Each candidate MUST attend one information session. This will ensure that you make informed decisions about your application, and that you fully understand the requirements/expectations of the position.

Information sessions will provide:

• Basic requirements/expectations of the RA/CRA position
• Details of the selection process
• Professional job search training
• An opportunity to interact with current staff and ask questions

It is highly recommended that candidates complete the application process AFTER attending an information session to ensure clarity of information, the opportunity to ask questions, and increased efficiency in completing the application process.

• Thursday, December 13, 2007 6pm, East Campus Union (room posted)
• Tuesday, January 15, 2008 7pm, Abel/Sandoz Ballroom
• Wednesday, January 16, 2008 7pm, City Union (room posted)
• Thursday, January 17, 2008 6pm, City Union (room posted)
• Tuesday, January 22, 2008 4pm, City Union (room posted)
• Wednesday, January 23, 2008 9pm, Harper/Schramm/Smith Foodservice Building, Multipurpose Room C
• Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:30pm, OASIS/Culture Center (333 N. 14th Street)

Review all of the information on the website, including the position RA/CRA Academic Year [RA, CRA] and Summer 2007 [RA, CRA] Position Agreements and the Qualifications and Benefits. It is important to ensure that you are qualified to apply and willing to accept the responsibilities of the position, should you receive an offer at the end of the selection process.

Eligibility Requirements for the position

Academic Standing
RA applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.2 (2.5 to be considered for a CRA position). Students who do not meet this criterion automatically will be cut from the process. All Resident/Community Resident Assistants must be full-time students and progressing toward graduation.

First year students will be allowed to apply for the position, however, if they do not meet the GPA requirement during their first term, they will not be allowed to continue in the process.

If you are requesting a grade to be changed, it would need to be posted on the Registrar's system by the application due date. We do not keep applicants in our selection pool who do not meet our GPA requirement but are trying to get a grade changed.

Disciplinary Standing
Students must be in good standing with Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and not be in violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Students who have been or are currently on deferred eviction status, or have been evicted from a residence hall, are not eligible to apply. If you will have an active Judicial Sanction or be on Judicial Probation as of August 20, 2007, you will not be allowed to apply for the RA/CRA position.

Financial Standing
Candidates are required to be in good financial standing with the University. All student staff members are expected to meet payment for tuition and fees. Please note that the salary earned in this position may affect student financial aid award.

The application form is available on-line. Online applications MUST be completed in one session. The system is NOT set up to save partially completed applications, so you might want to print and fill out a hard copy of the application (for practice) so you will know what information you need to provide. You can apply for any and all positions listed. If you are prepared, the application should take about 20 minutes to complete and submit.

On-line Application Form

Applications are due by 5pm on Friday, February 1, 2008. Applicants who submit after the deadline will not be eligible to participate in Residence Life's hiring processes.

Only the application must be submitted on-line; everything else must be delivered IN PERSON to University Housing 202 (1115 N 16th Street).

You should distribute your 2 Reference forms (#1, #2) to the individuals who will be completing them for you as soon as possible. Reference forms may be printed directly from the web site.

Two recommendations are required to apply. Forms can be downloaded from the "Application and Recommendation Form" link.

The #1 reference form should be completed by a Work Supervisor or Non-Academic Advisor reference

The #2 reference form should be completed by an RA/CRA, Greek house representative or, for off campus applicants, a 2nd #1 reference

Please choose the people you ask to write your recommendations carefully.

Those students who do not currently live in a residence hall have the option of asking someone other than a current RA/CRA to write a reference for them. That person should preferably be a former employer or professional reference, but in certain circumstances college professors, teachers, advisors, coaches, or religious leaders can be asked, as long as that person can speak to your ability to work as a team player.

If you previously lived on campus, you can ask your former RA/CRA to complete the reference form for you, if you are still in contact with him/her. It is helpful to have at least one of your references be someone with Residence Life experience, so he/she can offer you a reference from the perspective of someone who understands the type of position you're applying for.

Please follow up with your references to ensure that all reference forms are submitted by the deadline, Friday, February 1, 2008. You can call the Office of Residence Life at 472-3885 to confirm receipt of completed reference forms.

