How to Hire Students

Please review important hiring policies in the Student Employment Handbook. Supervisors are responsible for knowing and adhering to these legal and institutional policies and must pass a short student employment quiz before being authorized to hire and supervise student employees. Information about the training and corresponding test is available here.

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT POLICIES

All open positions must be posted in Handshake to ensure we have position descriptions and have an equitable and transparent practice within Illinois Tech. Open positions must be posted in Handshake for a minimum of 3 business days.

Post the position in Handshake.

1. Interview candidates. Verify that the candidate is eligible to work (see the eligibility section in our handbook and confirm FWS eligibility with the office of Financial Aid). See templates below.
2. Select the best candidate and offer them the job in writing (via email). In this email include:
   1. Position name
   2. Hourly wage
   3. Anticipated hours per week
   4. Anticipated start date
3. If the student accepts you can tell them they will receive instructions from the Student Employment Office once you have submitted the Payroll Authorization to start the hiring process.
4. Follow-up with students who were interviewed but not selected after the students who were offered the position/s accept.

The following useful templates are available on our Forms and Documents Page

• Student interview questions
• Interview logistic spreadsheet
• Job offer email template
• Position filled email template

1. Payroll/Personnel Authorization - If/when the student accepts your position, you will complete an Electronic Payroll Authorization Form (EPAF) through your portal to initiate the hiring process. Access to the Student EPAF portal is contingent upon successful completion of the Student Employment Hiring Training and subsequent quiz. The channel will automatically appear in your portal within three business days (72 hours) of having passed the quiz. 

1. Paperwork - The student will not be authorized to work until she/he has submitted the appropriate hiring paperwork. The required paperwork -- or status of paperwork on file -- will have been emailed to the student and his/her supervisor. Many student start dates are delayed because the student has failed to complete and submit one or more of the required hiring documents. Check in with the student to ensure she/he has printed and completed the paperwork sent to him/her by the Student Employment Office, and submitted it to the Student Employment Office in the Tower, 13th floor. Step-by-step processes for students are here.
2. Authorization - Receive "Payroll Authorization Finalized" email from Student Employment. (Contact student about start date and training.)

Making Changes

If you want to make changes to an existing job then a paper PA should be submitted. Common examples are: FOAP changes, supervisor changes, and pay rate changes. Paper PAs are also required for stipends, and for working fellows. Do not make changes to an existing position through the EPAF system or it will create a duplicate EPAF. Use the paper form.

Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, & Graduate Assistants

A different hiring system is used for Teaching Assistants (TAs), Research Assistants (RAs), and Graduate Assistants (GAs), who are paid by stipend. Department coordinators will initiate the hiring process through a Decision Support System (DSS) and will fill out the Job Offer Letter form for international students who do not already have a Social Security Number. Read more in the SEO Handbook. Make sure you follow stipend entry and payment schedule information, available on the Forms and Documents page, under Supervisors/Approves.

Any required departmental training must take place only after your student employee is approved to work by the Student Employment Office and the student must be paid for the duration of the training.

Beyond any departmental training you have planned for your student workers, please go over the Student Employment Handbook with students within one week of employment (preferably on the first day). The handbook includes dress code, work schedule, the confidentiality agreement, office policies, mandatory breaks, and the timesheet and payment process. Supervisors should schedule time to complete student employee evaluations at the end of each semester in addition to the end of his or her work term.

Templates for the items below are available on our Forms and Documents Page

• Student interview questions
• Candidate tracking spreadsheet
• EPAF directions
• Student on-boarding checklist
• Employee welcome survey template (including emergency contacts)
• Student employee acknowledgement / confidentiality agreement template
• Warning notice
• Performance evaluation template
• Exit survey

Steps to Complete a Performance Evaluation

1. Establish a schedule for student employee evaluations.
2. Prior to evaluation, review the student employee’s job description, including specific position responsibilities and requirements.
3. Complete the paper evaluation form at the end of the semester. (Departments may modify the form to ensure the evaluation best represents the position and responsibilities.)
   Student Employee Performance Evaluation Form (80.89 KB)
4. Sit down with student employee to review completed evaluation. Constructively highlight strengths and areas for improvement, and discuss future goals. Add comments where necessary.
5. Sign names at the end of the form in agreement of topics discussed and future goals.
6. Scan and email to seo1@iit.edu. Retain a copy for your records and give a copy to the student.

Group Performance Evaluation Guidelines

If you have more than five student employees who report to you, you have the option to create a modified version of the evaluation process with portions of it completed in a group. You should still expect to meet with students one-on-one to give some level of personal/unique feedback. Here are a few options for group evaluations:

1. Schedule in groups. Print evaluations. Have students complete their self evaluation sections, call them in 1-on-1 for an individual check-in.Individual portion: complete your section evaluating the student, review/compare their self evaluation, and then discuss together. Discuss strengths and areas for improvement. Ask students to write notes on those sections.

2. Optional: If you don’t have the bandwidth to discuss strengths, areas of improvement, and future goals with students individually, you can ask students to self-evaluate for that section and then discuss as a group or with partners, and provide constructive peer feedback.

After the form is completed and discussed using the options above, complete signatures, print, and scan to seo1@iit.edu.

Policy

Supervisors are responsible for the timely and accurate submission of all student timesheets. Illinois Labor Law requires that employees are paid within 13 days. Timesheets must be submitted on a timely basis.

It is illegal for an employer to withhold an employee’s pay because she or he failed to submit her or his timesheet. Students who neglect to complete timesheets on a regular basis may be subject to disciplinary action, but supervisors are responsible for having record of student hours worked and completing the student's timesheet if the student does not complete it. Supervisors who neglect to approve timesheets or knowingly employ students who are not authorized to work are subject to disciplinary action by the university.

Deadlines

• Deadline for students to submit timesheets: Monday at 10 a.m. before Friday pay date, every two weeks
• Deadline for approvers to approve timesheets: Monday at 4 p.m. before Friday pay date, every two weeks

Resources

• View the Approver EPAF and Web Time Keeping Manual for specific timesheet instructions and deadlines
  Approver EPAF and Web Time Keeping Manual (772.68 KB)
• Student Employee Timesheet Manual (561.96 KB)
• Payroll Calendars and Deadlines
• Student Employment Forms and Documents

Late Timesheets

If a student employee miss a timesheet deadline, or if a supervisor miss the approval deadline, the student's payment may be delayed. Supervisors or department superusers are able to correct or override students' timesheets until 4 p.m. on the Monday prior to a Friday pay date. After that time, students must submit a paper timesheet adjustment form to the Payroll Office: Timesheet Adjustment Time In/Time Out, below. The timesheet adjustment form must be printed, signed by the supervisor, and submitted to the Payroll Office in Tech Central, 4th floor, 4B9-1 by 4 p.m. on the Tuesday before the Friday pay date to ensure payment by Friday.