The role of the resident assistant is often misunderstood. They are not there to break up wild parties and ensure that other excesses are kept under control. In fact, their role is far more pastoral. Many students rely on them for all kinds of support – college can be a difficult time for many students for all sorts of reasons.
Resident assistants have a raft of responsibilities that are directly linked to the well-being of the student body, so university management is highly selective in their choices. Pick the wrong type of person and things can go sideways swiftly.
A resident assistant cover letter should therefore convey the approach to your work and a sense of personality that you bring to the role. You may not have held such a position before, but you need to show that you are good at resolving disputes, working through interpersonal issues, and being an emotional outlet for those that are struggling.
Alongside this resident assistant cover letter guide, our broad choice of cover letter examples and writing guides help you to choose what to share. Here is what we cover:
- How to format a cover letter for maximal impact
- What to include in the introduction, middle part, and conclusion
- Sharing both your personality and experience
- How to write a resident assistant cover letter with no experience
Best format for a resident assistant cover letter
Resident assistants need to be effective and concise in both their oral and written communication. They know that words can sometimes be interpreted in different ways and that the format of any message will play a part in how it is interpreted. When writing a resident assistant cover letter, stick to the tried-and-tested format:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting/salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
A cover letter should document how you go about your work, your motivations, and your career ambitions. You will likely have plenty of resident assistant stories that go beyond the more factual details of your resume, so pick the most suitable tales that you wish to continue during an interview. All sorts of things go on at university and college, so while you shouldn’t be too extreme with your career stories, you do need to demonstrate that you can deal with anything that comes your way.
Consider the nature of the educational establishment and do some background research. Scan their social media and check out what is being shared; see what sort of problems you would be most likely to encounter and whether you have dealt with similar things previously. Your cover letter should detail how you went about solving the issues.
The comprehensive cover letter guide shares some of the finer points of cover letter writing. Our resident assistant cover letter example may offer inspiration:
Dear Ms. Foxton,
Studying for a Ph.D. means that I have met a few resident assistants in my time. The best of them empathized with their fellow hall members - defusing conflicts, offering all manner of assistance, and promoting unity. I would now like to play that role.
Enforcing regulations is also part of the job, but in my experience, the best resident assistants did not let their hall cultures disintegrate that far. If students enjoy their university experience within reasonable boundaries, there is no need for a strict rule of law.
I have lived on the Latchworth campus for the past five years. My knowledge of the local area and social scene will help me to pinpoint where potential flashpoints may occur. An outsider cannot do this job effectively – I understand where students are likely to get into trouble.
I worked as a temporary resident assistant last year for six months to cover for Jill Parsley during her absence. During this time, student complaints dropped by 17%, and minor rule infractions fell by a surprising 30%. I did my best to be available for my fellow students and tried to resolve interpersonal conflicts whenever possible.
As I pursue my doctorate in behavioral science, the practicalities of the resident assistant role cannot fail to fascinate me. I am a practiced communicator who always gives every situation my utmost attention.
I would love to share what I learned during my temporary role if I have the opportunity of meeting for an interview. This is a job that I would relish, and I am passionate about ensuring that all of my fellow students have the “best” hall experience. This means different things to different people. It is this diversity that I look forward to embracing and encouraging.
Sincerely,
Hannah Beckwith
Cover letter header
Resident assistants should be keen to be a visible presence for their fellow students. The cover letter header performs a similar function. Choose an attractive and professional header that will help your cover letter stand out. The header should contain your contact details – full name, email address, and mobile number. It is important to list them here as well as on your resume.
There is no requirement to share your full home address – just your city or town will be fine. You can share this information at the offer stage (there are data protection issues). Additionally, there is now no need to include the inside address of the employer – you are not likely to be sending your application by post, although you can include it if you wish to be formal.
Cover letter greeting
While you might be calling the students that will surround you all sorts of names, stick to the conventional with your resident assistant cover letter greeting. “Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms/Professor Surname” will be fine. Any other choices may be frowned upon and set you apart as someone who does not follow convention.
Resident assistants should be people-oriented, so do your best to find out the name of the hiring manager if it is not on the job description. Going the extra mile matters.
