Here are the Best RA(Resident Advisor) Interview Questions with answers.
Resident Advisor is one of the best jobs you can get if you are a people person, want to interact with them on a day-to-day basis, and want to get paid for it. They are the indirect caretakers of the residential areas and any queries related to those areas will go through to them. Therefore the people in these positions need to be aware of the areas they work on and the difficulties that people might encounter.
However, being an RA comes with a lot of responsibility since you will be listening to and solving problems for a bunch of different people. That is why you need to remember to form a good relationship with your companions and the people who come to you with complaints, to ensure smooth transactions and communication in your daily work life.
The work of an RA starts with presiding over the daily life of the hall residents and staff lief and making sure the quality of life is maintained for the people living in those halls. That is why you should remember that it will take a tremendous amount of hard work every day to ensure that all of the requirements of the hall residents are fulfilled by you.
When you manage to get an interview regarding this position, you need to study about it and make sure you are ready. To do that, it is important to know what this position is about.
That is why this article will give you several interview questions as a reference point so you can go to the interview with revision and knowing what you will need to do instead of just winging it. First, we will be looking at the roles and responsibilities and then the interview questions.
Roles and Responsibilities of an RA
The resident advisors live with students of the resident, and take care of their lifestyle, and are assets to those halls. They are guides, mentors, and friends responsible for making sure the people living in those areas are doing well in their living environment.
There are no qualifications as such but you must have a high school diploma or equivalent and also an ability and interest to work with people for the betterment of their lives. Interpersonal skills are the key to get hired for this role.
There are various responsibilities that you must undertake in order to make sure you get the job done right so that the residents and higher-ups are happy with your work. The most important job is to make sure the students in the dorms are properly taken care of, and their problems are faced with prompt solutions.
You need to monitor the halls, a check-up with students if there is distress or causes of concerns among them, providing council services to the students, making sure the safety measures and house guidelines are promptly taken care of, and more.
Let us take a look at the interview questions so you know a little bit more about the inside process.
Interview Questions
- Why makes you the ideal candidate for this role?
This question is asked for most of the interviews since the employer wants to test your mettle and see what kind of qualities you possess in your eyes. It can also give the message of self-reliance and the ability to solve problems on the go. That is why you need to be confident when you answer.
Research the position ahead of time and determine what is required, do not sound arrogant. That sends the wrong message.
Answer I have experience living in the student dorms and know about problems the people encounter day today. I have experience in being an advisor so, I have an idea of how to solve those problems.
The services have to be prompt and hassle-free, I have read up on the job description and have worked extensively to inculcate skills that will be required of me in this job. I love being in a leadership position and working with others so I know this will be a great position for me.
- What do you think is the most difficult part of being a student advisor?
This question is very subjective and it will differ from person to person but one thing is for certain, you will need to figure out what is the most difficult for you and be honest about it. Do not lie on the job, or the interview.
This will not bode well in the future, also do not say you do not think anything is difficult. It will then tell the interviewer that you do not possess a knack for self-improvement. The most important part of having this job is the responsibility, make sure to highlight that if you want to look for difficult parts.
Answer The most difficult part is managing time while being a Resident Advisor and a student. Taking into account helping everyone in the dorms and managing studies at the same time. This job can be time-consuming but it has a lot of benefits attached to it.
The opportunity to interact with other students, solving their problems, making their life easier is worth in the long run, while also making sure it gives me experience in the world of management and leadership. Another difficult part is to find prompt solutions to all of the problems.
- What have you done to improve yourself in the last year as a Resident Advisor?
Your extracurricular skills and the things you learned in academics will be really helpful for you in the long run regarding this position. Presentation skills, communication, cultural skills, work experiences, different books to read are some of the best answers you can give about the improvements on the job. These are the best skills anyone can gain for their career and will work out for you too.
Make sure to volunteer if you have not or even work for college events or festivals to gain experience.
Answer I have worked on improving myself physically and mentally. I have learned presentation skills, worked in college events to gain experience in management and interaction, along with reading books about leadership. Those books have helped me learn time management, communication skills, and other soft skills that are required of me.
These skills have helped me improve as a Resident Advisor and helped me obtain valuable information about what this position is about and what I can do to improve as much as I can so people of the dorms can rely on me and I can get work done quickly.
- Describe a conflict you settled while being an RA in the past.
If you say you have the experience as an RA, you will definitely be asked this question. That is why you need to be prepared to describe the situation. If you do not have experience as an RA you can just say this is your first time doing this, they will ask you another question instead of this.
This question will allow them to see how solution and time-oriented you are, along with seeing how you can solve problems between two conflicting parties.
Answer There was a conflict between a group of friends during the New Year when they decided on having a party. As the next day was the first day of the year and the start of the semester, one side wanted to be promptly ready and turn in early. The other wanted to party.
