RA SELECTION AND YOU

A G U I D E T O I N D I V I D UA L I N T E R V I E W S !

OVERVIEW

• What should I wear on the day of interview?• What will the interview rooms look like this year?• What kind of candidates should I be looking for? How will I

know if they would be better for FYE or UYE?• How do I grade a candidates answers?• When I’m writing in comments about the candidates answers,

what should I be writing?

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?

You should be wearing this year’s provided HRL polo and your gold nametag.

WHAT DOES THIS YEAR’S INTERVIEW ROOMS LOOK LIKE?• This year we will be using what is called Conference Style interviewing. • There will be 10 interview tables setup in Mahoney Pearson classrooms 101-

104, meaning there will be 10 interviews happening at the same time in the same large room.

WHAT DOES THIS YEAR’S INTERVIEW ROOMS LOOK LIKE?• This year we will be using what is called Conference Style interviewing. • There will be 10 interview tables setup in Mahoney Pearson classrooms 101-104,

meaning there will be 10 interviews happening at the same time in the same large room.

• This is to ensure candidates have the same experience with the same room structure, and allows us to better manage candidates in staying on schedule.

• This year all candidates will sit at a table that faces a wall of the room – all interviewers will face towards the middle of the room. This will allow candidates to be free of visual distraction of others, while allowing interviewers a view of the central monitor in the room, who will help keep track of time.

WHAT KIND OF CANDIDATE SHOULD I BE LOOKING FOR? • This year we have removed questions about FYE vs UYE.• We are looking for great candidates that could work in any building! We are

looking for great RAs – so this should be someone you would want to work with and you feel would be an asset to their community.

• Also remember that there is not just one type of successful RA. There are extroverted RAs, introverted RAs, loud RAs, quiet RAs, RA’s who do arts and crafts for a living, and RA’s who struggle to make bulletin boards. Listen for their answers to the questions, and don’t judge them simply on their attitude or personality.

• We will also include a “Looking For” guide in case you are unsure what a good answer should look like.

HOW DO I GRADE CANDIDATE ANSWERS?• There are two rubrics we have provided this year to help you through

evaluate a candidate’s response and if you should recommend them to be hired.

HOW TO GRADE EACH QUESTION

Reviewer guidelines: Please evaluate each category on a scale of 1 to 5. Use the guide for each answer to see examples of what a 4 or 5 should include.

1 – 2 3 4 – 5 Poor quality answer Mostly average answer High quality strong answer

5 – An answer that has absolutely no room for improvement. It may be a better answer than you could give.

4 – A great answer; candidate would still be OK in this category without additional training.

3 – An average answer from someone who could be good in this category, with some training.

2 – A minimalistic answer, with little confidence from you on being able to do well in this category.

1 – An off-topic response or no apparent skills or abilities in relation to the resident assistant position.

HOW WOULD YOU RATE?

Community Development• Can you talk to us about what you see as

challenges and opportunities in developing a sense of community?

•1 – An off-topic response or no apparent skills or abilities in relation to the resident assistant position.

•3 – An average answer from someone who could be good in this category, with some training.

•5 – An answer that has absolutely no room for improvement. It may be a better answer than you could give.

SHOULD I RECOMMEND THIS CANDIDATE?

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…

WHAT SHOULD I BE WRITING FOR MY COMMENTS?• These comments are critical to to the successful hiring of a good candidate, and

it’s a large part of what Pro Staff uses when we are reviewing all the files.• DO include your opinion of the candidate’s relevant skills, qualifications, and

experience • DO include your observations of the candidate’s abilities to fulfill the

competencies of the position, such as collegiality or communication skills • DO comment on the candidate’s potential personality fit with the culture of the

department. • DON’T include observations that are unrelated to the candidate’s qualifications or

potential fit within the organization.

EXAMPLES

• Acceptable Feedback: – “Candidate has a positive attitude, interesting ideas on building community for a

different variety of residents; talked about how diversity plays a role in community and how he would support diversity. Good questions about what kind of team dynamic he can look forward to in his future building and how he could connect his major to the RA role. Overall very impressive with attitude and seems like a great fit for the RA role.”

• Unacceptable Feedback: – “Great candidate, answered all the questions well and had a great personality.”

EXAMPLES

• Acceptable Feedback: – “Candidate did very well, shared a great story about her willingness to help

others when she volunteered at the homeless shelter every weekend during her senior year. She also shared a good example of conflict management in talking about the time she fought with her mom about grades. Candidate could use some extra help in understanding customer service, as the example she gave did not cover the question we asked. I think she would do well as an RA.”

• Unacceptable Feedback: – “Ok candidate, wants to help others and is good in conflict. Missed some

questions but overall would be ok as an RA.”

QUESTIONS?