Working Title: Human Resources Graduate Assistant - Recruitment and Employment Services Team

State Role Title: Graduate Assistant

Position Type: Graduate Assistant

Position Status: Part-Time

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt: Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: Human Resources, Training and Performance

Department: 100210 - Human Resources

Pay Band: N/A

Pay Rate: Stipend

Specify Range or Amount: $10,110 ($5,055 per semester) 

Is this a JMU only position? N/A

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? N/A

Beginning Review Date: 04/15/2026

About JMU:

Situated in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.

JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

We are seeking a motivated Graduate Assistant to support the HR Recruitment & Employment Services team with outreach, social media content creation, recruitment events, and new hire orientation programming. This role also assists with developing recruitment materials, supporting event logistics, and helping strengthen JMU’s employer brand. It is an excellent opportunity for a graduate student interested in HR, communications, marketing, or event coordination.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Recruitment and Outreach Support
• Assist with recruitment events such as job fairs and community outreach activities.
• Support candidate outreach efforts, including drafting messages, preparing materials, and helping maintain communication pipelines with prospective applicants.
• Create digital and print recruitment materials (flyers, handouts, graphics, and templates) to support outreach initiatives.

Social Media and Communication
• Develop, draft, and schedule social media content promoting employment opportunities, HR programs, and recruitment events.
• Assist with monitoring engagement and recommend improvements for visibility and reach.
• Help ensure alignment with university brand and accessibility standards.

New Hire Engagement
• Assist with preparation for UConnect New Employee Orientation programming, including orientation and first year employee engagement events.
• Provide day of event support such as check-in, materials setup, room preparation, and participant guidance.
• Assist in tracking attendance, collecting participant feedback, and supporting follow up activities.
• Analyze first-year employee data and compare historical and ongoing trends to assess program effectiveness and inform continuous improvement efforts.
• Research, propose, and facilitate meaningful networking activities during new hire programs (including Connections Day and Daybreaks) to enhance engagement and participant connection.

Administrative and Project Support
• Prepare training materials, slides, handouts, and guides for HR recruitment workshops or sessions.
• Run basic recruitment related reports (e.g., applicant summaries, time to hire metrics, event outcomes) and help analyze trends.
• Support general administrative tasks such as maintaining outreach calendars, organizing digital files, and updating contact lists.

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications
• Must be a current JMU graduate student as of August 2026.
• Bachelor's degree, preferably in Human Resources, Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, or related fields.
• Must be able to work 20 hours per week during the semester.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft clear, professional, and engaging messaging.
• Comfort interacting with students, staff, faculty, and campus partners at events and recruitment activities.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and basic familiarity with Canva or similar design tools.
• Creative mindset with the ability to produce visually appealing content.
• Attention to detail, organization, and follow through.
• Strong commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information.

Preferred Qualifications
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret data, including experience with basic data analysis tools (e.g., Excel).
• Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills, with experience planning, leading, or supporting group activities or events that promote engagement, collaboration, or networking.
• Experience with recruitment, marketing, or event planning.
• Experience creating social media content or managing organizational social media accounts.
• Familiarity with analytics tools (e.g., Instagram insights, basic reporting in Excel, etc.).

Additional Posting Information:

Conditions of Employment:  

Students may apply to a graduate assistantship prior to being accepted into a graduate program. However, to be eligible to receive an assistantship upon entry into a graduate program, the following criteria must be met:

The student must be conditionally or unconditionally accepted into a graduate program. Students who are provisionally accepted will not be eligible until they achieve conditional or unconditional acceptance into their program.

The students must have an official transcript on file indicating completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or agency

After receiving an assistantship, the student must maintain at least a 3.0 graduate GPA in order to retain or reapply for the assistantship.

These are minimum criteria. Graduate program coordinators have the right to impose additional criteria if they see fit.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are a student with a disability and need assistance please contact the Office of Disability Services at (540) 568-6705 or disability-svcs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the Office of Disability Services, located in the Student Success Center, Suite 1202 and they will be happy to assist you.