This may be your first job search experience. We want to give you a quality experience, and an opportunity to learn how to handle the details. Please review the following information as you prepare to your create your own cover letter and resume.

Cover Letter (required)

A cover letter is a method of introducing yourself if you're not there to present your resume to someone. It explains why you're interested in the position, any special skills or training that you have, leadership and work experiences, and how you can be reached.

Resume (required)

A resume must be submitted for your application to be complete. Your resume should include the following:

• Full name
• Local and permanent addresses, with corresponding phone numbers
• E-mail addresses
• Education, with anticipated date of graduation
• Any previous work or volunteer experiences. For each position, list your position title; primary responsibilities; dates employed; and the name, address and phone number of the employing organization
• Campus leadership experiences that could contribute to your effectiveness as a member of the Housing and Residence Life Staff (ex. Floor government, Residence Hall Association, etc.)
• Co-Curricular memberships, involvement and special interests (ex. clubs, sports, organizations, hobbies.)
• Honors and awards received. Include the dates you earned the recognition.
• Names, positions, employing organizations and phone numbers of three work or performance-related references who will submit reference forms on your behalf.

As a part of the Resident Assistant selection process, the resume and interview steps are essential to a successful candidate's participation. As a means of helping individuals gain support in accomplishing these steps, we highly suggest you consider taking advantage of the staff assistance and resources offered by Career Services.

In addition, please utilize the following documents as your prepare your cover letter and resume.

Job Search Communication
Cover Letter

As part of the interview process, we ask that you submit a document that allows us to see your creative side. Please see the attached PDF for detailed instructions on the Individual Representation. This IS NOT to be turned in with the application materials, but rather, tendered during the interview process.

Individual Representation

The next step includes selecting a time to participate in the interview process.

Interviews will take place from February 16 through February 20. This involves individual interviews with professional and student staff. The date/location of your interview will be determined after you submit your application materials and your file is complete. Any questions you may have about this part of the process will be answered at this time.

The scores you receive on your interview(s) will be considered with your application and references to determine if you will continue to the hiring stage as a candidate in our process. Residence Directors will spend a great deal of time carefully reading through each candidate file to become more familiar with candidates in the process.

Individual Interviews will last about 3 1/2 hours. This is your time to sell yourself, so come prepared to talk about your experiences, skills and abilities. Dressing in formal business attire is not necessary. For the individual interview, dress should be business casual. You will be interviewing for a job, so dress like you have the confidence to take on the responsibility.

Letters informing applicants of their status as to whether or not they are being offered an RA/CRA position may be picked up in the main lobby of University Housing between 8am and 5pm on Wednesday, March 12. After March 12, letters not picked up by candidates will be sent to the candidate's current address via US Postal Service or UNL campus mail.

The Student Staff Placement Process

Placement is conducted in early March with all of the professional staff present where each candidate is evaluated and matched to a living environment. It is in your best interest, therefore, to see as many RDs throughout the process as possible.

Many criteria are taken into consideration when hiring student staff and placing them in communities. In no particular order, some of the primary criteria we look for include:

• Educational potential
• Leadership skills
• Open-mindedness
• Class standing
• Discussion facilitation skills
• Academic major and/or understanding of learning community needs
• Ability to work in a team setting
• Appreciation for diversity

As you can see, qualifications are a strong consideration, but the possible contributions of the candidate to the respective communities plays a major role in our hiring process.

Because of this philosophy, our commitment is to hiring the most qualified individual for the environment. It is important to remember the Student Staff Selection Process, as with many job interview processes, is competitive. Some individuals are offered positions and some are not.

The Student Staff Selection Committee has worked diligently to create a fair and non-biased selection process. We recommend all candidates focus on preparing themselves to be the best possible candidate they can be! If you don't get a position this year, we strongly encourage you to reapply next year when there will be different openings.

All applicants offered a position as a Resident/Community Assistant for the 2008/09 academic year or summer 2008 must formally accept this offer by signing and returning the acceptance form and position description by 5pm on Friday, March 28, 2008.