How to hire a student advocate

How to hire a student advocate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step student advocate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a student advocate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new student advocate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a student advocate, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A student advocate's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, student advocates from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents student advocate salaries for various positions.

   Type of Student Advocate	Description	Hourly rate
   Student Advocate	School counselors help students develop academic and social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them develop skills or choose a career or educational program.	$10-18
   Admissions Counselor	An admissions counselor is the primary point of contact between a university or college and their potential students. One of their primary responsibilities is to represent the school during various events for recruitment purposes, discuss the admission procedures to the students and their families through calls or appointments, and facilitate university tours and orientation among prospective students... Show more	$14-24
   Job Coach	A job coach is responsible for evaluating people's skills and qualifications, advising them with career paths, helping with their aspirations, and promote employment opportunities. Job coaches help the clients build self-confidence and explore their maximum potentials to develop their professional growth... Show more	$14-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mental Health
   • Educational Programs
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Community Organizations
   • Administrative Hearings
   • Community Resources
   • Financial Aid
   • Academic Support
   • Role Model
   • Academic Performance
   • Student Health
   • Legal Research
   • Management System
   • Student Attendance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Help manage alumni social media pages (Facebook, LinkedIn).
   • Manage bi-weekly progress reports and case notes to document student progress in ETO.
   • Manage UAFS's F-1/J-1 student visa SEVIS compliance as DSO/ARO, ensuring all documentation is in order prior to students arriving.
   • Monitor daily progress notes for students using ETO software.
   • Participate and attend IEP , 504 and parent meetings in support of student needs.
   • Assist in creating a positive veteran atmosphere are student veterans feel comfortable studying and helping on another.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your student advocate job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A student advocate salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, student advocates' average salary in west virginia is 53% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level student advocates earn 42% less than senior-level student advocates.
   • Certifications. A student advocate with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a student advocate's salary.

   Average student advocate salary

   $14.22hourly

   $29,572 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level student advocate salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 29, 2026

4. Writing a student advocate job description

   A student advocate job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a student advocate job description:

   Student advocate job description example

   CLASS TITLE: Student Special Services Advocate
   
   CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CLASS: Under general supervision, serves as an advocate for at-risk young adults and school-aged parents in connection with social, educational, and job training services; and performs related duties as required .
   
   ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Reviews school records and identifies, visits, and counsels at-risk young adults and school aged parents who have dropped out of school, for the purpose of encouraging their return to school; confers with school counselors and clients to establish educational programs suitable. to school-aged parents' lifestyles; develops resource networks and accompanies clients to social service agencies which provide services and referrals to clients; assists clients in enrolling in G.E.D. courses, evening school courses, and job training programs; confers with employers of at-risk young adults and school-aged parents to discuss possibility of reducing work hours to allow clients to continue their education; maintains client case files and provides follow-up services; assists in compiling periodic activity reports for submission to supervisory staff and program government funding sources; meets with community organizations to distribute literature and explain available services; may counsel student-athletes to ensure they meet college academic entrance requirements.
   
   DESIRABLE MINIMUM.QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   Training and Experience. Graduation from an accredited educationa.l institution with an Associate's degree, or successful completion of two years of college-level course work at an accredited college or university, supplemented by four years of progressively responsible experience in corllinunity or social service organizations; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
   
   Knowledge. Abilities. and Skill. Considerable knowledge of the functions of social service agencies, considerable knowledge and sensitivity to the needs of at-risk young adults and school-aged parents, considerable knowledge of the concepts of social service program development.
   
   Ability to work with and for at-risk young adults and school-aged parents, ability to establish and expand community and soda! service networks, ability to maintain accurate records.
   
   Good oral and written communication skills, thorough skill in evaluating and meeting the social service needs of at-risk young adults and school-aged parents, skill in coordinating the efforts of various social service agencies and community organizations.
   
   Physical Requirements. Light Work: Exerting up to twenty (20) pounds of force occasionally, or up to ten (10) pounds of force frequently, or a negligible amount of force frequently to move objects. Even though weight of force moved may be only a negligible amount, a position should be rated as Light Work (1) when it requires walking or standing to a siguificant degree; or (2) when it requires sitting most of the time but entails pushing or pulling of arm controls.
   
   '317676

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right student advocate for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your student advocate job on Zippia to find and recruit student advocate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting student advocates requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new student advocate

   Once you've selected the best student advocate candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new student advocate. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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