Motivating and Coaching Student Employees

Student employees need guidance and training in their jobs. This section is intended to be a guide for you, but please contact Career Services or Human Resource Services if you need more information.

Coaching consists of actions including motivation, training, support and removal of obstacles to encourage the continuation of good student employee performance or ensure the ability of a student employee to overcome a problematic situation.

Purpose of coaching student employees:

Student employee development.
Distraction-free, productive working environment.
Goal achievement/task accomplishment.· Legal protection.
Review organization's goals and resulting tasks to determine need.
Establish measurements and time frames for goal accomplishment.
Identify student employee's skills, strengths, and challenges.
Explain to student employee his/her role in helping department accomplish its goal.
Provide training, resources, mentor, or support necessary to do the job.

Steps in the coaching process:

Observe and assess student employee's ability to handle specific situation.
Communicate promptly and obtain feedback from student employee (recognition and intervention).
Provide required training, guidance, and support.
Agree on specific goals and checkpoints.
Be timely, specific, and focused.
Document specifics of discussion.