Frequently Asked Questions
Student Employment FAQs for Students
As a UTRGV student, you automatically have a Handshake account. All you need to do is use the myUTRGV portal using your myUTRGV sign-in credentials and activate your Handshake account by signing in and updating your Handshake profile, including uploading your resume, course schedule, cover letter, etc.
Yes, all previous UTRGV, UTB, and UTPA students can obtain what is known as ‘Handshake Alumni Access’ to navigate and use the resources Handshake has to offer. Contact the Career Center for more information in receiving your Alumni access at careercenter@utrgv.edu or 956-882-5627 (Brownsville office) / 956-665-2243 (Edinburg office).
It is recommended that you wait one week from the date you applied to the job posting. If you have not received a phone call or an email with any feedback, it is recommended to reach out to the department(s) you have applied to. You can reach out to them via email, phone call, or drop by and visit them in person.
The Career Center offers services such as resume reviews, mock interviews (practice interviews), career path explorations, and much more. If you would like to set up an appointment regarding any of these services feel free to reach them at any of their numbers listed: 956-882-5627 (Brownsville office) / 956-665-2243 (Edinburg office) or via email at careercenter@utrgv.edu.
Students must be enrolled at UTRGV in order to apply for student employment on campus
- US citizens or residents must be enrolled at least 6 credit hours (some positions might require more credit hours’ enrollment than others).
- International students must be enrolled full time (12 credit hours or more).
- Undergraduate student employees may work up to 19 hours per week.
- Graduate students may work up to 20 hours per week.
International Students are permitted to work on campus, with Direct Wage option for undergraduates or assistantships for graduate students. Must be enrolled full time (minimum of 12 credit hours for undergraduate, 9 credit hours for Graduate students).
- Direct-Wage employment offers the opportunity to work on campus without having a work-study award. Any student enrolled at least half time (6 credit hours) in UTRGV qualifies to work as a direct wage employee. International students can be hired through direct wage and are required to be enrolled a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.
- Work-Study is a state and/or government subsidized student employment program designed to assist US citizen or resident students in financing their post-secondary education. First you must apply for admissions to UTRGV and complete and submit the free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Then be enrolled at least 6 credit hours per semester and meet the SAP (Satisfactory Academic Performance). Your eligibility for financial aid is determined by a number of factors, which can be discussed with the Financial Aid Office.
If you are not able to see Work-Study positions in Handshake, your Handshake account might not be set as a work-study eligible account. To solve this, contact a Career Center representative and show them via email proof of your Work-Study award on Assist>Financial Aid>Award>Award for Aid Year. A pdf of the website or picture will suffice.
No, all Student Employees must work under the 19 hours, regardless of Summer, and holidays.
Your supervisor will have access to see where your PAF is currently pending after they have created it. Contact your supervisor to hear on any updates and/or questions prior to your first day of employment.
Prior to employment at the university, all student employees need to fill out a Criminal Background Check (CBC) and an I-9 form. These links will be sent to you via email, either by your supervisor or the Student Employment Office at UTRGV. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to our office at studentemployment@utrgv.edu.
Student Employment FAQs for Supervisors
Handshake is the job portal students use for searching and applying for on campus part time jobs.
- On campus department supervisors automatically have access to Handshake.
- However, if you are having trouble accessing it, or if you are a new staff/faculty member contact studentemployment@utrgv.edu for assistance or for troubleshooting.
No, please contact the Student Employment office at studentemployment@utrgv.edu so that a user access account is created for you. If you create your own access, you will not have access to the features needed
A departmental posting is created ONLY when the department has a position that requires unique job duties and when the posting requires specific qualifications necessary to fulfill the position.
- The Student Employment Office has created job postings that entail job duties that are generic in nature. These are postings that require standard duties for which students are commonly hired for.
- The generic job postings have a high number of applicants and any hiring official can view and access the listing of applicants for interviewing and hiring.
Log into Handshake using the single-sign-on under myutrgv.edu link. Click on Handshake, then Jobs. Select “Divisions” in the drop-down arrow key and select Human Resources & Talent Devt in order to see the listing of generic job postings. Click on the job title according to the position you are hiring for to view the list of student applicants
Yes, it is recommended for the status to be changed. After a student has been selected the student can be identified as “Hired” in the Applicants page under Status. The status can also be changed to “Reviewed” which means the application is being reviewed.
For the recruiting of new student employees.
By logging into my.utrgv.edu or utrgv.joinhandshake.com.
- All enrolled students should be able to view and apply to the general job postings as well as the posting created by the department. The generic job postings are open to all majors, however not all departmental job postings are open to all majors.
- If the student still cannot see these postings, have the student contact studentemployment@utrgv.edu so that a student employment coordinator can review and troubleshoot the issue with him/her.
Sometimes a student may not be able to view a posting because his/her job preferences do not match the requirements for the position. For example, the department may have included a requirement of 3.0 GPA but the student trying to apply has a GPA of 2.5. In this case the student will not be able to view that particular job posting.
