Need help?
Contact the Office of Human Resources
Student Employment Office
Phone: (E) 956-665-2451
Phone: (B) 956-882-8205
Email: studentemployment@utrgv.edu
Student Employment Frequently Asked Questions for Students
How can I get access to my Handshake account?
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, and course schedule, cover letter, etc.
I graduated already and I am considered an Alumni, can I still obtain access to Handshake?
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 on receiving your Alumni access at careercenter@utrgv.edu or 956-882-5267 (Brownsville office) / 956-665-2243 (Edinburg office).
What should I do once I have already applied to a job on Handshake? How long should I wait to contact a department regarding my application status?
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. You can reach out to them via email, phone call, or drop by and visit them in person.
If my resume needs revision prior to uploading it on my Handshake account, who can assist me with those services?
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.
What is the student employment eligibility?
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.
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 a 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).
I have heard of both Direct-Wage and Work-Study positions being offered as options for student employment. What is the difference?
- 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 for 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.
I want to apply for a Work-Study position, but I am not able to see the job posting on Handshake, why is this?
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.
As a Student Employee, can I work more than 19 hours per week on Spring Break, winter break and/or summer?
No, all Student Employees must work under 19 hours, regardless of Summer, and holidays.
Where can I view the status of my ePAF/cPAF?
Your supervisor will have access to see where your PAF is currently pending after they have created it. Contact your supervisor to hear about any updates and/or questions prior to your first day of employment.
I recently got hired with a department on campus, what steps do I take now?
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 Frequently Asked Questions for Supervisors
What is Handshake?
Handshake is the job portal students use for searching and applying for on-campus part-time jobs.
How can I get access to student job postings in Handshake?
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.
Can I create my own Handshake user access?
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
Do I need to create a job posting?
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.
I have create a job posting but I am not getting enough applicants, what can I do to get a larger pool of student applicants?
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.
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.
How can I find in Handshake the Generic Job Postings?
Log into Handshake using the single sign-on under the myutrgv.edu link. Click on Handshake, then click on 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.
Can I select the student as “hired” in Handshake?
Yes, it is recommended for the status to be changed. After a student has been selected the student can be identified as “Hired” on the Applicants page under Status. The status can also be changed to “Reviewed” which means the application is being reviewed.
Why is a job posting needed?
For the recruiting of new student employees.
How do students apply for on-campus student part time jobs?
By logging into my.utrgv.edu or utrgv.joinhandshake.com.
What if the student I am interested in hiring cannot see the job postings?
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.
Why can’t students view my job postings that were created by the department?
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 a 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 is the job code/title (10061 PT Non-Student) used?
- 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.
What if I am recruiting someone PT from the outside who is not a student, where do I post my job? Can I create it in Handshake?
- 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/.
What if the student I am hiring for the summer is not enrolled for the summer but is enrolled for the Fall, is he/she a Non-Student?
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 the upcoming Fall semester.
Can an International Student work more than 19 hours during the summer?
Yes, they may be permitted to work up to 39 hours per week during the summer only. The maximum number of hours per week during the Spring and Fall is 19 hours. For additional questions, e-mail International Admissions Office at international@utrgv.edu.
Do International Students qualify for a WS assignment?
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 at ucentral@utrgv.edu.
Can a direct wage student work more than 19 hours in two different departments?
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.
Can a direct wage student have two direct wage assignments?
This is not recommended as may cause timecard issues.
How many credit hours does a WS need in order to work in the summer?
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 Work Study at 665-2934 or workstudy@utrgv.edu.
Does WS pay for all the hires’ wages?
No, 30% is paid from the department’s pool, and 70% is paid from the Financial Aid-Work study fund pool of the student’s total earnings
How many credit hours does a WS need in order to work during the Fall/Spring semester?
This depends on the funding source the student is eligible for. State funds and federal funds involve different enrollment requirements.
Can a student have two work study assignments?
No, this is not permitted
When is the CBC needed?
When the student is a new hire to UTRGV or when a student has had a break of employment for 6 months or more.
What is the CBC link students need to use to submit it online?
The Criminal Background Check Link (CBC), is below:
When is the I-9 needed?
It is a two-step process that is needed when a student is a new hire or has had a break from employment for 2 years.
- The first step is to complete the online I-9 form and onboarding documents found on the HR website or below:
- Form I-9
- 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 second step is for the student to visit HR to certify documents. Where is the Biographical Form Link?
Where can I find the links?
What is an ePAF?
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.
What is a cPAF?
It is a Change of Personnel Action Form also referred to as 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 a department within the university.
Who do we contact for status on an epaf/cpaf?
If the PAF is at the Student Employment approval level, the department can email studentemployment@utrgv.edu or their assigned coordinator for requesting the status.
Can I have the student hire contact the Student Employment office for status of the ePAF or CPAF?
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.
Will the different approvers contact me when they have approved my PAF at their level?
No, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to track the ePAF and CPAF workflow approval level by logging in to the PAF portal in order to inform the student of their first day.
Can my student start working once I submit my PAF?
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.
How soon can I create an ePAF or CPAF for a student hire?
The PAF should 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.
Who do I contact if I cannot access the ePAF/cPAF system?
By default, all UTRGV employees automatically have access to the ePAF/CPAF system. If the hiring official cannot access the system, the employee may send an e-mail to HR@utrgv.edu.
Do I need to create a new position control number if I am hiring a new student?
If you cannot identify an appropriate existing position, a new position should be requested; send an email to positioncontrol@utrgv.edu.
If I have a work study who will be exhausting his/her WS funds, when can I submit a CPAF to transfer the assignment to direct wage?
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.
Who do I contact for any questions or concerns regarding student employment?
E-mail your questions/concerns to studentemployment@utrgv.edu.
Can I hire a student under 18 years old?
Yes, additional steps would need to be taken when hiring a student worker under 18 years old. For information regarding the limitations, please read Texas Child Labor Law or contact Student Employment at studentemployment@utrgv.edu.