How to hire a student worker

How to hire a student worker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step student worker 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 worker job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new student worker
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a student worker do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The student worker hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect student worker also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of student worker salaries for various roles:

   Type of Student Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Student Worker	Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. One group of social workers—clinical social workers—also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.	$9-16
   Clerical Aide	Clerical aides perform various office-related tasks for company executives like answering calls, sorting documents, taking down the minutes of their meetings, etc. They should have computer skills, be organized, and communicate with people inside and outside the company... Show more	$11-17
   Office Aide	Also called an office assistant, an office aide is someone whose responsibility focuses on secretarial and administrative tasks in health practices, schools, businesses, or any other institution. Office aides help with logistical and clerical needs like copying files, curating schedules, and answering phones... Show more	$10-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Front Desk
   • Twitter
   • Financial Aid
   • PowerPoint
   • Computer Lab
   • Alumni
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • GPA
   • Windows
   • Mathematics
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Food Preparation
   • Office Equipment

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage club documents and advertise several events through Facebook.
   • Exhibit patient care CPR experience in CNA
   • Maintain neat appearance and cleanliness of the library.
   • Assist with maintaining the cleanliness of the dining room
   • Mow and edge lawns, using power mowers and weed eaters.
   • Provide excellent customer service while assisting students in completing online applications for FAFSA and admissions.

   More student worker duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your student worker job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A student worker salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a student worker in Ohio may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level student worker usually earns less than a senior-level student worker. Additionally, a student worker with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average student worker salary

   $12.37hourly

   $25,735 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level student worker salary

   $19,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average student worker salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$33,403	$16
   2	Minnesota	$30,723	$15
   3	California	$30,223	$15
   4	Massachusetts	$29,426	$14
   5	Oregon	$28,590	$14
   6	Nevada	$28,000	$13
   7	Vermont	$27,568	$13
   8	Colorado	$26,156	$13
   9	Arkansas	$25,788	$12
   10	Illinois	$25,396	$12
   11	Pennsylvania	$23,877	$11
   12	Virginia	$23,835	$11
   13	Arizona	$23,519	$11
   14	Texas	$22,671	$11
   15	Ohio	$22,207	$11
   16	Alabama	$21,761	$10
   17	Florida	$21,132	$10
   18	Louisiana	$21,040	$10
   19	Kentucky	$20,645	$10
   20	Missouri	$20,028	$10

   Average student worker salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$36,904	$17.74	2
   2	Messiah College	$36,635	$17.61	7
   3	Stratford School	$35,016	$16.83
   4	San Francisco University High School	$35,004	$16.83	6
   5	Sonoco	$33,676	$16.19	6
   6	Columbia University in the City of New York	$33,391	$16.05	29
   7	The Art Institute Of Houston	$33,169	$15.95
   8	Wayfair	$32,498	$15.62	1
   9	Amazon	$32,444	$15.60	18
   10	IBM	$32,407	$15.58	1
   11	Magna International	$32,247	$15.50	8
   12	Oregon Health & Science University	$31,655	$15.22	15
   13	University of California	$31,595	$15.19	49
   14	Santa Rosa City Schools	$31,191	$15.00
   15	United States Courts	$30,527	$14.68	3
   16	West Contra Costa Unified School District	$30,511	$14.67	4
   17	Sony Electronics	$30,167	$14.50
   18	Bryant & Stratton College	$29,484	$14.18	7
   19	Ascensus	$29,425	$14.15
   20	Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.	$29,384	$14.13

4. Writing a student worker job description

   A job description for a student worker role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a student worker job description:

   Student worker job description example

   1. Perform clean-up and sanitation duties in the dish room, food storage, and food preparation areas to ensure adequate health standards at all times.

   2. Provide adequate supply of food and transfer merchandise ingredients to cooking area as instructed by the cook or designee.

   3. Participate in student employability programs and activities.

   4. Maintain accountability of students and property; adhere to safety practices.

   5. Demonstrate alignment with and a clear understanding of the mission of Job Corps.

   6. Occasionally requires physical exertion to manually life, move, pull, push, or carry materials or objects.

   7. Occasionally requires reaching, bending, stooping, or standing.

   8. Requires prolonged sitting.

   9. Requires the ability to work in noisy and crowded environments.

   10. Occasionally requires working outdoors to participate with academic or program related activities.

   11. Maintain a safe and clean work area that models high standards for a work environment.

   12. Provide positive, quality customer services to students, staff and other center customers.

   13. Participate in student employability programs and activities.

   14. Support, promote, and enforce the Job Corps' Zero Tolerance Policy.

   15. Promote the development of Career Success Standards by modeling appropriate behaviors, mentoring students where necessary and monitoring both positive and negative behaviors through interventions.

   16. Maintain accountability of students and property; adhere to safety practices.

   17. Cultivate and maintain a climate on center which is free of harassment, intimidation and disrespect to provide a safe place for staff and students to work and learn.

   It is expected that the incumbent shall perform other duties as assigned within his/her capabilities as determined by management.

   Education and Experience Requirements:
   Must have completed 90 days in the Job Corps program and be a current Edison Job Corps student. Should have aptitude for kitchen-type duties, must dress to comply with sanitation regulations.

   Management & Training Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find student workers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any student workers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level student workers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit student workers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 worker

   Once you've found the student worker candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new student worker first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire a student worker?