The Office of Residential Life is interested in selecting the most qualified applicants for the Resident Assistant positions. The selection process includes the following:

1. Submitting your application and resume
2. Asking three individuals to serve as references for you 
3. Participating in Individual Interviews and Group Process Interviews

Resident Assistants play an essential role in the residential life program at Carleton College. Being a Resident Assistant will challenge you to grow both personally and professionally. The experiences you gain in this role will serve you well for the rest of you life, no matter what career you may choose. Thank you again for expressing an interest in joining our team!

It is hoped that your decision to become a Resident Assistant is a valid one. The decision to withdraw an application is an option at any stage of the selection process. If you decide not to continue in the selection process, it is important to notify the Office of Residential Life at 222-4072. Thank you for your interest in the Resident Assistant position.

Minimum Qualifications

To be considered an eligible candidate for our Resident Assistant position you must meet the following criteria:

• be of sophomore, junior, or senior standing fall term.
• have an overall grade point average of 2.50.

Our preference is that the RA position is filled for the entire academic year; however, we will still take your candidacy into consideration if you will be off-campus for a part of the year. Past or present violations of College policy may affect candidacy, but will not necessarily keep applicants from being considered.

Application, Resume and References

The application, your resume and the recommendation forms must be submitted by noon, February 25 to the Office of Residential Life, Sevy G10. Please complete the on-line application. To ensure that your application will be given full consideration, make sure that the application is complete and all information is provided. Finally, turn in your application on time, no late applications will be accepted.

Additionally, you will need to submit your most current resume by noon, February 25. Your resume will help us learn more about you, such as your employment and co-curricular involvement history. Please email your resume to reslife@carleton.edu. The Career Center is a resource if you need assistance with your resume. Information about this can be found on their website: https://apps.carleton.edu/career/students/application/. 

Each candidate is responsible for distributing the link to the online reference form to the people chosen as references. In choosing references, the following should be taken into consideration:

     • Choose three people who know you well and can give an honest evaluation of you.

     • At least one reference must be a current Resident Assistant. Please explain if the reference is not your current RA.

Individual Interviews

You will have two individual interviews that will last approximately 30 minutes each. You will be interviewing with a team of three people; one professional Residential Life staff member and two current Resident Assistants. The interviews will be held on April 3, 4 , 6 or 7. You will be emailed your interview time by March 29. On your scheduled interview day, arrive on time and be sure you know where you are going. If you do not understand a question, please ask the interviewers to restate the question. Come prepared with questions you would like to have answered. You may want to consult with the Career Center staff for hints on effective interviewing. Information about this can be found on their website: https://apps.carleton.edu/career/students/application/.  There is also a "How to ACE The Peer Leader Interview" workshop that we recommend on Monday, February 25 from 7:00-8:30pm in Olin 141.

Group Process

Each candidate is required to participate in the group process interviews. The group process interviews will also be held on April 3, 4, 6 or 7. The activities will allow the selection personnel to see the candidates in small group problem-solving situations. Your group process time will either be before or after your individual interviews.

Time Commitment

The group process will either follow immediately after or be immediately before the individual interviews. The interviews will take approximately three (3) hours. Please be sure to indicate if one or more of the dates will not work for you. Once the schedule is made, we cannot make changes.