become an R.A.

I am going to try again twice this year.

Before next semester, they have interviews for those wanting to RA NEXT SEMESTER. I am going to apply for that. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try it again next semester.

Some interview questions I remember that were hard:
- What changes should RLSH make to be better?
- What does it take to have a great program?
- What is the importance of a board?

There were a lot of stuff… I just want to remember this so I can prepare better.

I seriously think I can get it this time. but we shall see.

I’m innnn. I’ll beon east campus RA-ing freshmen. I guess I can’t check off this goal yet since I won’t technically be an RA until next year, but WOO.

I didn’t get the position.

interviews are over. now all I have to do is wait until april 24th. I just want the process to be over.

I had my interview yesterday and I honestly think it went really well. I am very qualified, having worked as a teacher and a camp counselor. I won’t know for sure until April 24th, but I have high hopes.

I really, really need this. Interviews are saturday. Part of me feels like I will definitely get it, and that’s what everyone’s been telling me. but what if I DON’T. I really might not be able to come back to school next year, and that scares me. I keep looking up at my letters above my desk that say “you are brave” and trying to remember that it’s true.

They want: Someone who is confident and knows the job well enough that they could begin that day with no training.

I met with the new… boss lady. She’s really nice! So anyway, they changed the way they picked people to be more detailed. They used a number system. I don’t remember exactly which segment has how many points, but they all have some weight. The interview having the most. The training session having the 2nd most. And you want to get every little point you can. I got 136 points and the cut off was 140 points.

Application – Turning it in gets full points

Recommendations – I got a 6.5 out of 10. So she recommended I use people who I know will give me a glowing rec. I didn’t realize we could use other student staff members to write these for us. So, anyway, next year, I know exactly who I will be asking to write for me.

Essays – I don’t know how I did on these, but they wanted to see if you understood the job. If you answered the question and showed you understood the job.

Training Day – She said I did well on this. I got 3/5 and 4/5 ’s. They said I had a “quiet confidence” which is good. I like that… I never thought of myself that way before, lol.

Interview – I got 2s, 3s, and a few 4s. Basically, they want answers that show that you know what you’re talking about. they said my answers were basic. Example of how I should answer:
- With specifics. Movie night with such and such themes to educate about such and such.
- one of the interviewers didn’t like my presence? I needed a stronger prensence?

So basically, for next year, I need:

. 2 good recs.
. Study those interview questions with an RA
. take notes at the training day so I better know how to answer interview questions
. be detailed in the interview

Two good things about me:
. quiet confidence
. sincere

That I didn’t get a single position. I just don’t know what it is, though. Granted, I know there are people who can interview better than me. Out of 90 applicants, they had 20 positions. I’m sure there were 20 people out of the 90 who are interviewing machines. However, I just don’t get it when I did everything Renee said I should. I knew the staff, I had leadership positions, and my interview this time was much better than last time.

But, I’m not going to stop. You know, in my life, I feel like I work so so hard just to produce utter failure. I never (or rather I should say rarely) achieve my goals. I know its important to have confidence, so I always try to have confidence while I do the thing. And I try my best to not believe either way whether I will win or fail. I try hard to just accept “my best,” knowing that I aim high. And I miss the target. Its okay. I’m still young and there’s still a lot of the world. Its just very disheartening, but I know I can’t give up because some of THE most successful people in this world have been shot down time after time after time after time…

I just can’t help but think at this time where you’d expect me to be upset… “If I can’t get this job with people who KNOW me, how can I even think of work when I graduate?” “Why am I never good enough for __?” things like that. But, thankfully, I have an analytical side and here are some things I need to remember:

- I have set up an appointment to review my file. I know that there will probably be some BS (always, ALWAYS be aware of BS. This is such an important fact of life), but this is still really important to me. I’m not trying to impress them or get “tips” for next year. This is important so I can know how to better myself for the rest of my life. So I can use what I’ve learned for the real world.

