Students @ Work

General Guidelines

• The goal of the Students @ Work program is for supervisors to have one documented conversation per student employee using the Conversation Questionnaire. The Questionnaire is designed to help student employees reflect on their work experience, set and achieve goals, and connect with campus resources.
  
• ALL supervisors and student employees are eligible to participate.  Conversations may take approximately 15 minutes with an additional 10 minutes to complete the Questionnaire and forward the results to the Career Services Center.
  
• A career counselor will follow up with students who request assistance.

Using the Conversation Questionnaire

1. Both the completion of the Conversation Questionnaire by the students, and the conversation meetings with the supervisor, should be held during the students' scheduled (paid) work hours. 
   
   
2. Prepare for the conversation by inviting the student to participate.  Provide the student with the questionnaire and schedule a follow up time to meet.  Suggested script:
   
   "Kent State, and I as your supervisor, are interested in understanding more about how the skills you are learning at work can help support your success in the classroom and help you prepare for your future career.  Please take some time to complete the questionnaire and then let's schedule a time in the next week or two to discuss your thoughts and look at ways we can further enhance your success."
   
   
3. Meet with the student to review the questionnaire, provide feedback, and discuss next steps for supporting success.
   
   
4. Provide additional comments and forward the questionnaire to the Career Services Center.
   

Suggestions to Make the Most of Your Conversations

If student needs help with ...

Suggestions

Identifying skills learned or improved

"Based on your position in our department, students are typically able to learn/develop the following skills (list)…."   

"Are there other skills that come easily to you that you may not be using in your campus job?"  (i.e. skills tied to hobbies, personal interests, classroom work, former jobs, etc.)

Ideas for skills improvement

On the job:  Provide suggestions, and new tasks, as appropriate.   

Include learning outcomes in job postings, position descriptions, and orientation/training sessions. What should students know and be able to do after working in your office?

Outside the job:  Explore options for developing skills through campus/professional organizations, internships, volunteering, etc.

Connecting campus job with skills/career

Meet with a Career Counselor

Use your experience as a supervisor to suggest ways in which other students have made connections between the job and major/career (i.e. benefits of student employment, alumni success stories, etc.).

Choosing a major/career

Meet with a Career Counselor by-appointment or during drop-in hours,

Creating a resume/cover letter

Meet with a Career Counselor and review  Resumes & Letters.

Improving business etiquette

Meet with a Career Counselor and review Professional Image.

Preparing for an internship, professional job search, or admission to graduate school

Meet with a Career Counselor and review Internship Prep, Job & Internship Search, and Graduate School Prep.