Something feels off...
A candidate says: "I spend a lot of time volunteering through my church."
What should you NOT ask, and how should this be documented if it's relevant to your notes?
Do not ask about a candidate's religion, religious beliefs, or practices, and document relevant volunteer experience, leadership, event planning, community service, or involvement rather than religious affiliation
You arrive fully dressed and on time but forgot your laptop. Another interviewer says, "Just score everything on your phone."
What's the concern?
Interviewers should arrive prepared with required materials, complete evaluations appropriately, and follow established processes.
A candidate answers a question in one sentence and stops talking.
What's your next move?
Ask a follow-up question
Which note would earn more credit?
A. "Great candidate."
B. "Mediated a conflict between roommates and followed up with both residents after the conversation."
Option B provides specific examples and evidence, documents actions taken by the candidate, and can be used to support a score on the rubric.
A candidate asks: "What's your favorite part about being an RA?"
Take 30 seconds to discuss with your team before sharing out your response
Looking for: Genuine enthusiasm, connection to the role, personal growth
Examples: Building relationships with residents, creating community, helping students succeed, developing leadership skills
A candidate says: "I've been really involved with the Black Student Alliance during my time at UT."
What should you NOT ask, and how should this be documented if it's relevant to your notes?
Do not ask questions about the candidate's race or ethnicity, avoid documenting identity-based information, document the experience as involvement in a student organization or campus organization, and focus on leadership, involvement, skills, and impact rather than the identity-based nature of the organization
You finish an interview and have another starting in ten minutes. A fellow interviewer asks, "What score did you give them?"
How should you respond?
Decline discussing scores, submit your evaluation independently, avoid influencing another interviewer's scoring
A candidate says: "I handled a difficult roommate conflict."
Provide a strong follow-up question.
What did you do? Walk us through the situation. What was your role?
A candidate receives a high score in conflict management.
What should your notes contain to support that score?
Specific examples, actions taken, outcomes achieved, demonstrated competencies, and details that explain why the score was earned.
A candidate asks: "What's the most challenging part of being an RA?"
Take 30 seconds to discuss with your team before sharing out your response
Looking for: Honesty, professionalism, realistic expectations
Examples: Time management, balancing academics and responsibilities, difficult conversations, supporting residents through challenging situations, learning from challenges
A candidate says: "I have two children, so time management is really important to me."
What should you NOT ask, and how should this be documented if it's relevant to your notes?
Do not ask follow-up questions about children, childcare arrangements, or family planning, and focus notes on demonstrated time management, organization, and balancing responsibilities rather than family status.
You completed three interviews but decide you'll enter all of your Qualtrics evaluations at the end of your shift.
What's the concern?
Evaluations should be submitted promptly, details may be forgotten, complete evaluations before moving to the next interview
A candidate says: "Our event was really successful."
What information are you still missing?
Their individual role, actions taken, contributions, outcomes
Your interview notes say: "They seem mature and would fit in well with our team."
What's missing?
Specific examples, documented experiences, observable behaviors, competencies demonstrated by the candidate, and objective information that supports a score.
A candidate asks: "What's something you wish every new RA knew before starting the job?"
Take 30 seconds to discuss with your team before sharing out your response
Looking for: Authenticity, self-awareness, valuable insight from experience
Examples: You won't be perfect, community building takes time, residents won't all engage the same way, asking for help is a strength, small interactions often have the biggest impact
A candidate answers a question with a noticeable accent.
What should you NOT ask?
Do not ask where a candidate is "really from," whether English is their first language, or questions related to nationality, avoid documenting observations about accent or perceived background, and evaluate the content of the response rather than making assumptions based on speech, accent, or background.
During a break, you hear several staff members discussing how well a candidate performed in the hallway.
What concerns does this raise?
Candidate discussions should be limited, maintain professionalism, avoid influencing others' evaluations
The Interview 101 training encourages follow-up questions beginning with four words.
Name them.
Who, What, When, Where
According to Interview 101, name one thing that should NOT appear in your interview notes.
Opinions, assumptions, emotions, identity-based information, or anything not related to the candidate's demonstrated experiences and examples.
A candidate asks: "What would make someone struggle in this position?"
Take 30 seconds to discuss with your team before sharing out your response
Looking for: Realistic understanding of the role, constructive feedback, professionalism
Examples: Poor communication, unwillingness to seek help, difficulty managing time, resistance to feedback, lack of initiative, not building relationships with residents
A candidate is quiet and reserved throughout the interview but provides detailed examples and strong responses.
What should NOT influence your score, and what should your notes reflect instead?
Do not score based on personality, likability, or whether the candidate would fit in socially with the current staff, and focus notes and scores on demonstrated competencies, examples, experiences, and evidence gathered during the interview.
You are carrying the on-call phone and have interviews scheduled all morning.
What should happen before your interviews begin?
Arrange coverage, communicate with teammates, ensure responsibilities are covered while interviewing
A candidate gives a polished answer that sounds great but provides very little information.
Why should you continue asking follow-up questions?
Clarify experiences, gather examples, assess competencies, avoid scoring based on surface-level impressions
A candidate says: "I served as a mentor in my organization, planned three programs, and helped resolve conflicts between members."
You write: "Great leader."
What's the problem with this note?
The note is too vague, lacks evidence, does not capture the candidate's actual examples, and would make it difficult to justify a score later.
A candidate asks: "What would make someone not enjoy being an RA?"
Take 30 seconds to discuss with your team before sharing out your response.
Looking for: Honesty, professionalism, realistic expectations, self-awareness about the role
Examples: The role isn't for everyone, challenges with time management, discomfort with difficult conversations, preference for working independently rather than with a team, lack of interest in building community, unwillingness to seek support when needed
Challenge: Be honest about the demands of the role without speaking negatively about Housing or discouraging the candidate from applying.