There may be other sources of funding options that may be unique to your area. Check with your VP, Dean, or Financial Aid to see what options might be available to you.

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

  Weber State University is committed to diversity and inclusion through equity-minded practices. It is important to create a culture of inclusion and diversify the workplace at all levels, including student employees. There are many benefits to fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace such as lower turnover rates and higher quality productivity. 

  A few DEI strategies and resources are provided below, but first, let’s identify the difference between diversity and inclusion. As found in Mac’s List article, Building a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Recruiting Strategy, Stephanie Ghoston, an Equity Consultant at the Center for Equity and Inclusion, provides these definitions:

  “Diversity: the range of differences that make people unique, both seen and unseen.”

    

  “Inclusion: an environment that engages multiple perspectives, different ideas, & individuals
  in order to define organizational policy & culture.”

  And as Jane Stovall states in her TED talk,

  “Diversity is a numbers game. Inclusion is about impact.
  Companies can mandate diversity, but they have to cultivate inclusion.”

  Weber State University’s strategic plan states “Equity is the foundation of access to higher education, creates conditions for meaningful learning and academic excellence for everyone, and helps us fulfill our special responsibility to our local community.” It goes on to define equity as “an actionable concept of quality and practice.” As described by NASPA, we must “engage in hiring and promotion practices that are non-discriminatory and work to build inclusive teams.” 

  Strategies to cultivate DEI in the workplace:

  • Be an ally
  • Beware of hiring bias
  • Be intentional with language

  Did you know most international students cannot legally work off-campus while attending school. Their only opportunity to earn a living is through on-campus student employment. Give particular consideration to international students when hiring student employees. See Hiring International Students below for further information.

  WSU is a DACA-friendly employer. Please consider all students who are eligible to work on campus when hiring student employees. 

  Additional Resources:

  • The Benefits of Creating an Inclusive Work Culture, by NACE
  • Inclusive Excellence, by NACE

• Writing Job Descriptions

  A well-crafted job description is essential to communicate expectations and attract quality candidates. The job description helps prospective student employees determine if they are interested in and qualified for the job. It can also serve as a guideline for performance evaluations. 

  Approach all aspects of the job description with a growth mindset and use inclusive language that welcomes all students to apply. Use the assessment steps of the hiring process (such as interviews) to narrow down the candidates, not the job advertisement.

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  Define Job Basics: Job Title, Department Name & Contact, Weekly Hours, & Wage

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  1. Descriptive Job Title

  Students should be able to understand the basic nature of the job from the title. Use specific and descriptive language that reflects the major responsibilities of the job.

  Examples: Circulation Services Assistant, Writing Tutor, GEAR UP Outreach Specialist

  2. Department Name & Contact

  Include the name of your department and a point of contact with their email address or phone number. This is important for students who may have questions about the position or would like to follow up about their application.

  3. Weekly hours

  Some students may have specific parameters for the number of hours they can work each week. Clearly indicate the number of weekly hours required for the position, but include if there is flexibility to work more or less based on student need. 

  4. Wage

  Indicate the hourly wage (or wage range) in the job posting. While this is not required, it provides valuable transparency and has the potential to save time in the selection process. Students who are not interested or unable to accept a job with the wage you are able to offer will self-select out before you put effort into reviewing their application.

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  Provide Job Summary & List Responsibilities

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  Write the job description in a way that helps students envision themselves in the job. Use plain speech and avoid acronyms and jargon. Begin each responsibility with an action verb. Describe how the student position contributes to the efforts of the department to help students understand the importance of their role and engage with the department’s mission. And finally, remove bias from the job description as much as possible. This gender decoder can be a helpful tool for this.

  Questions to Consider:

  • What will the student do on a day-to-day basis?
  • Are there any large projects they will work on?
  • Who will the students interact with?

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  Incorporate NACE Competencies & Skill Development

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  Be sure to include transferable skills that students will gain through their employment with you. Include any training that you will offer in the job description. Use the Career Readiness Competency Map to help you connect the job responsibilities with the eight NACE career readiness competencies.

  Questions to consider:

  • What training opportunities are available in this position?
  • What skills will the student develop?
  • How will this job contribute to a student’s resume and career development?

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  Determine Required & Preferred Qualifications

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  Keep the qualifications to a minimum. Think twice about whether a requirement is actually needed or if you are willing to provide training.  Only require qualifications that are absolutely necessary to perform the job. Try to avoid using GPA as a qualification as grades are not necessarily indicative of a student’s ability to perform well on the job. Excessive or unnecessary qualifications may deter perfectly qualified students and will decrease the diversity of your candidate pool. 

  As you determine required and preferred qualifications, be sure to define them and identify what you are looking for in a candidate. Undefined qualifications can lead to inequitable hiring practices. 

  Examples: Excellent teamwork, aptitude to learn new technology, organizational skills

  Additional Resources:

  • Example Job Descriptions
  • Career Readiness Competency Map
  • How to Write Inclusive Job Descriptions - article
  • Bias in Job Descriptions: How to Improve Gender & Ethnic Diversity - article
  • Gender Decoder - online tool

• Posting a Job on PeopleAdmin

  On-campus jobs are posted through PeopleAdmin found in your eWeber portal. Follow the steps below to post your student employment opportunities.

