Three UCR Library employees presented as part of a Homecoming panel at the Campus Showcase Exhibit – Working on Campus on Saturday, November 19, 2016.

Library Human Resources Generalist Wendy Williams-Clark spoke as part of the employers panel, and members of the student employee panel included library student assistants Mohammed Jawara, a Political Science Law and Society major, and Sarah Ready, a double major in Business and Dance. Both are undergraduate students in the class of 2019. Attendees included incoming and current UC Riverside students as well as parents of prospective and current students.

On the student employee panel, Mohammed and Sarah shared their perspectives about working on campus and discussed how the job skills they learn will help to prepare them for success after graduation. Mohammed explained, “The majority of the jobs offered on campus impart onto students valuable skills that will come in very handy in their future careers.”

Sarah explained, “Although each position offered at the panel has numerous workers, the library is where student workers form more of a team or community rather than just a co-worker relationship.” Mohammed agreed, “One of the reasons why I like working at the library is because I get the opportunity to be part of a very supportive library staff team. Another reason is because I get the opportunity to help and also interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds.”

For Sarah, there are more benefits still. “I like working in the Library because I’m fascinated by books,” she said. “Although information is at our fingertips with the internet, I think that there’s value in picking up a book, flipping through the pages and finding the information on your own, and I encourage students to do so.”

“The student employees love working for UC Riverside,” Wendy commented. “They genuinely appreciate being able to contribute in any way they can. They are the front-line of customer service, no matter what department they work in, and they said that they’re learning real-world skills in a way they never could if they were working somewhere else.”

The employers panel addressed questions about requirements for students to get jobs in different departments, what to do if a student has no prior work experience, how to apply for on-campus jobs, application materials and best practices, work-life balance for student employees, and how scheduling works with student class schedules.

“It was fascinating to hear how all the different departments feel about their student employees,” Wendy said. “The library couldn’t function without ours, and it was great to hear that other departments feel the same way.”