Loyola GROW
Guided Reflection on Work
Interested in Joining Loyola GROW?
Registration is open August 1 - October 1. Please wait until you have successfully hired your student employees in Workday before completing the Loyola GROW registration form.
If you would like to enroll students outside of this enrollment window, please contact Tim Cherney - tdcherney@loyola.edu.
What Information Do I Need to Complete the Form?
In order to complete the form, you'll need the following information:
- First and Last Name of each student employee
- Position Title
- If the position is Workstudy or Direct Hire
- Semesters when the student will be employed
Why Do I Need to Enroll My Student Employees? Why Isn't Every Student Employee Automatically Enrolled?
The heart of Loyola GROW is the relationship that a supervisor develops with their
student employee. Through this relationship, supervisors actively promote Ignatian
reflection and help students make connections between what they are doing day-to-day
in their position and what they are learning inside and outside of the classroom.
For Loyola GROW to be effective, we ask supervisors to make a commitment to engage
with students three to four times per year. This can be achieved through one-on-one
meetings, staff group discussions, or brief conversations during a student's shift.
What Does Loyola GROW Entail?
From October to March, Loyola GROW participants and their supervisors will receive a monthly email with Career Readiness tips and resources.
- Reflection questions to discuss with their supervisor
- Tips for highlighting various transferrable skills on their resumes and in interviews
- Upcoming career-related events on campus
Supervisors commit to reviewing the monthly Loyola GROW e-mails and discussing the content with their student employees at least 3-4 times throughout the year.
During April, participants will be asked to complete a final reflection. Within that reflection, they'll identify the skills they developed in their on-campus employment and practice writing resume bullet points describing their on-campus position.
Supervisors should allocate approximately one hour of paid shift time to allow student employees to complete the reflection activity.
What Are the Four Foundational Loyola GROW Reflection Questions?
Each Loyola GROW conversation should be rooted in the following four questions:
- How is this job fitting in with your academics?
- What are you learning here at work that is helping you in school?
- What are you learning in class that you can apply here at work?
- Can you give me a couple of examples of things you are learning here at work that you will use in your chosen profession?
What Are the NACE Career Readiness Competencies?
Career Readiness is a foundation from which to demonstrate requisite core competencies that broadly prepare the college-educated for success in the workplace and lifelong career management.
NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) identified eight non-technical essential skills that employers are most seeking in college graduates.
Loyola GROW helps students identify their proficiency in each of these skills and encourages them to weave these skills within their application materials. In turn, Loyola GROW helps supervisors identify ways to provide their student employees with tasks, projects, and experiences that further develop these durable skills.
NACE Career Readiness Competencies
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Critical Thinking
- Professionalism
- Equity & Inclusion
- Technology
- Career & Self Development
- Leadership
Rooted in Connection & Reflection
Loyola GROW (Guided Reflection on Work) uses brief, structured conversations between student employees and their supervisors to help students connect the skills and knowledge they are gaining in the classroom with the work they are doing and vice versa. Each month, you and your students will receive a Loyola GROW email with reflection questions and resources to further their career development.
Supervisors regularly check in with student employees on workflow, tasks, and assignments. Taking an extra minute or two to periodically ask how students are doing in classes and even helping them relate what they’re learning on the job to coursework or vice versa can be all it takes to get learning connections firing.
Loyola GROW provides another opportunity for Loyola students to experience the principles of Ignatian Pedagogy:
- reflecting on their experiences in their on-campus job
- evaluating it in the context of their academic courses
- applying what they have learned into actionable steps toward their career development.
The content of each Loyola GROW email is rooted in NACE's Career Readiness Competencies (the non-technical essential skills that employers are most seeking in college graduates.)
Adapt to Your Team Structure
- Scheduled 1:1 meeting for conversations between supervisory staff and student staff members
- Drop-in conversations between supervisory staff and student staff during the shift
- Small group conversations during monthly staff meetings facilitated by supervisory staff or student leaders
- Small group conversations held with students before or after an event or shift
- 15-minute rolling blocks where student staff can sign up for a small group conversation
*Special thanks to Iowa GROW® at the University of Iowa and the Loyola GROW Implementation Committee - Melissa Lees, Tim Cherney, Rachel Bachman, Kaitlyn Winner, Katie Benoit, Deb Cady Melzer, and Kate Charles.
One specific skill I’ve learned as a student employee at the Women’s Center is effective communication, which has helped me confidently express ideas, collaborate with others, and engage in meaningful conversations both in and outside the classroom.
At the final one-on-one meetings...my supervisors [not only] gave feedback on how I had performed that year, but also gave advice on how I can improve my professional skills. They are committed to my success as a student and, more than that, as a person.
One specific skill I learned was time management. Balancing work tasks as well as academic tasks taught me how to stay organized. This skill contributes to my success as a Loyola student as it creates a healthy balance between academic/ student life and work life.
I was able to learn how to respectfully resolve conflicts and work quickly to find solutions. There are times where students have had questions or concerns about their exams, and I would have to contact professors or find solutions to problems quickly. This has helped me think quicker on my feet and be more flexible and adaptable which has helped me in my classes and will help me in my future clinical work.
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