Both sides had their pros and cons, and they were noticeably angry and on the verge of a fight breaking out, I offered a solution of doing both. The party would take place at dusk and end promptly at midnight, in this way people can sleep and also have fun.
- What makes you different from the other candidates that have applied for the position of RA?
This is to test what is uniques about yourself. Mention a quality that makes sure you are a unique candidate among the other candidates, and ensure you do it in a way that sounds reliable. Like you will be a great source in solving problems and reporting them to the authorities.
Do not forget your desire to help the students and mention your strengths and experiences, these three things will help you give your answer in this situation. Highlight your worth and how you can be an ideal investment.
Answer I have done volunteering before which has helped me forge bonds with students in the past and help me build communication skills, I have worked as an RA before as well. I also have different skills that are in the interest of this job such as leadership, time management, and critical thinking obtained by volunteering.
I also have the will to help students and ease their problems since there were a lot of problems for the students highlighted in the recent situations I came across as an RA previously.
- What kind of relationships would you build with the residents? What will be the driving factor behind those relationships?
Building relationships between you and the other student residents is the most important part of the job since they will help you inculcating your solutions in the dorms and will determine your future. They are an essential component for you to look after and build a great friendship.
Even if you leave the job, these friends will still be there for you so do not look at them as people you need to monitor, look at them as friends and the people you will spend most of your time with.
Answer Trust is the most important factor in me being a RA. Being honest with the students will allow them to know the problem and help me and them form a solution. It is guidance and leadership at the same time, and a good leader is honest with his people. Friendship is an important part but separating it from work and fun can be difficult, I know how that can be kept separated.
I want to build relationships with the dorm students in such a way that it is a two-way street, in which both parties are honest, reliable, respectful, and positive towards each other.
- How would you adjust your student life along with the responsibility of being a Resident Advisor?
Time management is a very important skill that is to be learned by a student, and it is useful in many walks of life. If a person is busy and is faced with many deadlines and challenges, he can make ways to complete those challenges in the allotted amount of time without any problems.
It can be called adaptability and it is learned through time and experience, and you need to learn these skills to perform well as an RA.
Answer I generally function well when I have work to do, it seems natural when I have deadlines and have to finish those in allotted times. It helps me easily plan tasks and micromanage my studies at the same time. It makes me aware and I can easily solve problems due to the time efficiency tasks present.
Being busy naturally helps me get tasks done, that is why I plan to organize work and studies at separate time slots to effectively maximize my output. In this way, I will try my best to meet deadlines.
- List the characteristics that best describe your personality.
The characteristics that you will describe will be associated with you and it will define what kind of person you are. It is important to have different characteristics but the ones that you have must fit the job description while also see that it profits the students.
You must be eager to help the students and those characteristics should make your work easier rather than complicate it. These traits will be useful once you become a RA and they will help you interact easily with the people in the dorms.
Answer Hard-working, strong-willed, adaptable, friendly, and honesty are the five personality traits that would best describe me. I am hard working with a tendency to not give up on tasks until those are completed. I can adapt to situations with a little help and once I adjust to it I can easily do it without giving up.
I am friendly and approachable so a lot of people can talk to me without expecting a bad response or uninterest. As honesty is the best way to solve problems and help people, I will be honest to all students that expect a deadline or an answer regarding a situation.
- Where do you see yourself five years from now?
This is the part where you talk about your passion and let them know what resonates with you more. It can be about making money, being in a better position than you are today, or just being financially free. Talk about what you want to be in the future or what you are inspired by and what you want to pursue that.
Talk about a particular field that you want to pursue, this will help the interviewer get an idea of what you want with the future and they can get to know you better.
Answer I see myself becoming a general manager or an associate manager in an accounting firm. The art of management has always been fascinating to me because it is surprising on much work you can get done in a day if you just organize your time and resources.
This job will help me a lot in pursuing that dream because a lot of the elements are similar to what a manager does, and the work and allocation of resources include the same amount of dedication and work as this job.
- How would you organize an event with around 30 people with less budget?
It is not difficult to organize a gathering this small with a meager budget since all it takes for people to have a good time is good company, some good food, and party games. So a perfect event could be a movie night, a quiz, or a trivia night. There are many other gatherings you can do such as a dance party or anything else as long as it grabs the attention of the people.
The environment of the place is all that matters, it should seem inviting and not hostile.
Answer I believe the best party is where the people and their personalities are given the attention. So nothing fancy, just some food, juices and karaoke, or any form of singing where all of the people can join in and let loose. A dancing party would be good too as it would let everyone get involved in the festivities.
This will allow everyone to loosen up while also building trust and companionship with the people who participate. This will result in bonds and friendships which otherwise would not have taken place in any other parties.
Conclusion
These are the questions that are the most commonly asked for the job interview. Make sure to prepare more by researching the requirements, studying the position will give you a lot of insight into the job requirements and duties. Always be mindful of the position and research what position you want.