Cover letter introduction
In terms of how to start a cover letter, lead with your best possible career example of why you would be a perfect fit and maybe share why you want the role. There is no typical day for a resident assistant, so demonstrating flexibility and a can-do attitude will set the right tone at the start of the cover letter.
Check out the introduction from our resident assistant cover letter example:
Dear Ms. Foxton,
Studying for a Ph.D. means that I have met a few resident assistants in my time. The best of them empathized with their fellow hall members - defusing conflicts, offering all manner of assistance, and promoting unity. I would now like to play that role.
Cover letter middle part (body)
It is easy to fall into the trap of repeating your resume in the middle part of a cover letter. You wonder what to write and feel that it is best to regurgitate your top achievements. That is wasting the potential of the format.
The middle of a cover letter should be full of personality. Your resume details what you have done – in the cover letter you have a chance to lift the lid on how you go about doing it. What sort of a person are you like to have around? How do you manage relationships with others? When a problem comes your way, how do you go about solving it?
You only have a couple of short paragraphs, and it is still important to share some quantifiable context from your career achievements alongside the behavioral aspects, so don’t worry if you only offer a brief hint at your stories. You will be able to continue them at the interview later on.
The middle part of this resident assistant letter may offer some ideas:
Enforcing regulations is also part of the job, but in my experience, the best resident assistants did not let their hall cultures disintegrate that far. If students enjoy their university experience within reasonable boundaries, there is no need for a strict rule of law.
I have lived on the Latchworth campus for the past five years. My knowledge of the local area and social scene will help me to pinpoint where potential flashpoints may occur. An outsider cannot do this job effectively – I understand where students are likely to get into trouble.
I worked as a temporary resident assistant last year for six months to cover for Jill Parsley during her absence. During this time, student complaints dropped by 17%, and minor rule infractions fell by a surprising 30%. I did my best to be available for my fellow students and tried to resolve interpersonal conflicts whenever possible.
As I pursue my doctorate in behavioral science, the practicalities of the resident assistant role cannot fail to fascinate me. I am a practiced communicator who always gives every situation my utmost attention.
How to close a resident assistant cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
The best close to a resident assistant cover letter is to finish with one last example of when you went above and beyond in your role. Students can experience all sorts of issues and you need to be prepared to take all of them in your stride.
Don’t be afraid of saying that you are looking forward to finding out more about the role in your final paragraph. Show that you are keen on the role and hint to the hiring manager that they should be inviting you sooner rather than later. Have a look at an example resident assistant conclusion here:
I would love to share what I learned during my temporary role if I have the opportunity of meeting for an interview. This is a job that I would relish, and I am passionate about ensuring that all of my fellow students have the “best” hall experience. This means different things to different people. It is this diversity that I look forward to embracing and encouraging.
Sincerely,
Hannah Beckwith
Resident assistant cover letter with no experience
It may be the case that you are looking for a resident assistant role without previous experience. If that is the case, do not despair:
- Have a think about what transferrable skills you can bring to the role.
- Show a deep understanding of what the job entails.
- Prove that you have the interpersonal skills to enable success.
- Draw on your own academic experiences to bridge the gap.
People are hired as resident assistants with no previous experience all the time. Just because you haven’t done it before doesn’t mean that you won’t be great at it.
Basic mistakes in a resident assistant application letter (and how to avoid them)
When you are tasked with the wellbeing of the wider student body, university authorities would hope that you have a reasonable grasp of detail. The following cover letter mistakes will be noted:
- Grammatical errors. Use an online application such as Grammarly to check the text for basic errors. Ask a friend to proofread to make sure that it sounds like you.
- Don’t sound like a student. While it is important that you show that you understand students, it would be a mistake to position yourself as one of the crowd.
- Stick with relevant experience. Your academic achievements are not relevant. You need to demonstrate your people skills.
Key takeaways
- Offer a sense of how you will act with the wider student body.
- Share your personality through a couple of suitable examples.
- Start the conversations that you wish to continue during an interview.
- Say why you want the job and show a willingness to get started.
These other education cover letter examples may also help to guide you:
