Resident Assistant Application Packet 2016-2017

Resident Assistant Application Packet 2016-2017

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Resident Assistant (RA). RAs are student leaders and if you are chosen to become a member of the Residence Life team you will have the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with your peers, your residents, and your supervisors. The RA role is extremely rewarding and a lot of fun, and requires you to have a high level of commitment and dedication.

This application pack has been designed to help you understand the recruitment process. Within this pack you will find:

• 
  The Selection Process Timeline
  
• 
  Steps to Successfully Completing the RA Application Process
  
• 
  An explanation of what we are looking for in a candidate
  
  • 
    Considerations for candidates
    
  • 
    Qualifications
    
• 
  Compensation
  
• 
  The Post Description
  
• 
  Interview Tips
  

The application itself is made up of the essay questions and creative piece which can be found on page six of the pack, an application form, and two references (one for current/former employer and one for personal tutor/faculty member). All parts must be submitted by 17:00 on Thursday, 11 February 2016 in order for your application to be considered complete. Only applicants who have all parts submitted on time will be eligible to proceed in the process.

Please Note: Staff Induction activities will take place 2 September 2016 – 9 September 2016. The induction sessions are compulsory along with completing an online e-induction prior to the 2^nd of September 2016. Therefore, applicants must be available to attend training sessions on all of these dates. Training days are usually 9am-5pm with some preparatory tasks and meetings with line managers on site in the evenings. Being onsite for the duration of Arrival Weekend on 10^th and 11^th September 2016 is also compulsory.
Please read the pack in its entirety. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask your Warden or a Residence Life Coordinator directly.
Thank you and good luck. We look forward to seeing you during the process!

Sincerely,

Eimear Karaś

RLC [e-mail]

Check List to Successfully Complete the RA Application Process
□ Distribute the Reference Forms. These must be completed and returned to Residence Life with your application

• 
  One reference must come from a member of the teaching staff who can speak to your ability to balance this commitment with your academics. The second reference should be from a former employer who has observed your skills and work ethic.
  

□ Carefully read the general information page and the Position Description.

□ Sign and date the application form.

□ Type or print neatly in pen the answers to the essay questions on a separate piece of paper and hand them in with your application.

□ Request and watch the information session video from Residence Life. Failure to request the link to the information sessions will prevent you from proceeding through the application process.

□ Before submitting your application, if you are currently living in our accommodation, you are required to have met with your Warden/Accommodation Manager to discuss the Resident Assistant role. Your Warden/Accommodation Manager will fill in a confirmation form with you during this meeting, which you should include with your application.

□ Return the completed application via email to [e-mail] or by post to Residence Life, The University of Edinburgh, St Leonard’s Hall, 18 Holyrood Park Road, Edinburgh EH16 5AY

The University of Edinburgh Resident Assistant
This past year, Residence Life at the University of Edinburgh has employed 190 students as Resident Assistants, working in 9 houses at Pollock Halls of Residence as well as 40 flat sites throughout the city of Edinburgh. The Resident Assistant’s primary mission is to be available in the halls and flats to assist and support other students. The main areas of responsibility are community building, event planning, emergency response, and administration. Please refer to the enclosed post description for detailed information.
Person Specification
Competencies are general descriptions of the abilities needed to perform a role in an organisation to a high standard.
As detailed in our “Living Our Values” guide there are three value areas that have been identified as important to Accommodation, Catering and Events:

• 
  Delivering Excellence
  
• 
  Working Positively
  
• 
  Supporting Others
  

Within these areas are specific skill sets and behaviours that we expect our Resident Assistant staff to demonstrate. These are listed in the chart below. Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate these skills and understand how these skills can be utilised in the RA post.

Values	Competencies
Delivering Excellence	Communication Planning & Administrative Problem Solving
Working Positively	Teamwork Desire to Constantly Learn
Supporting Others	Community Development & Relationship Building

Professional Development

Resident Assistants are provided with specific training throughout the year to make them more effective in the post as well as to promote opportunities for professional development. The Resident Assistant’s participation in September 2016 and January 2017 training, as well as bi-monthly in-service programs during the year, site wide event planning groups, and other learning opportunities are compulsory and are crucial to the smooth functioning of our residential sites. Other opportunities for development as a team member will be provided and participation in such opportunities is expected.