- Here are some reasons that I believe have been holding me back:
. I have a poor GPA (2.9) every time I apply.
. Someone in the department doesn’t like me.
. In day-to-day life, I come off as an undesirable employee

- Here are some things I didn’t do that I should have done:
. filled out ALL slots on task card
. mention the 4 corner stones
. ask good questions at the end “What do you enjoy most about your job?”, etc
. study common interview questions
. practice interview with an RA

- Questions I will ask in the file review
. How does the training day play a role in decision to hire?
. How does my GPA affect how I am viewed
. What kind of students is RLSH looking for
. Last year, I was told to get to know the staff. Does this mean that your past involvements play a role in the decision?
. Would it help to mention that I have come to this review?
. Last year, I was told to get more leadership experience, and I did. I created my own club. Besides leadership, what else is an important quality to have?
. Does the fact that I was applying for all position make me seem a bit alarming?
. Was there anything wrong with my essays?

And lastly, I need to always take notes. I really slacked this year. I didn’t take any notes. I was too lazy to fill out the whole task card. I didn’t organize my time well enough to meet my RA to practice with her. The kid across the hall got an alternate position. He did everything that I told myself I would do last year. On top of that, he’s always smiling (like ALWAYS smiling, lol. And he has different types of smiles for different emotions). And his GPA probably isn’t a 2.9.

So, I’ll try again next year. More organized. More prepared.

Now, there are I think 2 more really BIG jobs that are coming around. They aren’t RA positions, but they’re competitive, well benefitted, good experience gaining positions. I’m not going to tell myself “I probably won’t get them”. I’m just going to keep trying.

My persistence is the only quality I have that makes me feel like I’m worth anything.

This freshman guy across the hall from me seems to have had a good interview. If I don’t make it this year, here are some advice I should implement for the interview next year

- Mention the 4 corner stones!!! Very impressive!
- They GRADE you on the QUESTION you ask at the end! Think of a good question… “How did you get into this?” “How has it been rewarding for you?” Etc…

Oh man, I’m so mad I never even CONSIDERED mentioning those things in my interview. At least I talked about strengthsquest… :/

I had my Hall Tour Ambassador interview. I was really comfortable and I was just myself. I talked about how I’m an “includer” and yada yada. I feel like at times, I speak very passionately and un-rehearsed. I really hope that is seen and is received and is good!

So… I’ll update next week when we get our acceptance/decline letters.

I had my interview. It went better than last year, but still… I have no clue. I tried not to stress. I was more relaxed than last year. Last year, Erin (I think is her name) gave me some… iff-y looks…

They asked some questions that I found online.
http://www.residentassistant.com/reslifepro/selection/WMU%2010-RA%20INTERVIEW%20QUESTIONS.doc

So be able to answer any of those questions. They only ask a few, but I wish I had practiced more. So I would be able to be confident in my answers and that confidence would show. Since I didn’t feel like I had “back up” (IE. practiced answers so I can always know what I want to say… no matter what question they’ll ask, I would have thought about something related to it and be able to answer), I relied on being relaxed and friendly.

I’m a little shook up just because I don’t know if my answers were impressive. I was just being my self on the spot. I wish I had mentioned more how much I want it… how I met with Rene to see what I needed to do. But… hopefully the fact that they know who I am and I’m doing it again will give sight to that. In the first interview (it was divided into two) I talked a lot about my study abroad trip because that really affected me and my hip hop dance club because its one of my proudest accomplishments. I really think those 2 experiences are my big’uns. They’ve totally changed me and how I see myself and other people. I was able to talk about them openly, honestly and passionately. So I liked the first interview. I was comfortable with my interviewers.

The second one, I was comfortable with them. I knew who they were. One of them sees me all the time at the desk at work. She’s seen me make a few mistakes, though. That’s the one thing I don’t like about them already knowing me. The second interview was much shorter and not as intimate as the first.

I still have my Hall Tour Ambassador interview. I’m not so scared of the HTA interview. I’m anticipating questions like “Why do you like the school?” “What would you tell someone about the school?” and other questions that you answer on the spot randomly anyway. Just as if you interviewed me about my club or Oaxaca, Mexico… I don’t need to sit down and organize my thoughts. I’m very passionate about them and will answer honestly.

So, I’ll know the results by the 25th. That’s 2 weeks. ARGH. Don’t want to wait…