- When the individual being hired for the pertinent semester is not enrolled in the current, past or upcoming terms.
- When a non-student is selected to perform specialized duties that an enrolled student cannot perform since these duties require special training/degree/certification that an enrolled student does not have.
- A job posting for PT Non-Student is not required in Handshake, as non-students do not have access to Handshake. Only enrolled students can view Handshake job postings.
- The posting can be created in some cases through HR. Please contact HR Recruitment at careers@utrgv.edu for assistance.
- Individuals who are not enrolled at UTRGV do not have access to view jobs posted in Handshake but can view postings at https://careers.utrgv.edu/
No, the student is still considered a student. The PAF should be created under a Student job title (i.e. Student Assistant or Student Academic Assistant etc.). A student can be hired under a student job title for the summer as long as they he/she attended Spring and is enrolled for upcoming Fall semester
Yes, they may be permitted to work up to 39 hours per week during the summer only. The maximum hours per week during the Spring and Fall is 19 hours. For additional questions, e-mail International Admissions Office at international@utrgv.edu
No, international students do not qualify for work study. However, they may qualify for other types of aid. For more information on other types of financial assistance, e-mail International Admissions Office at international@utrgv.edu and/or Financial Aid Office ucentral@utrgv.edu .
Not in two different departments. In select cases a student can work more than 19 hours, but under one single department particularly during the summer only.
This is not recommended as may cause timecard issues.
- There is no minimum credit hour requirement as long as the student is enrolled for the semester that he/she will be working.
- For any questions regarding WS status, awards, eligibility, etc, please contact Stefani Ocon at 665-2934 or ocon@utrgv.edu.
No, 30% is paid from the department’s pool and 70% is paid from Financial Aid-Work study fund pool of the student’s total earnings
This depends on the funding source the student is eligible for. State funds and federal funds involve different enrollment requirements.
No, this is not permitted
When the student is a new hire to UTRGV or when student has had a break of employment for 6 months or more.
- Submission of Criminal Background Check Link (CBC) used is below.
- https://utrgv.quickapp.pro/apply/applicant/new/5385
- It is needed when student is a new hire or has had a break of employment for 2 years. It is a two-step process. The first step is to complete the online I-9 form and onboarding documents found on the HR website. The second step is for the student to visit HR to certify documents.
- What is the I-9 Link students need to use to submit it online?
- Where is the Biographical Form Link?
- Biographical Information Form, only if you are a new hire at UTRGV. This form is not required if you have worked at UTRGV at any prior point.
The links are sent via email from Student Employment Office to the creator of the PAF and student hire once the PAF has been reviewed by a student employment coordinator. They can also be found in the Student Employment website, under Guides and Resources titled “Hiring Guide”. The Hiring Guide also includes all the steps that need to be followed for hiring a student worker.
It is an Electronic Personnel Action Form used to propose a candidate to be hired. The candidate is usually an individual who has never been hired at UTRGV and has not worked for the university for the last six months.
It is a Change of Personnel Action Form also referred to Change of PAF. It is used to recommend changes to a current employee’s job data such as the funding source, hiring dates, number of hours per week, job position, pay rate, change in location and room number and change in department within the university.
If the PAF is at Student Employment approval level, the department can email studentemployment@utrgv.edu or their assigned coordinator for requesting the status. The Assistant Director for Student Employment is Ana Perez, ana.perez@utrgv.edu
- Not, it is the responsibility of the hiring official to contact the SEO for status on the ePAF/cPAF and in turn inform the student of the ePAF/cPAF status.
No, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to track the ePAF and CPAF workflow approval level by logging in the PAF portal in order to inform the student of their first day.
No, under no circumstance can the student start working while the PAF is in process. The student can start working when HR has approved the PAF.
The PAF should to be submitted no less than two weeks before the proposed start date in order to allow ample time for all the approvers in the workflow to review and approve the request and to avoid the student being paid late. It takes several days for the Payroll Office to create and provide access to the student’s timecard.
By default, all UTRGV employees automatically have access to the ePAF/CPAF system. If the hiring official cannot access the system, employee may send an e-mail to HR@utrgv.edu
If you cannot identify an appropriate existing position, a new position should be requested; send email to positioncontrol@utrgv.edu .
- Yes, it is recommended to submit the cPAF at least two weeks ahead of time in order to allow ample time for all the approvals to be completed in the workflow.
- It is the responsibility of the hiring official/supervisor to track the earnings of the work study, in order to anticipate when the transfer to DW should be initiated.
E-mail your questions/concerns to studentemployment@utrgv.edu
Yes, additional steps would need to be taken when hiring a student worker under 18 years old. For information regarding the limitations, please read https://www.twc.texas.gov/jobseekers/texas-child-labor-law#hoursOfEmploymentFor1And1yearOlds or contact Student Employment at studentemployment@utrgv.edu