Many campus card offices rely on students to supplement their full-time staff, but interviewing and hiring student workers can be challenging. Many have little or no prior work experience, and the current generation of young people have different drivers than prior generations.

So how can you best approach the process in your office? Alicia Todaro, Campus ID System Manager at the University of Central Missouri shared some of the tools she uses in a recent post on NACCU.org.

During interviews, a detailed evaluation sheet ensures the ranking process is formalized regardless of the interviewer.

Todaro has developed resources to streamline the process of selecting qualified candidates to contribute to her team. “This has helped me conduct more structured and efficient interviews, leading to better hiring decisions and smoother onboarding processes,” she says.

A series of structured interview questions help her to add consistency to the hiring process. Refining these questions over time has been key to identifying successful candidates.

Questions focus on both personal and interpersonal skills.

• Tell me how you organize your day.
• Describe the types of people you get along with best and those with whom you have difficulty getting along.
• Describe a problem you experienced in a prior job? Who was responsible for it, and how did you handle it?
• Tell me about a time you had to take responsibility for a mistake you made.
• Describe a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.
• Do you prefer working independently or in a team?
• When you're not working, what do you enjoy doing?

During interviews, a detailed evaluation sheet ensures the ranking process is formalized regardless of the interviewer. A series of questions are ranked on a scale of one to five and then totaled to create a numeric score.

Where the questions from the first document address the student’s prior experience, this evaluation sheet focuses on the future. Examples include:

• Why you are interested in this position?
• What skills and work-related experiences equip you for this position?
• An angry customer approaches you with a problem. What steps do you take to resolve the situation?
• How do you handle disputes, disagreements, or conflict with co-workers?
• Describe an example of good customer service and an example of poor customer service.

The full versions of Todaro’s documents are available in the HR and Staff Management section of The Vault, NACCU’s repository of resources for campus card program managers. The Vault is available only to association members, but it is another solid reason for non-members to join the group.