Orienting Students

For many students, their college job is their first work experience. What seems obvious to you may not be so to your new student employee. An informal orientation to help him or her adjust to the department and the job might include:

• Letting other employees in the department know who the student is and when he or she will be starting to work.
• Meeting briefly with the student on his or her first day to:
  • Review job responsibilities (even if you discussed them during the interview).
  • Explain department layout.
  • Outline basic office policies and procedures.
  • Show the locations of fax, photocopier, restroom, etc.
  • Introduce department staff.
• Creating a “workplace guide” or other written resources about the department/college/unit. You might include:
  • Description of offices in your building.
  • General expectations of students, especially department-specific expectations.
  • Dress code.
  • Timesheet procedure.
  • Smoking policy.
  • Commonly used phone numbers.
  • Other important policies and procedures.
• Offering a group orientation or training session, if you have more than one student in the department.
• Reviewing the University’s emergency procedures with the student.