Living with your charges is no easy task, but it can be very rewarding. When you decide you’re ready to lend a helping hand, you need a resident assistant resume that illustrates your fun side, but also your deep sense of responsibility. Let the information below guide you.
Published: November 29, 2023 Last Updated: September 07, 2024 Average rating people’ve already rated it
The name resident assistant typically congers up an upper-level student assisting incoming students, but it can also be a caregiver who works in a group home setting. In either case, you’re ready to guide residents to help them make the most of their group living experience. Competition may be tough, so you need a resident assistant (RA) resume that combines your friendly personality with your sense of responsibility.
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This may be the first resume you’ve written, since up to now your career has been as a student. Even if you’re a seasoned resident assistant, you can rely on the resources at Resume.io to help you elevate your application, inclduing resume guides and resume examples for 350+ professions plus an easy-to-use resume builder.
The resume guide below includes an adaptable RA resume example. It will take you through the following topics:
Looking for some general advice? Check out our comprehensive guide on how to write a resume from scratch now.
Expert tipPersonalize
Each residential situation houses a different type of client. That makes personalizing your RA resume for each position a requirement. Consider what each job entails, the environment in which you will work, and the population of residents as you compile your application document.
If you’re a college student, we understand that you’re applying at one university, so personalizing seems counterintuitive; however, every dorm or housing situation has its own culture and personality. The best resident assistant resume examples address why you are a great fit for that particular dorm and how you will enhance the residents’ experiences there.
First and foremost, resident assistants are charged with the safety and security of residents and must keep up with all new rules and regulations regarding safety. They provide training, monitor compliance with rules and may work with a case management team for individual residents.
University RAs assist individuals with their concerns about any aspect of college life and guiding them to the proper channels when necessary. The resident assistant may be the first person an incoming freshman meets when they move into their housing. RAs check students in and may give an orientation to the dorm, its facilities and the area of the campus where the dorm is located.
The job can be much lighter than that, however. RAs are also team-builders who develop social activities and ways for students to make friends. Included in a resident assistant job description may be the requirement to lead an activity at specified intervals to ensure that students have opportunities to connect with their neighbors.
Statistical insightWhat does a resident assistant earn?
The median hourly income for a residential advisor is $17.17 or $35,720 annually. The bottom 10% earn $12.12 and the top 10% earn $24.75, U.S. Labor Bureau statistics show.
Resident assistants are used to adhering to structure, as this typically helps their charges function. Students are also familiar with outlines. RA resumes also follow an outline that contains specific elements. They are:
Typically we recommend the reverse chronological order format for resumes. This holds true for resident assistants who have followed a linear career. This format is favored by recruiters and the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that scan and rank your resident assistant resume online.
However, for student RAs, consider a hybrid format. Why? Because as many resident assistant resume samples show, RA candidates are students and probably have not had full-time jobs.
A hybrid format allows you to expand your skills and summary sections and minimize your work history if necessary. That way, you can demonstrate the enthusiasm and caring that will make you an excellent RA students can rely on.
The header of your RA resume presents important information in a visually pleasing manner. In fact, it’s the most creative section, design-wise, of your document. The main idea behind the header is to allow HR personnel to contact you easily. To that end, include the following:
The summary of your resident assistant resume offers you a four-line blank slate. Personality plays a huge role in an RA position since you will be living with your charges, so while you need to maintain a professional tone, you should also let your style shine.
Tell about a time you were responsible for others or designed and led a social activity that was a big hit. Then, make sure you emphasize why you want to be an RA. You may even express interest in a certain housing situation or particular population of residents that you feel an affinity toward.
Adaptable summary resume sampleProactive and community-minded Resident Assistant with over 2 years of experience fostering a safe and supportive living environment for college residents. Demonstrated ability to organize successful community-building events and provide conflict resolution in a residence hall setting. Seeking to leverage experience and skills in a new Resident Assistant position.
Copy to clipboardAdditional writing material in our related resume samples may inspire your own writing of this freeform section:
The employment history section details your successes at the position you have held. The best resident assistant resume samples go the extra mile by using each bullet item to demonstrate to housing supervisors how your skills will enhance the lives of the residents you serve.
Even part-time jobs show you have the basic resident assistant skills, such as communication, reliability and work ethic.
Adaptable employment history resume exampleResident Assistant at California State University Housing and Residence Life, Sacramento, CA
August 2020 - May 2022
Customer Service Representative at Book Haven, Sacramento, CA
June 2019 - August 2020
