You’ve done your first, maybe second year as an RA and you’re starting to think, “hmmm, maybe I want to do this another year.” If that is you, let me give you some advice. The Student Affairs field is a little torn on whether RAs and student leadership positions should have to reapply every year for the their role, but generally it’s a one year position so no matter how well you may have performed, chances are, your office requires you to reapply to be considered for the position again. With this in mind, let’s talk about how to impress your supervisors in the interview process and get rehired!
Show how you’ve grown
For the last year, you’ve been working in Residence Life, in a job that is challenging in many different aspects. One of the things we want to hear from you is how you have grown because of this role. Take time to reflect on all your time in Residence Life and notice the spaces where your skills have developed and where experience has helped you gain new outlooks and new confidence. Because of the nature of the role in its various challenging aspects, it is important that you can show your supervisor that you have risen to the challenge and have embraced the trying tasks that come from handling difficult duties.
Explain how you did your job well
This may be self explanatory, but supervisors want to know what you’ve done well in your past year employed with them. Give detailed examples about the community you’ve built and the hard scenarios you’ve had to handle. This shows your commitment to the important human connection side of the job. It also shows that you do not shy away from the hard stuff and embrace aspects of being an RA that are not always so easy. Also, make sure to emphasize the more administrative tasks you’ve stayed on top of as well. Remind the interviewer that you’ve never turned anything in late, you’re always on time, and your paperwork is always done correctly. This may seem like a smaller aspect of your job, but it’s incredibly important and makes you a significantly better candidate than those that can’t get the little things done correctly or on time.
Share how you plan to grow
You may have read the above paragraph and thought, “Uh oh, I have been late with work” or “I really struggled to handle some hard duty scenarios.” It is really normal and okay to not be perfect at every part of this complex and multifaceted job. In fact, we do not expect you to have fully mastered everything. What will really set you apart in your interview is to acknowledge the part of the job you have not been thriving in. Your supervisor almost certainly knows what this is, but hearing you own up to it is huge. Let them know why you haven’t been living up to your potential in this area. Don’t stop there. Next, explain how you will tackle this issue or grow in this area in the next year. Give detailed methods of how you will hold yourself accountable and how you will achieve your goals. This shows your supervisor that while you know you have slacked in one area, you have a plan to make sure you do better in the coming year.
Describe how you will avoid burnout
A huge worry I always have when I’m thinking about rehiring my RAs is burnout. Working as an RA can be high demand, high stress, high challenge. It can be a whirlwind of a job. Often the first year is hard, but also exciting and new! The second year, RAs can feel the difficulties of the job a little more and the newness and fun a little less. The heaviness of the job can start to play a toll on second and third year RAs. If in an interview, an RA explains to me that they understand the seriousness of burnout but they have a gameplan to avoid it or deal with it, I will be impressed. It’s important to think about and prepare for the possibility that your next year as an RA may be harder than the first. You will be looked to as a leader on the team, which adds extra stress. Figuring out a self-care routine for yourself will be important to your success as a returning RA, so express what this consists of in your interview.
In the end, your actions speak louder than your words. If you’ve been a strong RA all year, you are going to be okay. And if you’ve had a rough year as an RA, now is your time to explain why. Overall, remember that we know you and we want you to succeed. Try your best to be true to who you are and enjoy this interview.
