Thank you for partnering with the UC Davis work-study program!
To help you attract qualified student applicants, we’ve outlined some recommendations below for your job posting on Handshake. These guidelines will help students better understand the position and encourage more applications by providing clear and relevant information to UC Davis students. Additionally, federal work-study job description requirements are outlined for compliance purposes.
Ideally, your job description should include four main categories:
- Position Description
- Description of Duties
- Required Qualifications
- Preferred Qualifications
1. Position description
We recommend including a brief explanation of work-study in the job posting, as some students may be unfamiliar with how the program works, even if they qualify. Providing links to UC Davis’s work-study web page will help students navigate the application and hiring process more easily, ensuring they have the resources needed to understand their eligibility and responsibilities. For example, you can include the following paragraph in the position description section:
“This position is open to UC Davis students who are eligible for work-study. To verify eligibility, students must provide a Work-Study Certificate, which can be found in their MyAwards portal. Students can either attach the certificate to their application or present it during the interview process. For more information on work-study eligibility,
visit UC Davis Financial Aid and Scholarships Work-Study for Undergraduate Students."
Then we suggest including a brief, engaging description of the organization (including a URL to the organization’s homepage), clearly stating:
- The organization's mission
- The role of the student within the organization
- What a student will gain from the experience
- Where the student will be working
It is especially important to highlight how the position may provide a community service; does the organization and/or the position help improve the quality of life for community residents, particularly low-income individuals, or solve particular problems related to community needs?
This helps student applicants understand who they are applying to work with and what the organization offers in accordance with federal work-study funding guidelines.
We recommend including important details to help students balance work with their academic schedules:
- Anticipated start and end dates
- Weekly work schedule (e.g., number of hours, flexibility with school schedule, etc)
- Work format (e.g., in-person, remote, or hybrid)
- Transportation or location considerations
- Learning outcomes or skills students will gain
- Relevant health and safety policies, if applicable
Including these specifics helps students make informed decisions and will likely increase the number of eligible applicants.
2. Description of duties
Clearly outline the key responsibilities students will be expected to fulfill in 2-6 bullet points. For example:
- Assist in [specific tasks] relevant to the organization’s mission
- Manage [specific duties, such as data entry, event coordination, etc.]
- Support [specific projects, research, or operations]
- Collaborate with [teams, clients, stakeholders] to [describe project]
- Other duties as assigned related to [specific function of the job]
3. Required qualifications
Students must be eligible for work-study, as determined by the UC Davis Financial Aid and Scholarships work-study program. Additionally, list any other required qualifications that are essential to the role, such as specific skills or academic backgrounds:
- Name of the position
- Classification of the position (e.g., reading tutor 1, laboratory assistant, library technician 2)
- Name and address of the employer (school, public agency, nonprofit organization)
- Department or office in which the student will be employed
- Location where the student will perform their duties
- Name of the student’s supervisor
- Purpose or role of the position within the organization
- Duties and responsibilities associated with the position; how they relate to the purpose/role
- Rate of pay for the position (cross-referenced to the wage rates appearing in the school’s policies and procedures manual)
- General qualifications and the specific qualifications for the various levels or rates of pay associated with the position
- Length of the student’s employment (beginning and ending dates)
- Procedures for determining a student’s rate of pay when a position has multiple rates
- Evaluation procedures and schedules
4. Preferred qualifications
List any additional, but not required, qualifications that would make an applicant stand out. We also encourage you to include a statement like:
"We encourage all interested students to apply, even if they do not meet every qualification, as we value a range of skills and experiences."