Our Preservation Lab has, for many years had the help of some unsung heroes in the form of our student assistants and volunteers.  Although we appreciate them very much, they rarely get the attention that they deserve.  As the student supervisor for Preservation Services it has been my job to interview, hire, and train our student assistants.  When I interview prospective candidates, I usually look for two basic things, one being on time, and the other being appropriately dressed.  The rest is just instinct and gut feeling.  Our department has been extremely fortunate in the high caliber of student assistants who have worked for us but sometimes it’s obvious that the applicant would not be a good fit.  A few years ago we had a candidate who arrived wearing a barbed wire belt and who asked if it was okay if he sometimes came to work bruised and bleeding, since his hobby was ultimate fighting.  Even though the applicant seemed like a nice guy, it was not okay.

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