Qualifications

Resident Assistants must:

• 
  Be a fully matriculated full time student at The University of Edinburgh
  
• 
  Have good disciplinary standing within Accommodation, Catering and Events.
  
• 
  Inform your line manager of all significant time commitments (over 10 hours per week, jobs, societies, etc.).
  
• 
  Have lived in shared university accommodation at the university level, preferably at the University of Edinburgh.
  

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
ACCOMMODATION, CATERING and EVENTS

Application for Resident Assistant

Personal Details:
Prefix: Mr  Ms  Mx 
Surname: First Name:
Matric Number: Contact Telephone No:
University of Edinburgh Student Email Address:
If not a University of Edinburgh student yet, a current email address: ____________________
Current Semester Address (Edinburgh):
Address for summer:
Polo shirt size (to be used in the event of your application being successful):
 Small  Medium  Large  Extra Large  2X Large
For the Upcoming Academic Year:
 Undergraduate  Post Graduate
College: Humanities and Social Sciences Science & Engineering Med &Vet Med
Course:_____________________________
Year of Study (i.e. 2^nd year UG; 3^rd year Law)
Expected date of Graduation: _____________________________________________
Will you be required to be away from your RA post during the academic year for longer than 4 weeks? (Ex: Placement, field trip, academic research, etc.) Yes  No 

If yes please list details:

Sites for which you wish to be considered (Please select all that apply):

 Catered: Pollock Halls  Self-Catered: Houses and Flats

Experience:
You must have experience in living in shared accommodation. It is preferred that this shared accommodation is at university level. Please list the details of your accommodation at the University of Edinburgh:
Session Accommodation

2015/2016 ______________________________________________________

2014/2015 ______________________________________________________

2013/2014 ______________________________________________________

Other years ______________________________________________________
If you have lived in university accommodation at another university/college please provide those details:
University/College Date of Accommodation Address of Accommodation
Have you received residential disciplinary sanctions? Yes  No 

If yes, please detail:

Have you previously been employed by the University of Edinburgh? If so, please give details, dates, and reasons for leaving.

If you have had other positions of responsibility or experiences which you feel are relevant to this post, please give a brief outline of what this involved (you may also attach your CV to this application).

Where did you hear about this post?

 Current Res Life Staff Member

Who? _________________

 Posters

 UoE Facebook Page

 CareersHub

 Accommodation, Catering and Events Website

 International Office

 Other: _____________________

Post Related Questions:
Please review the post description. Considering all that is expected of a person in this post answer question 1 and 2 from Section A, 1 question from Section B, and the required creative representation in Section C. Please complete on a separate piece of paper and submit with your application. Please type or neatly print in pen your answers. Responses should be a minimum of 175 words for each question.
Section A – Everyone must answer both Questions 1 and 2

 Question 1:

a) Please indicate what attracted you to this post?

b) Do you have any concerns about the post?

 Question 2:

a) Tell us what skills and attributes you would bring to the Resident Assistant position.

b) What skills and experiences do you want to gain from the position?
Section B – Answer 1 of the following:

 Question 3:

1. 
   Describe your experience working with a diverse group of people perhaps as a student leader or within a peer group.
   

b) How might this translate to the RA position?
 Question 4:

a) What is your vision of a residence hall/house/flat community?

b) How would you, if hired, take an active role in developing that community?
Section C - REQUIRED
 Creative Piece- Select one of the following options to complete:

Option 1: Please compose a letter to introduce yourself to the residents. For this question, please assume all your residents are brand new to the University and in their first year of study. Include an introduction of yourself (your interests, passions, personality), an explanation of your role as an RA in your community, and any other information you think is important to communicate.

Option 2: One of the main aspects of an RA’s role is planning and organising events. Please describe an event you would like to host should be successful in this process. Tell us why that event would be beneficial to the resident community, describe the details of the event, detail what you would consider when planning, and design a poster that would attract residents to attend the event.

