Working in Residence Life enables us to be jacks of all trades. We Adjudicate, Budget, Counsel, Coach, Plan Events, Manage Projects, Respond to Crisis and more. You name it, we likely do it. But being a multifaceted generalist is not necessarily a long-term goal for all of us. Maybe you have an interest or passion area and want to pursue it. Or perhaps you are looking for a different cadence to your work life. Or simply, maybe you just are ready for something new. To our benefit, the myriad of skills and experiences Residence Life asks of us also positions us to move into other sectors and industries better than we may realize. If you’re looking to leap, consider these tips to land your feet on that next gig.
Figure out the Problem
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from recruiters is the notion that no office, company, or organization posts a position unless there is a problem they cannot solve internally. Think about that. The position that piques your interest is a solution to a problem for this potential employer. It could be needing someone to lead a new initiative, someone to assume responsibilities of an office or multiple people that have grown over time and need to live under a dedicated person, or perhaps a style of leading and managing that the company feels would propel their people forward. So how do you identify the company’s main problem? A good strategy is to read the position description for keywords that are mentioned numerous times or to see how the breakdown of the functions are valued. Higher frequencies and values suggest what that company likely feels will help them achieve their goal (i.e. sales background, experiencing managing accounts/large sums of money, industry knowledge).
Once you pinpoint what the company values, it is a matter of drawing connections between skills, and experiences to address the company’s needs. Easier said than done, however! While being generalists can help us gain talents that translate into other industries, we more often than not will be speaking to a specialist when going through the recruitment process. This is where I have noticed Residence Life professionals struggle the most—articulating all the cool things we get to do in a way that seems relevant and applicable.
My best advice? The age old STAR method. When answering a question or even writing a resume or cover letter, always be sure to address all letters of STAR—Situation, Task, Action, Result—with particular emphasis on result (because at the end of the day, they are wanting to gauge your ability to get satisfactory outcomes).
Get to the Point
Continuing with the STAR method and speaking effectively with industry specialists, it is important to know that regardless of how great your written material or anecdotes may be, you only have about 30 to 60 seconds at best to make an impression. As short as that may seem, think about the number of materials recruiters have to review on a regular basis and so understanding that they are a gateway to progressing in the process, some effort should be put into how we package ourselves and best make use of the limited time we have.
Once again, easier said than done! We work in a field where qualitative data holds great merit in making decisions, where lived experiences and stories are encouraged and welcomed, where dialogue and intellectual exchange is a key proponent of how we interact, so pairing down what we say to such a short amount of time can seem unimaginable. Instead of viewing the need for brevity as a negative, consider how to break down the great things we want to share to its core parts and how they answer STAR. Here are some tips on getting to the point.
For your resume, be mindful of the industry language and ensure that what you are saying you are doing matches. For example, we work with students, but unless you are applying for an educational job, using the word students in your recruitment process might not add any value at all. Instead perhaps students are clients, constituents, or stakeholders. The best word can become clear once you spend more time reviewing the role you are pursuing. In addition, be careful not to simply swap around key words or verbs so you catch the eye of the reviewer. While it will take more time, completely revise your bullet points and descriptions in industry language for best results. For example, Let’s say you want to apply to a job that oversees Learning and Development and your original resume point read “Managed a budget of $5,000 for student-led programming.” You could say “Managed a budget of $5,000 for client-facing learning experiences,” but an even better way to state this would be, “Increased stakeholder knowledge and awareness by 15% through the delivery of 100 educational sessions over the first quarter”. If the key focus was managing the budget instead, you could make that into a separate point as well.
For your cover letter, don’t do it. I know that may come as a surprise but cover letters are becoming an antiquated part of an application and when there is an option to do one, it is always best not do to it! Why? Nowadays hiring managers and recruiters use the cover letter to screen people out—due to typos, addressing the wrong person, or providing unrelated content and experiences. You do not want to unintentionally be removed from consideration due to an honest mistake and let’s be honest, a cover letter is not enjoyable to write nor read.
Finally, work on your elevator pitch. We have likely heard this before, but given how infrequently we might be using one, be sure to do some reflection on what you would say if given the floor. Key things to think about is what you are looking for, what you would bring to the table, and why that role and/or company in particular would help you achieve your goals.
We are likely ready and able to leap to a new role more than we may realize. The key for us as generalists is to focus what we say and how we say it to appeal to a specific market. Short, sweet, and to the point will get us farther.
Mind who Matters
While it is an unfortunate reality, who you know certainly matters when searching for a job. Friends, former colleagues or supervisors, mentors, or new connections through networking—these folks can make a difference in your ability to get your foot in the door. That is not to say that experience and qualifications do not matter, but having a person being able to vouch for you carries more weight more often than not that an outstanding resume of interview. This can be for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes good interviewers are bad employees. Sometimes a specific skill set is desired and candidates applying to jobs are missing the mark. Whatever the reason, take time to invest in relationships with others. One of my favorite ways of thinking about relationships with others can be summed up in this image. Who are the people in your life that you talk with and that offer guidance and advice? Who encourages you to keep striving and creates and offers opportunities for those to happen? And who is advocating for you and your presence even when you aren’t around? These people can be separate or the same person but doing some reflection on who shows up in these capacities for you and involving them in your search process can make all the difference.
Something to keep in mind is that while your personal network can support you and help you succeed in your search, reaching out to strangers (recruiters, people who do what you want to do, etc.) and establishing some sort of connection can make a difference. This can potentially be uncomfortable as it requires us to put ourselves out there and sell ourselves, but knowing that our materials and qualifications only have so much time and value with those making hiring decisions, we should make every effort to have ourselves stick out and be memorable. A great way to make this a little less uncomfortable is to use your coaches, mentors, and sponsors to connect you to someone they think could help you. The shared connection can make the conversation a bit easier as there is already something you have in common (a mutual person).
Closing
Let me be the first to say that you already likely possess relevant skills and experiences you need to land that next job. The work we do is multifaceted, dynamic, and never the same and with that comes a way of working, thinking, and interacting that any company would undoubtedly appreciate. If you feel it’s your time to move on to your next role, focus on narrowing down what you want, what you offer, and why you want it. More importantly, involve others in the process and build a network that will champion you and get your name out there.