  1. Log into PeopleAdmin as a Supervisor. If you have not been assigned the Supervisor role in PeopleAdmin, contact Maria Chambers at mariachambers@weber.edu

  2. Create an hourly position using the template*. You will be asked to include information such as the position title, description, rate of pay, length of posting**, etc. Include any special notes for HR such as funding sources that affect student eligibility (Work-Study and/or 50/50)

  3. Submit the position by clicking the “Submit to HR” button. HR will review the job opening and post the position. HR will notify you when the position has been posted. The position must remain open for a minimum of 2 days.

  *If you are reopening an existing position that has previously been created in PeopleAdmin, please email mariachambers@weber.edu and include the following:

  • Position title
  • Requisition number
  • Any edits to the position
  • Close date for the position posting

  **Pooled positions allow you to keep job postings open for an extended period of time (generally 6 months to 1 year). Pooled positions should be used if hiring multiple applicants for the same position or if you are not hiring right away.

• Interviewing and Selecting Candidates

  Follow the guidelines below to create a structured and equitable selection process. You can go through this process by yourself or with a selection committee.

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  Identify Criteria Essential To The Position

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  Based on your job description, identify 3 to 6 criteria that are key to being successful in the position. Throughout the selection process, rate the candidates on these criteria rather than comparing the candidates against each other. Use the scores to determine whom to interview and ultimately hire.

  Example Criteria: communication, teamwork, ability to learn technology

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  Select Interview Questions with your Criteria in Mind & Ask All Candidates the Same Questions

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  It is common to open interviews with getting-to-know-you questions such as “tell us a little about yourself” and close interviews with an opportunity for candidates to ask questions. The questions in between should focus on getting the information you need to make the best decision. These questions should be based on the criteria you previously identified.

  Check out the example interview questions below to get you started. These example questions are based on the NACE competencies. 

  Example Interview Questions

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  Beware of Hiring Bias

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  • Familiarize yourself with these 5 types of common hiring bias
  • Check yourself throughout the selection process to avoid implicit bias as much as possible.
  • Additional tools such as Harvard’s Implicit Association Test may help you uncover your implicit biases.

   

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  Use Ratings To Select Which Student(s) To Hire

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  Ratings based on predefined criteria minimize bias and provide structure for determining which candidate(s) to hire. In rare instances, you may hire a student that is not the top-rated candidate. However, you must have sound reasoning other than “fit” to hire a lower-rated candidate. The all-encompassing and undefined “fit” often disguises inequitable hiring practices.

  Give full consideration to international students as most international students cannot work off-campus. Hiring international students is easier than you may think. Check out the “Hiring International Students” section below to find out more.

  Download this template to help you rate candidates based on your criteria:

  Applicant Rating Template  Applicant Rating Example

• Completing New Hire Paperwork

  Once you have selected a candidate, follow the steps below to complete the appropriate paperwork.

  1. Move the selected applicant to “Recommend for Hire” and update all other applicants accordingly in PeopleAdmin. This will ensure HR is aware of all updates.

  2. Create a PAR (found under Payroll Action Request in eWeber portal) and send it to Payroll at payroll@weber.edu or mail code 1021. Please note, you should not use an ePAR for new hourly employees.

  3. Notify new student employee of next steps and instruct them to contact HR (if a background check is required) and Payroll to complete the appropriate new hire paperwork. The student will need to provide:

     • Proof of identity and employment authorization (list of acceptable documents). 

     • A voided check or another official statement that includes their full bank account number

     • A work permit (international students only) obtained through the International Student and Scholar Center. See Hiring International Students below for further information.

  4. Students cannot work until their paperwork is complete and they are set up in TAS. If the student does not show up in TAS after 3-7 days, please reach out to Payroll for a status update.

  Contact Payroll

• Hiring International Students

  Did you know that most international students can only work on campus? That is why it is so important for on-campus departments to consider international students as job candidates. Hiring an international student is easier than you may realize.

  Your primary responsibility as the employer of an international student is to provide an employment letter. This letter must:

  • Be on departmental letterhead
  • Include the student name
  • Specify the job the student has been hired for and estimated start date
  • Mention that the employee “has been hired as a part-time employee, who will work no more than 20 hours per week”
  • Include the name and contact information of the employer (you)

   

  Prior to employment (including training), international student employees must:

  • Obtain an employment letter from their employer (see above)
  • Obtain a social security card (if they do not already have one)
  • Complete a work permit through the International Student and Scholar Center
  • Complete the required paperwork with WSU Payroll
  • Resource: International Student - Job on Campus Checklist (pdf)

  The International Student and Scholar Center is happy to help students through this process.

  Student Services Center, Room 143 | issc@weber.edu | 801-626-6853

  Work Permit and Social Security Request Instructions   (Coming Soon) On-Campus Employment for International Students

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  FAQs

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   Can an international student work a combined total of 40 hours per pay period by working less than 20 hours one week and more than 20 hours another?

  No. Immigration regulations allow for no more than 20 hours of employment (across all campus jobs) per week during the semester, except during academic breaks or a student's summer vacation.

   Can an international student start training before they are set up in TAS and also authorized by ISSC?

  No. An international student must be authorized and also set up by Payroll before beginning any part of employment, including training. It may take a bit of time for all of the international student’s paperwork to go through, so please allow sufficient time for processing between the hire and start date.

   Should I be allowing international students more leniency in regards to job performance, attendance, etc?

  No. We appreciate you being sensitive to the needs of international students, but they should be held to the same standard as any other hourly worker.

   If I have other questions about employing international students, who should I contact?

  Contact the International Student and Scholar Center at issc@weber.edu or 801-626-6853.