Get the optimal conditions in your student job

The primarily drawback of performing a student job is often that working minimum hours, and therefore not getting much responsibility, could lead to tedious and boring work tasks where you don’t use your skills.

Perhaps you have a hard time competing for the more exciting tasks with more responsibility because you are simply “just a student assistant”. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

Speak up about what you can and want to do

“Many workplaces forget that students have great professional skills that could be beneficial for the company – often with the latest knowledge in the field. Instead, student assistants are given practical or administrative tasks around the core task, which is an erroneous consideration,” says Frederikke Hjort, junior advisor at IDA.

For while there may be regular on-boarding processes, employee performance reviews and 1:1 meetings, all this does not necessarily mean that student assistants are properly introduced to the organization’s core tasks – nor do all managers choose to invest time in reviewing and discussing with students, who in most cases are only employed for a year or two. This means that, as student assistant, you must take the initiative yourself.

Talk to your closest co-workers

“Even if you’re holding a student job, it’s ok to be proactive and engage in dialogue. Instead of searching for the department manager, try to approach your nearby full-time co-workers. If they aren’t aware of your skillset and what you think is fun to do, they are simply not able to find this kind of tasks for you,” Frederikke Hjort emphasizes.

Communication is the key word – but it can feel hugely vulnerable to speak up if you do not fully understand your task. It could be that you have not been introduced to the project with the rest of the team, or it may be that you can spot other tasks in the department that you would rather work on.

Say it loud and clear when in doubt

“You are responsible for your own presence at work. You must make yourself heard if there are tasks you do not know how to solve, or if you’re not offered a task that could be perfect for you. This is more important than being an obedient employee, because everyone cannot guess your competences and what you would like to do,” says Majbrit Ølgaard, career counselor at IDA.

Besides, it is important to say if you have less time due to exams – and make sure you engage yourself in some of the larger projects when you have more time.

When your surroundings know when to count on you and what you prefer to do, there’s a better chance that someone will remember you when the exciting tasks need to be assigned.

Remember – it’s a student job:

• Make sure to communicate how much time you need to spend studying.
• Make clear appointments with your manager for your working hours and especially when you won’t be able to work.
• Turn off work related communication when you are off work, so it won’t disturb your study time.
• Be open and ask about how to be introduced to the workplace during the job interview.
• Be careful to reconciliate beforehand an assignment with your colleagues, so you know when this task is done.