Graduate Assistant / Student Worker General Information & Contract

Your position with the Career Center is a real job! Please remember that you are paraprofessionals and that many people depend on us. You are expected to conduct yourself in a professional and businesslike manor. Below are some general guidelines about your position in Career Services.

Attitude . All employees of the Career Center are expected to have positive, helpful, “can do” attitudes. . We all have a bad day every now and again. From failing a test to trouble at home, many things affect our attitudes and emotions. Part of growing up is learning to manage those emotions. . If you are having a bad day, try not to take your personal feelings out on your co-workers or our Career Center clients. If you are going through something tough enough that it is affecting your work attitude, feel free to talk to us about it or request some time off. . While we all have different duties, we still have the same mission. Therefore, if you see something that needs doing, DO IT, and then tell someone you did it. Offer to help your co-workers with their projects. . Our #1 priority is helping our students and employers; therefore, you are expected to go that extra mile to make sure that they are informed.

General Rules . Never give out bad/wrong information! If you are uncertain, say “I don’t know, but I will find out” THEN find out and follow up! . Consult up! . No surprises! . Exceed their expectations! . Live the mission! . Our customers (students, employers, community members, faculty, staff, alumni, etc) are our #1 priority!

Open Door Policy . The director of the Career Center has an “open door” policy. That means that you should feel free to talk to him/her about things going on in the office. . Some of the most popular programs & services we offer have been born out of suggestions from our student staff. If you have suggestions as to how the office can run more efficiently, please share your ideas with us. . Working in close proximity with other people can sometimes cause rifts in relationships. If you have a complaint about a co-worker, please feel free to address that with us as well. Working Hours . It is crucial to the operation of Career Services that we are able to depend on the student staff we employ. . Career Services Fall and Spring semester hours are from 8:00am – 5:00pm, Monday – Friday. . Your class schedule AS WELL AS your fellow employees’ schedule will dictate your work schedule of approximately 8 – 12 hours per week. We will spread our student staff out throughout the day to balance office coverage. . You are always expected to meet the obligations of your time; please schedule accordingly.

Attendance . We depend on you to help us run our department…you can’t do that if you are not at work on time. As with any job, you are expected to report for your scheduled shifts and any additional time commitments that you have made on time. This is especially critical in regard to Career Events (staff meetings/outings, Career Day, TRD, Health Care Day, etc.) . We understand that you are a STUDENT first; however, if you are unable to report for your shift or meeting, it is your responsibility to notify us immediately with a valid reason for your absence. Examples of valid reasons include, but are not limited to, illness, class, family emergencies, unavoidable scheduled meetings with faculty, etc. . Hours missed due to absence may be made up at times agreed upon by your supervisors. . If you need time off from your regularly scheduled shift, you must request that time with you supervisor and schedule your make-up hours PRIOR to your absence.

Payroll Procedures . Upon employment in Career Services, proper paperwork must be completed on each employee, each semester. Support documents such as driver’s licenses, birth certificates, social security cards, etc. may be required. . Each employee will have a time sheet on which you will record your time and attendance. It is your responsibility to accurately record the date, time in, and time out each day. . Students are awarded a finite amount of money, which translates into a finite number of work hours. It is expected that students utilize this time AS SCHEDULED. . Timesheets will be verified and submitted for payment on a monthly basis.

Our Professional Image . The Career Services Office is the resource that many campus constituents turn to to educate the student population on the importance of professionalism. Therefore, we must see ourselves as an example by which others are to follow. . Conservative, casual, well-fitting clothing is acceptable for the Career Center (i.e. nice jeans, dress pants, collar shirts, blouses, skirts, etc.). Work-out clothes, shorts, pajama pants, tank tops, t-shirts, etc. are not acceptable. Employees may be asked to leave work to change clothes if they are dressed inappropriately. . Certain Career Services events may require business apparel (Career Day, Teacher Recruitment Day, Interview Days, etc.). Be mindful of the office calendar when deciding what to wear. . Clothing with potentially inflammatory messages or symbols will not be tolerated. Ethical Responsibility . Career Services staff members are always expected to act in an ethical manner. . Confidentiality – you will come into contact with confidential information on a daily basis. Information like student ID numbers, social security numbers, resumes, job descriptions, job searches, etc. should be kept in strict confidence. If you have any questions about what is considered confidential, please ask!!! What happens in Career Services, stays in Career Services!!! . If you witness anything that you perceive as unethical, you are encouraged to speak with the individual involved and/or your supervisor. . We want Career Services to be a safe place for both customers and staff members. Maintaining high ethical standards are an important part of a safe environment.

