The Stories That Take You With You: Amir Shilbayeh's Journey From UTA Libraries to GM Financial

Ask Amir Shilbayeh about his time at UTA Libraries, and he will tell you the experience gave him something he continues to use today: stories. 

 
Not stories about college for the sake of reminiscing, but real experiences he could draw on when employers ask how he works with others, handles challenges and adapts when things do not go as planned. 

 
"I always drew on my experience at UTA," Shilbayeh said. "Every time they asked me to talk about how I handled a situation or how I adapted to a certain situation, I always drew on my experience at UTA Libraries." 

 
Shilbayeh graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in December 2025 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. He now works as an Internal Auditor for GM Financial in downtown Fort Worth. 

 
His journey shows how experiences gained through a student job can continue to pay off long after graduation. 

 
It started at the Libraries 

 
Shilbayeh began working at UTA Libraries in August 2023 as a Tech Student Assistant with Library Studios, where he helped students with their technology needs. 

 
One experience stands out. 

 
During finals, a Tech Lending machine stopped working as students tried to check out calculators before their exams. With a long and anxious line forming, Shilbayeh and his co-workers quickly divided up the work. 

 
One person retrieved calculators from the machine. Another moved them to a nearby table, where a third coworker manually checked them out to students. 

 
"We were able to come up with that workflow or that adaptation on the spot," Shilbayeh said. "They were able to get a last-minute calculator as soon as possible and make it on time to their exam." 

 
It was a simple problem, but it gave Shilbayeh a real example of adapting under pressure, communicating with a team, and finding a solution. 

 
Those were skills he later brought into job interviews. 

 
Having a Story to Tell 

 
Interviewers want more than candidates saying they are good communicators or team players.  

They want examples, and Shilbayeh had plenty. 

 
"I was put in situations where I had to adapt, communicate with my co-workers and figure out a solution," he said. "Those are the kinds of situations you're going to run into in the workplace." 

 
His classes at UTA also helped prepare him for the workplace. Business communication courses covered résumés, elevator speeches, professional dress and interview skills. An accounting information systems course included auditing material that connected directly to his future career. 

 
"I could really tell that this was something I was actually going to be using out in the real world," he said. "When I got into my internship and then started my full-time job, I could see how what I learned in that class connected to the work I was doing." 

 
He also valued opportunities to practice interviewing, network, and learn about salary negotiations. 

 
Finding His Way After Graduation 

 
Shilbayeh began an internship in the summer of 2025 with GM Financial. He continued interning with the company through the fall 2025 semester. After graduating that December, he transitioned into a full-time position with GM Financial. 

 
As an Internal Auditor, he works with a different department each quarter, examining risks, processes and controls and making recommendations to improve effectiveness and efficiency. 

 
He has also found a team he enjoys working with. 

"It's a really great company to work for," Shilbayeh said. "My team in Internal Audit is really cool. They're really understanding of life outside of work, and that's something I really appreciate." 

 
His current job differs from his student position at UTA Libraries, but the ability to communicate, adapt and work through problems remains important. 

 
Advice from the Other Side of the Interview 

 
Having gone through the job search himself, Shilbayeh encourages students to start preparing for interviews early. 

 
He recommends learning the STAR method, which helps candidates answer interview questions by describing the situation, task, action and result of a specific experience. 

Shilbayeh also encourages students to apply early and keep applying. Through his experience, he learned that even having the right skills is not always enough if a résumé does not communicate those skills effectively. 

 
"I've been given opportunities to apply to companies, and I knew I could do the job," he said. "But my résumé, I didn't know what was lacking, and that really prevented me from any great opportunities I could have gotten." 

 
Shilbayeh's advice is simple: keep working on the résumé and stay consistent. 

Along with that, he recommends that students not overlook jobs simply because they are not directly related to their career plans. 

 
The People Who Helped Along the Way 

 
Shilbayeh remembers the people he worked with at UTA Libraries. His professors provided formal career preparation, while his supervisors and co-workers offered another kind of support. They understood that student employment could help prepare him for life after college and wanted to see him succeed. 

 
Several offered to serve as references or speak with potential employers. That support gave Shilbayeh people he could turn to as he took his next steps. 

Shilbayeh did not leave UTA with his entire career mapped out. He left with a degree, work experience, and real examples he could use to show employers what he could do. 

Current students are building those experiences right now. 

 
A class project. A part-time job. A difficult assignment. Helping a classmate, figuring out how to use a new piece of technology. 

 
Those moments may feel like small parts of college. Later, they can become the experiences that help tell your story to an employer. 

 
UTA Libraries is here to help along the way, providing spaces, technology, resources and opportunities for students to work, collaborate, and gain experience. 

Shilbayeh knows the value of those opportunities. 

 
"You can really draw on your experiences here and directly translate them to interviews," he said. 

 
His time at UTA Libraries ended when he graduated. What he learned there continues to follow him into the career he is building.