View or download the printable version of the Quick Guide to Onboarding Student Employees (PDF).
Students are a core part of our mission at the University of Minnesota. For many students, the University is their first employer. Supervising undergraduate students requires balancing the need to support and develop them while ensuring that essential tasks are completed. Creating and implementing an onboarding plan will help sustain student enthusiasm and engagement, while also ensuring they can start contributing to the team’s work faster.
Creating a Plan
After a student accepts the job and prior to them starting, create a plan to transition them into the role and onto the team. An onboarding plan needs to be built for the specific job of the new student employee and reflect the unique work environment of your team.
What should be included in the onboarding plan?
There are key elements in every onboarding plan: communication, resources, compliance, culture, expectations, and relationships. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, tailor the plan to the new student employee based on:
The responsibilities of their role. What are the day-to-day responsibilities of their job? What experience do they currently have and what skills would be important for them to develop to be successful? For example, are they providing customer service (e.g., front desk, online help, dispatching jobs, etc.)? Mentoring others? Wrangling data? Helping with reporting? Designing communications? How might these skills contribute to their career readiness competencies*?
- Their academic interests. What knowledge do they have or are currently pursuing at school that can be helpful in their work?
- Their familiarity with your department and the University. Avoid making assumptions — just because they go to school here does not mean they are familiar with the specific departments, systems, processes, and services the University provides (and they actually might be hesitant to ask).