Interview Availability:
If your application meets the criteria of the Selection Committee you will be allocated an interview date and time. If a candidate is currently abroad, interviews will be hosted via Skype video chat, we still need candidates to inform us of their availability – keeping in mind current time differences between locations. If you are interested in any post we will try to provide you with an interview at any time that fits your availability.
Please note, due to the number of candidates we host for interviews we cannot guarantee that you will have a time you mark, but we will do our best to offer candidates times they list as available. Interviews are generally 30 minutes long.
Please mark below the times you are NOT available for interview

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
09:15
10:00
10:45
11:15
12:00
13:00
13:45
14:30
15:15
16:00
17:30
18:15
19:00
19:45

References:

All appointees are subject to reference checks. Can we approach your references prior to

interview?  Yes  No
I declare that, to the best of my knowledge, the information given in this application is true and correct. I also state that my account with Accommodation, Catering and Events is up to date. I understand and hereby agree that if I am appointed to the post of Resident Assistant it will be on the basis of this information and that a false statement may result in termination of that appointment.
Signature: Date:
Once complete please return this application to:

Residence Life

‘RA Recruitment’

Pollock Halls of Residence

18 Holyrood Park Road

Edinburgh

EH16 5AY

Or by e-mail to: [e-mail]
University of Edinburgh – Accommodation, Catering and Events

Personal Tutor Reference Request - Resident Assistant
Each applicant must have two (2) completed reference requests. One must be completed by an employer the other must be completed by a Personal Tutor/lecturer with knowledge of your academic achievement.
Referees, we would be grateful if you would provide a brief assessment of the applicants’ suitability for the post of Resident Assistant. We would ask you to return this form as soon as possible to the address below.
Name of Applicant:
Name of Referee:
Post held:
For how long have you known the applicant?
Capacity in which you have known the applicant

 Personal Tutor

 Faculty member

Other __________________________________________

In the context of your knowledge of the candidate, please can you assess the applicant’s skills and knowledge in the following areas:

	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Ability to work as part of a team
Communication and interpersonal skills
Sense of responsibility and accountability
Sense of commitment
Problem solving abilities

Any other information you think relevant to the candidate’s suitability?

Signature: Date:
Once complete please return this reference form to:

Residence Life ‘RA Recruitment’

18 Holyrood Park Road

Edinburgh

EH16 5AY

Or by e-mail to: [e-mail]
University of Edinburgh – Accommodation Catering and Events

Former/Current Employer Reference Request - Resident Assistant
Each applicant must have two (2) completed reference requests. One must be completed by an employer the other must be completed by a Personal Tutor/lecturer with knowledge of your academic achievement.
Referees, we would be grateful if you would provide a brief assessment of the applicants’ suitability for the post of Resident Assistant. We would ask you to return this form as soon as possible to the address below.
Name of Applicant:
Name of Referee:
Post held:
For how long have you known the applicant?
Capacity in which you have known the applicant

 A current

 Previous employer

 Other ___________________________

Did the applicant perform his/her duties to your satisfaction during his/her employment with you? (PLEASE EXPAND IF NECESSARY)

Did the applicant relate well to colleagues? (PLEASE EXPAND IF NECESSARY)

Did the applicant present him/herself professionally in his/her working role? (PLEASE EXPAND IF NECESSARY)

Please identify any strengths that make the candidate particularly suitable for this position.

Please identify any significant weaknesses or areas for improvement of the candidates that would bear on this position.

Signature: Date:

Once complete please return this reference form to:

Residence Life ‘RA Recruitment’

18 Holyrood Park Road

Edinburgh

EH16 5AY
University of Edinburgh - Accommodation Catering and Events

Warden/Resident Pre-application Discussion
Each applicant must have met with their Warden prior to submitting an application for the position of Resident Assistant. Topics to be covers are highlighted below. Both Warden and Applicant must sign this document at the end of the meeting. The Applicant should submit this form along with all other relevant documents.
Name of Applicant:
Name of Warden:
Site:
In the context of this application, please can you discuss the following areas:

	Discussed	N/A	Follow Up with ResLife
Duties & Responsibilities
Time Commitment (hours, peak times, returning Sept & Jan)
Previous Disciplinary Record
Any concerns/queries

Any other information you think relevant to the candidate’s suitability?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signature Warden: __________________ Date:

Signature Candidate: _______________ Date:
Once complete please return this form to:

Residence Life ‘RA Recruitment’

18 Holyrood Park Road

Edinburgh

EH16 5AY

Or by e-mail to: [e-mail]