Telephone Procedures . Many people make their 1st contact with Career Services over the telephone. Their 1st impression of us is strongly influenced by the way it is answered. . When possible, the telephone should be answered on the 1st ring. . Before picking up the phone, SMILE…the people on the other end can hear the difference in your voice. . Greet callers with “Thank you for calling Career Services…this is ______. How may I help you?” . Callers should be placed on HOLD if their issue cannot be addressed immediately or you need to ask someone in the office a question about the call. . It is your responsibility to know how to operate the phone system. Make sure that you know how to transfer calls properly. . If the staff member is not available, respond with “I’m sorry. ______is away from his/her desk at the moment. May I take a message or try to help you?” . Accurate, complete, legible messages should be written down and placed in the appropriate workspace. When taking messages, obtain the following information: o Caller’s name o Company / Organization o Call back number o Date & time called o Message Message pads or blank note cards are kept near all phones. . The conversation should close with “Thank you for calling. Good bye!”

Area Privileges . The Career Services office has several distinct workspaces. . The secretary’s desk should be reserved for the secretary and may only be occupied with her/his permission. . The front student work space may be used on a 1st come, 1st serve basis. If someone has claimed this space, please find another space. . The Career Center is equipped with a student worker lab. These computers may be used for office, educational, and personal use (see Office Equipment Usage for guidelines). . The Interview Room and the Conference Room may be used as work space if not already in use. Please help keep these areas clean by tidying up after yourself. . The back storage room / kitchen area may be used as a break room. Please help keep this area clean by tidying up after yourself.

Front Office / Reception Area . The front reception area is the “face” to our office; therefore, it should project a professional image. . This area should be kept neat and clean at all times. . NO FOOD IS ALLOWED IN THIS AREA! . The reception area should be manned at all times. If the secretary is out of the office, a student worker should be posted at the student work station. . All patrons who enter the office should be greeted with the following salutation: “Hi! May I help you?” . Students waiting to see the director may wait in this area or in the lobby. . While working at the student work space in this area, students may NOT access personal websites (i.e. Facebook, MySpace, etc.)

Office Equipment / Supplies Usage . All office equipment / supplies are intended for use in carrying out the mission of Career Services. . Employees must follow the Computer Usage Policies set forth by the University. . Inappropriate websites are strictly prohibited!! . Computers may be utilized for educational purposes. . The office shares a drive that documents may be saved to. A folder has been created for each employee. When saving documents, please save to your folder and your folder ONLY, unless otherwise instructed. This will allow us to better manage our information. . Please keep in mind that copying and printing is not “free!” Each page that is copied / printed costs the office money. . Students may use copying and printing machines for occasional personal academic and/or educational purposes; however, please keep this to a minimum. . Office supplies such as paper, pens, markers, clips, folders, etc should be used at a minimum. Please do not be wasteful! (These things also cost us money!) . If there is something that you think would make your job easier or more efficient, make the suggestion to the secretary or director. Additionally, if you notice that we are running low on a certain office supply, please tell the secretary so that replacements can be ordered BEFORE we run out of that supply. . If you use something, please put it back in its proper storage place.

Personal / Other . Career Services is a place of business. . When you are at work, you are at work. . Visits from friends / family should be kept to a minimum and should last no longer than 5-10 minutes. . Cell phones should be silenced or switched off when you arrive to work and only be answered in emergency instances. . Employees should never take personal calls in the front reception area. Repercussions . The guidelines set forth in this contract are intended to clairify your responsibilities. They are important to the success of our office and will be enforced. There is a standard “3 strikes” rule which will be used to handle any problems that arise due to failure to follow these guidelines. It should be obvious that certain violations are much more severe than others. Because of the varying degrees of severity, it will be up to the director to determine if one or more of these steps should be skipped. . With this process, violations are accumulated during a calendar year. If at any point during a year you receive “3 strikes”, (not counting “1 ball”) you will be terminated. Any violations that are more than one calendar year old are disregarded. For example, if you had one “strike” in March and a second in February, by March in the next year we will consider you to only have had one violation.

o Ball – (“freebie”) – The very 1st time you are found in violation of a policy, you may receive a verbal “reminder.” There is no formal documentation for this.

o Strike 1 – (verbal warning) - If you are found in violation of a staff policy, you may be called into the office for a verbal warning. In this process, your supervisor will outline the violation and discuss an action plan for correction. A note will be placed in your employee file that the verbal warning took place.

o Strike 2 – (written warning) – If you are found in violation of a staff policy after Strike 1 (verbal warning), you will be called for a written warning. In this process, your supervisor will document the violation that took place as well as develop a plan of action for correction. The documented violation will be placed in your employee file.

o Strike 3 – (termination) – If after a verbal and written warning, you are found in violation of a staff policy, your position will be terminated. We hope that no one ever leaves Career Services under these conditions.

I have read and agree to abide by the rules & regulations set forth by this contract. In the event that I do not uphold these policies, I understand the repercussion procedures and acknowledge that my actions may result in the termination of my position.

______Signature Date

______Printed name Date of Birth

______Position