On-Campus Student Employment – Information for Supervisors

Students are the main focus of Boise State’s on-campus student employment program. This program is intended to provide students with:

• A central location in which to look for on-campus student employment opportunities.
• On-campus employment opportunities that are accessible by all students and pay fairly and equitably regardless of department.
• A connection to campus with engaged supervisors interested in helping students prepare for their futures.
• An opportunity to gain professional skills and experiences that are relevant to future goals.

For all questions about employment eligibility, work hours, classification, and compensation for student employees, please contact Human Resource Services.

To work as a student employee, a student must be enrolled in least 6 credits as an undergraduate student, or 5 credits as a graduate student, or in the final semester of a degree program registered for all classes required for program completion.

For more specific information about eligibility for student employment, please refer to the Boise State Policy #7470: Student Employment.

International students admitted to Boise State University on an F-1 or J-1 visa can work on campus as long as they remain fully enrolled. Federal law imposes restrictions on international students and their student hours. Detailed information about international students can be found in the Boise State Policy #7470: Student Employment.

Federal law imposes restrictions on the hiring and job requirements of work-study students as well as work-study student hours. Detailed information about work-study students can be found on the Work-Study Resource Site.

To help ensure consistent classification and compensation of student employees across campus, please use the Student Employment Classification Schedule and Pay Grades and Ranges (the first section is for student employees) provided by Human Resource Services.

Student employees are restricted in the number of hours they may work at the university. Because there are many details associated with these rules which are not covered on this page, we strongly encourage you to review the Student Employment Hours section of the Boise State Policy #7470: Student Employment.

In the fall and spring semesters, student employees may not work on-campus for more than 29 hours per week. (This means that if the student has multiple jobs on campus, their total hours for all positions combined may not exceed 29.)

When classes are not in session, or for students on a summer break, a student may work up to 40 hours per week, with limits on how long they can do this for.

Work-study and international students: Please note that there are different rules for work-study students and international students. Work-study students may only work up to 20 hours per week using their Work-study funds. International students may not work more than 20 hours per week in the fall and spring semesters, but may work up to 40 in the summer.

How you write your job description has a big impact on your ability to attract the right students for your position. Be clear and detailed about what you’re looking for and what the student will have the opportunity to do in this role. We recommend including information on the career readiness skills students will have the opportunity to develop. (See some of the top career readiness competencies for ideas.)

Career Services is available to help you integrate career readiness information into your job description. Contact Nick van Santen at nickvansanten@boisestate.edu.

For questions about posting your positions, please contact Career Services at (208) 426-1747 or career@boisestate.edu.

All on-campus student jobs must be posted on Handshake. Go to Handshake for Employers to register or sign in and get instructions for posting a position.

Once your job is posted to Handshake, you may also use other posting or recruiting methods as desired.

The reason for the Handshake posting requirement is to ensure all of our students have equitable access to information about on-campus job opportunities. There are a couple exceptions to this rule, including rehiring a student into the same position, and graduate assistant positions.

Keep in mind that you can specify requirements students must meet to apply for your job, so while your job will be visible to all students, not all will be eligible to apply if you have specific criteria.

Your job listing(s) will remain active on Handshake until your specified closing date. If your position has not been filled by the closing date, you can extend the closing date in Handshake.

If you have questions about Handshake, contact Career Services at (208) 426-1747 or career@boisestate.edu.

If you have the funds to hire a student without a work-study award, we strongly recommend posting your job as “work-study preferred,” or not mentioning work-study at all. This will broaden your candidate pool and increase your chances of finding the right student for your position. We have found that when departments post a job as “work-study only,” they often end up with few applicants. If hiring a work-study student is strongly preferred for your department, you can add “(Work-Study Preferred)” to the end of the job title when posting your job in Handshake.

For detailed information about work-study, see the Work-Study Resource Site.

You are not required to have students complete a job application, but if you’d like to use one, here is an example. Example Student Job Application (Word document)

If you ask students to submit a resume and/or cover letter, it can be helpful to include a link to Career Services’ resume and cover letter resources for student jobs to help your applicants better understand how to communicate their qualifications to you.

For all questions about the hiring process, forms, payroll and taxes, or employment changes, please contact Human Resource Services.

When you are ready to hire a student, log in to Campus Solutions (PeopleSoft) from myboisestate.edu. Click on HR New ID & Student Hire to complete the online forms to hire the student. For complete instructions, go to Bronco Hub Job Aids and Resources, and look for the Hire a Student Employee document.

Once approved, this data will be transferred in Bronco Hub, and the student will show up under your My Team tile.

We recommend you communicate this information to the student early in the process to avoid delays in their start date.

Students must complete a Form I-9 on or before their THIRD DAY of employment.

There are two parts to this process. The first part of the I-9 can be done online here.

The second part requires providing acceptable documents for proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States (see links below). Photocopies or expired documents are not accepted. If your student is not currently on campus, they CAN complete this process remotely via a video call if they have their documents with them.

• United States citizen documents list
• International documents list

To have their I-9 documents reviewed by HR, your student will need to either:

• Bring their documents into the Human Resources office located at the southeast corner of University and Capitol Blvd (no appointment needed)
• OR schedule an appointment for a video call by contacting HR at i9information@boisestate.edu or (208) 426-1616

As a supervisor, what you need to do as far as payroll and taxes is really no different from supervising a non-student hourly employee.

• Once a student has been hired, they will need to complete a W-4 form online on Bronco Hub.
• Student employees are paid biweekly, the same as all other university employees.
• They will enter their hours worked and you will approve it on Bronco Hub. Pay period dates and schedules can be found on the Payroll and Holiday Calendar’s page.
• Student employees do not earn paid sick or vacation leave. They are not paid overtime unless they work over 40 hours in a week (Sunday through Saturday).

On-campus student employment isn’t just a job, it’s an experiential learning opportunity. To maximize the benefit for both you and the student, we strongly encourage you to treat on-campus employment as a professional development opportunity for students.

When they understand how this job is helping to prepare them for a career, your student employees will be more engaged with their work and perform at a higher level.

In the later sections you will find some best practices to help you maximize the experience. Career Services is happy to consult with you and provide additional support. Contact Nick van Santen at nickvansanten@boisestate.edu to get started.

• Department Orientation: The best student employees understand and are committed to the department’s mission, and see themselves as part of your team. We strongly recommend a new-hire orientation that familiarizes the student with your department’s work (including that which doesn’t directly relate to the student’s job), your role within the university, and provides opportunities for them to get to know your staff.
• Boise State Orientation: Optionally, Human Resources provides a One Boise State Orientation that you may choose to send your student employee to for additional orientation to what it means to work for Boise State. This can help your student employee feel more connected to the university and increase their engagement with their role.

In National Alumni Career Mobility (NACM) Survey results, only 36% of Boise State alumni felt that the university had engaged them in career planning. Initiating career conversations can make all the difference for your student employee in their career development. Make these intentional conversations a part of your check-ins. Discuss their interests, goals, career preparation plans, and how this job can help them work towards their goals. View the Intentional Conversation Starters (Word document) to get started.

For maximum benefit to both you and the student, make skill development an intentional part of their employment. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has identified 8 top career readiness competencies students will need regardless of their major or career path. Identify opportunities to develop these skills within the job, discuss with the student how they’re using them, and check in regularly to help the student assess their progress. Use our Career-Related Reflection Questions and our Experiential Learning Reflection Questions for ideas.

We recommend that all student employees are given an annual performance evaluation, and ideally, an initial evaluation a couple months into employment. Focus on constructive feedback that will help the student continue to develop and progress towards their career goals.