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Contents
of this issue:
O
2 GREAT JOB PLACEMENT
CONFERENCES… Time is running out!
O GRADUATE SCHOOL LISTINGS
O CALL FOR ARTICLES
O InspiRAtion
for RAs… Volume I is here and Volume II is coming!
O CALL FOR ADVICE
& SUGGESTIONS FOR THE SITE
O FEATURED
ARTICLE – Selling your RA experience… in the “real
world.”
O WE LIKE YOU BECAUSE… Staff
Closure Activity
O FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO
OTHERS… Tell your fellow RAs!
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2
GREAT JOB PLACEMENT CONFERENCES… Time is running out!
If
you are interested in working in Residence Life, don’t miss
these great opportunities to meet employers from all over the
country face-to-face. Job placement conferences like these are THE
way to get jobs in residence life.
SPE
– SUMMER PLACEMENT EXCHANGE * June 3 – 6 – REGISTER NOW!
Held
in Brookings, South Dakota at South Dakota State University, this
conference is a great opportunity to connect with employers and
find job positions late in the year. For more information,
including fees, registration and contact information, visit:
http://www.residentassistant.com/spe
NESAPC
– New England Student Affairs Placement Conference *MAY 29 &
30 -- ACT NOW!!
NESAPC
is being held at Stonehill College in Easton, MA. A large majority
of New England schools will be represented at this conference, as
well as other schools from across the country. Don’t miss this
great opportunity. For more information, visit: http://www.bacha.org/nesapc.html
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GRADUATE
SCHOOL LISTINGS
You
have probably seen the GradSchools.com banners on the website.
PLEASE VISIT THEIR SITE FROM THE LINKS ON RESIDENTASSISTANT.COM to
help support the increasing costs of hosting and operating
ResidentAssistant.com. The
site is the best graduate school resource on the web, with well
over 50,000 graduate program listings in many areas. For general
information about graduate schools, check out: http://www.residentassistant.com/gradschool/
This
page includes links to other graduate school resources, including
a link to graduate programs in student affairs, for those of you
wanting to continue in this field.
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CALL
FOR ARTICLES
Hopefully,
you have benefited from this newsletter, and if you
would like to contribute your ideas and experiences,
submissions are being accepted for articles on the
website and the email newsletter. Please email via
the contact page
if you are interested in this opportunity and
would like to share your experiences and insights
with residence life staff members all over the world.
The site currently receives 200,000 – 500,000 page
views a month, so a lot of people will benefit from
your submissions.
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InspiRAtion
for RAs… Volume I & II!
The
first volume of InspiRAtion for RAs has received a wonderful
response. If you have not yet purchased a copy for yourself or for
RAs at your institution, take a moment to read more about this
compilation of great stories, quotes and poems for RAs.
http://www.residentassistant.com/inspiration/index.htm
VOLUME
II is in the works! – Submissions are now being accepted for
Volume II of InspiRAtion for RAs. If you are an RA or a residence
life professional, would like to be published, and you have a
story or poem you would like to submit for consideration, please
email rastories@residentassistant.com
for more information. Submissions will be considered which are
humorous, inspirational or motivational for RAs. Authors who are
published will have their name and school included in the book, as
well as a complimentary copy and discounted reseller rates.
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SUGGESTIONS
FOR THE SITE??
I
will be working on the site more over the summer, so if you have
any suggestions for site content, additions, or organization,
please email them to feedback@residentassistant.com
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FROM
THE RESIDENCE HALL TO THE REAL WORLD
Imagine
going into a job interview and being able to confidently give
clear and concise examples of your skills in planning, assessment,
administration, counseling, conflict resolution, crisis
management, facilities management, staff development, leadership
training, public speaking, and many other valuable skills. As you
hopefully know, YOU CAN DO JUST THAT as an RA.
As
this school year comes to an end, the topic of resume development
and job searching is at the forefront of many people’s minds.
For those of you who are not looking for a job at this time, take
some time to develop your resume NOW!
I
know that some employers will actually hire a former RA over
someone with equivalent experience who does not have an RA
experience under their belt, BECAUSE THEY KNOW YOU HAVE REAL WORLD
SKILLS!
What
about those employers who have never heard of the RA position? How
do you communicate to them what valuable skills you developed as
an RA? Here are some
helpful hints on maximizing your RA experience when seeking
employment:
The
RESUME – Obviously, the resume is the first impression you
make on most employers, so a good description of the RA position
is essential. For some examples, go to: http://www.residentassistant.com/advice/resume/resumebuilders.htm
For
more great resume resources on the web, check out: http://www.residentassistant.com/advice/resume/resumelinks.htm
The
INTERVIEW – I was recently helping someone prepare for a job
interview, and as we went over sample interview questions, I kept
on thinking about how each of the questions could be answered by
referring to an example of my experience as an RA! Look at sample
interview questions and think about how your RA experience
relates. What skills have you gained or developed in your time as
an RA? You can find some great job searching tips, along with
sample interview questions at About.com’s career website: http://jobsearch.about.com/careers/jobsearch/
ON
THE JOB – Your experiences as an RA can benefit you in any
job position. You have experience working with a diverse
population of people, working with a team, planning, problem
solving, and acting as a resource. These skills can be maximized
if you recognize them and intentionally develop them now. Take
some time to come up with a list of “transferable skills” from
your RA experience.
Best
of luck in your job searches, both now and in the
future. Whether you are seeking a career in business
management or social work, you can be assured that
you have “an edge” because of your RA experience.
If you have any questions, please feel free to drop
me an email.
Dan
Oltersdorf
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“We
like you because…”
Submitted
by Seth Matthew Fishman
Resident Director, Ferris State University
This
little closure activity is something I have done for the past few
years.
Write
down the names of all of your RA staff and your hall director or
graduate assistant (or both if you have them) then add “we like
you because…” Have your staff write at least one (if not more)
positive things to say about this person, inside jokes, etc. Do
not leave your name – its always fun to try and figure out who
wrote what.
Have
one person compile them for each person and give them the results!
You can send it as a file attachment or have them turn in their
hardcopy to you. I
print the list on nice paper and hand it to them during our last
staff development. I’ve seen it down where the results were
laminated and the font size shrunk down so you can carry it in
your wallet too!
I’m
sure you may have heard of this before, but I can tell you that I
still have all the “We like you because” sheets since I was an
undergraduate (back in the day!) Some of the nicest things ever
said about me where during this activity.
It’s a nice parting gift that you can include with many
other things like a list of staff quotes, favorite songs,
pictures, scrapbook, etc. You’ll look back and remember the good
times you had with your staff!
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FORWARD
THIS INFORMATION TO OTHERS… Help
this become a better resource.
As
you know, ResidentAssistant.com is user driven, so the more people
who utilize the site, the better the site will become. Please
spread the word on your campus about this resource, especially to
incoming RAs.
Let
them know about the following FREE resources on
ResidentAssistant.com
-
Programming
ideas and advice
-
Teambuilders
& Icebreakers
-
Advice
Articles
-
"Ask
the Experts"
-
Discussion
Boards
-
Professional
and RA Email Discussion Lists
-
Monthly
Email newsletter
-
Free
ResidentAssistant.com and ResidenceHalls.com web pages
Thank
you for making this site continue to grow and develop.
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