Student Employment Program

Step 1 | Verify Your Eligibility

To apply to a student employment position, you must:

• Be a currently enrolled Brookdale student within a degree-seeking program.
• Be registered with at least 6 credits during the semester employed.
• Hold a GPA of 2.5 or better.
• Have a current resume and Handshake account.
• Determine if you have been awarded Federal Work-Study (FWS).

Student Help vs. Federal Work Study | What is the difference?

The main difference between a Federal Work-Study (FWS) and a Student Help (SH) classification is where your student employment payment funds originate.

• Student Help positions are funded through a department’s budget and all eligible students with or without an FWS award can apply.
• Federal Work-Study position funding is earned through a student’s financial aid award and students must have been awarded FWS to apply.
• If you are not sure if you are FWS eligible, please check your award letter via Webadvisor or contact Career, Leadership and Transfer Pathways.
• All students should complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)  every year to determine their FWS eligibility.
• A FWS status also provides opportunities for students to work with non-profit community agencies within Monmouth County.

Step 2 | Join Handshake

Both SH and FWS employment positions are posted on Handshake, so your first step is to create a profile for you to review and apply to openings.

Handshake is the only place that connects you, your school, and employers together. All of the jobs on Handshake are meant for students—in fact, Handshake has the most opportunities for students and new college grads of any job platform. It’s also the only place where employers are recruiting specifically at your school.

Need assistance getting started with Handshake? The “Getting Started with Handshake” guide has helpful information from creating a login to developing your Handshake profile.

Step 3 | Make an Appointment

Contact the Career, Leadership and Transfer Pathways office at career@brookdalecc.edu with any questions you may have or for assistance with developing a resume and interview preparation.

Brookdale’s Student Employment Program strives to further develop students’ career readiness competencies as defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

• Career & Self Development
• Communication
• Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
• Equity & Inclusion
• Leadership
• Professionalism/Work Ethic
• Teamwork/Collaboration
• Technology

Student employment positions offer the opportunity for these competencies to be applied and developed through supervisor mentorship and experiential learning. Brookdale Community College student employees also actively reflect on these competencies by participating in career readiness workshops and competency-specific discussion boards within the Student Employment Program Canvas LMS.

Student employment is an essential program for students to develop academically, socially, and offset the cost of pursuing higher education.

• Academic enrichment provides students with educational learning experiences that enable them to develop intellectually, build career-readiness skills, and access adequate instructional support.
• Social engagement ensures that students have access and opportunity to freely participate in diverse, educational, community-building activities outside of the classroom with peers, faculty, and staff.
• Financial capability helps students build the capacity to meet the financial demands of higher education.

Expectations of a Student Employment Supervisor:

Mentorship

A primary goal of the Student Employment Program is for student employees to further develop their career readiness competencies. The student employee experience relies heavily on a supervisor’s ability to provide experiences that are meaningful and contribute to a student employee’s skill and career pathway development. Mentorship, through consistent feedback and evaluation, promotes a student’s ability to become aware of competency challenges and creates a foundation for students to collaboratively develop improvement strategies.

Training and Evaluation 

Supervisors must provide paid training to all newly hired student employees. Students should receive training documents and resources that outline procedures and expectations of the position.

Supervisors must also have all newly hired student employees complete the Career, Leadership and Transfer Pathways Student Employment Pre-Assessment Survey during their first shift. Weekly meetings are encouraged to provide feedback and to collaboratively develop improvement action plans.

Supervisors must also have student employees complete the Student Employment Post-Assessment Survey during the last scheduled shift. Completion of a Student Employment Performance Evaluation is also encouraged during a student employee’s exit interview.

Position Posting

All student employment opportunities must be posted on the Handshake platform. “Hidden jobs” hinder equity and inclusion of opportunity and undermines Career, Leadership and Transfer Pathways’ goal of mirroring the process of searching, applying, interviewing, and securing employment.

All positions should have a clear job description with clear expectations of the role and the responsibilities therein.

Please refer to the resources below for creating and posting student employment positions.

Creating a Handshake Profile

Handshake Posting Guide

Resource: “How to Write a Clear and Effective Job Description for Students in 2021”

Student Employment Job Posting Example: Career Peer Mentor

For more information please contact, Career, Leadership and Transfer Pathways office at career@brookdalecc.edu and/or visit the Student Employment Program Canvas.

Expectations of a Student Employment Supervisor:

Mentorship

A primary goal of the Student Employment Program is for student employees to further develop their career readiness competencies. The student employee experience relies heavily on a supervisor’s ability to provide experiences that are meaningful and contribute to a student employee’s skill and career pathway development. Mentorship, through consistent feedback and evaluation, promotes a student’s ability to become aware of competency challenges and creates a foundation for students to collaboratively develop improvement strategies.

Training and Evaluation 

Supervisors must provide paid training to all newly hired student employees. Students should receive training documents and resources that outline procedures and expectations of the position.

Supervisors must also have all newly hired student employees complete the Career, Leadership and Transfer Pathways Student Employment Pre-Assessment Survey during their first shift. Weekly meetings are encouraged to provide feedback and to collaboratively develop improvement action plans.

Supervisors must also have student employees complete the Student Employment Post-Assessment Survey during the last scheduled shift. Completion of a Student Employment Performance Evaluation is also encouraged during a student employee’s exit interview.

Position Posting

All student employment opportunities must be posted on the Handshake platform. “Hidden jobs” hinder equity and inclusion of opportunity and undermines Career, Leadership and Transfer Pathways’ goal of mirroring the process of searching, applying, interviewing, and securing employment.

All positions should have a clear job description with clear expectations of the role and the responsibilities therein.

Please refer to the resources below for creating and posting student employment positions.

Creating a Handshake Profile

Handshake Posting Guide

Resource: “How to Write a Clear and Effective Job Description for Students in 2021”

Student Employment Job Posting Example: Career Peer Mentor

For more information please contact, Career, Leadership and Transfer Pathways office at career@brookdalecc.edu and/or visit the Student Employment Program Canvas.