The supervisor determines the quality of the student's work/learning experience. Often students have close, long-term relationships with their supervisors. The supervisor can be a key figure in a student's college experience and in his or her professional development. By affecting attitudes about work, the supervisor can influence the student staff member's future success.
People who are satisfied and enthusiastic about their jobs often cite quality of supervision as an essential factor in feeling positive about their work experience. Student staff members are like any other employees; they want to do a good job and they want to be treated the same way you would want to be treated by your supervisor. The supervisor is responsible for creating a work environment that promotes positive work performance and allows the goals of the department to be achieved. Good work performance reflects good supervision. To cultivate a trained and effective student staff, you need to make management of student staff members a priority. Develop policies appropriate to your department and ensure they are utilized. Make sure that the student staff members in your office are properly trained, evaluated, and, most importantly, recognized for the important part they play in meeting departmental goals.
Many students have little previous work experience, so they need special attention when it comes to training. Make your expectations very clear. Basic departmental procedures, second nature to you, need to be explained in detail to an inexperienced staff member. If you concentrate on preventing performance problems by providing thorough training, evaluation, and recognition, both you and your student staff members will enjoy the benefits of a rewarding work experience.
Being an effective supervisor is not easy, but the rewards are great. Each individual you supervise will present a new challenge--and a new learning experience for you.