SEAHO Report - Spring 2018 - 23

SEAHO Feature Articles
Self-Exploration
A wise colleague once told me, "Personal development is the foundation for professional development". In my
opinion, self-exploration is the foundation for RAs to be successful within their role. The more that you know
about yourself, the more satisfied you will be with your work and finding jobs that align with your values. I wanted the RAs to dig deeper to uncover their interests, skills, personality, and preferred work environments. With
an awareness of this information, it would be easier to start looking for jobs they would enjoy after graduation.
This self-reflection was also helpful to have the RAs to think about what aspects of the RA role aligned with their
values to aid with combatting burning-out during the academic year.
I created a "Life Design Guide" which included principles from popular career development books. The purpose
of the guide was to help the RAs examine how they are living now to open up possibilities to what their life could
be in the future considering they will be entering the workforce soon. The guide also helped to connect all the
personal and professional experiences the RAs would gain during the academic year.
RA Professional Development
For RAs to feel competent in the role, we need to make sure we are preparing them to handle the required tasks
that fall within their job description. Fall training focused on preparing the RAs for the role and specific skills
they would need to feel comfortable performing to best serve their residents. The Office of Leadership and Service Learning (OLSL) introduced a leadership framework with eight competencies that showcase how a leader
can be developed. These competencies are Self-Awareness/Self-Management, Relationship/Group Development,
Task Management, Creative Visioning, Effective Communication, Intercultural Knowledge, Community Engagement, and Ethical Decision Making. These competencies are similar to the National Association of Colleges
and Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies which are important to future employers. Fall training
sessions were designed to incorporate the values of the HRL department, and the eight leadership competencies
to make sure the RAs were developing transferable skills that would enable them to be successful in the role, and
be prepared to enter the workforce when they graduate.

To provide another opportunity for professional development, a Leading for the Future RA Conference was hosted during the spring semester instead of training sessions. RAs were encouraged to practice their public speaking
skills and present to their peers regarding topics related to professional development, self-exploration, leadership
development and career development. 94% of the RAs who attended the conference felt as though they could put
the information they learned from the conference into immediate use.
Leadership Development
The RA position is a prominent leadership role on campus. Students serving in the position have a great deal of
responsibility for the safety and security of our residents, while also acting as positive role models. After going
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SEAHO Report Spring 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Spring 2018