University Students’ Council of the University of Western Ontario
ORIENTATION STAFF APPLICATION
DUE: November 11th, 2015 at 4:00 pm
INTERVIEWS: November 18th – 25th, 2015
SUBMIT APPLICATION ON: www.westerncareercentral.ca
APPLICATION SUMMARY
Applicants will be required to submit a completed written application and resume at
https://www.westerncareercentral.ca/student/studentLogin.htm
The intake of all Orientation Staff applications will be through Western`s CareerCentral portal.
Individual job postings have been created for each position. Applicants will be required to log on
to CareerCentral using their Western username and password. Applications can be found by
clicking on “Orientation Staff” under `My Account “IN THE LEFT COLUMN”.
Successful applicants will be contacted for an interview to be held from November 18th-25th,
2015.
If you have any questions about the written application framework please contact Harrison
Arnold, the Orientation Coordinator, at usc.oweek@uwo.ca, or Taryn Scripnick, Vice-President
Student Events, at studentevents@westernusc.ca .
INTRODUCTION
Orientation Staff is responsible for assisting the Orientation Coordinator with the planning and
execution of Western’s Orientation Program.
A detailed position description of Orientation Staff’s role is available as a supplement to this
application. The position description can be found online on www.oweek.ca and on
CareerCentral with the “job posting”.
This application comprises two sections. The first section will focus on competencies: candidates
will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate and provide evidence for relevant position
competencies through past performance and experience. The second section will allow the
candidate to expand on their understanding of the position.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants for an Orientation Staff position must be dutifully enrolled as an undergraduate
student registered at Western University for the 2015/16 & 2016/17 academic years.
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University Students’ Council of the University of Western Ontario
ORIENTATION STAFF APPLICATION
A successful applicant`s eligibility will be confirmed through the University Registrar.
PART ONE: POSITION COMPETENCIES
A successful Orientation Staff member will be expected to demonstrate the following
competencies in the position (in no particular order) as identified by the Orientation Planning
Committee:
Project Management
Indicators:
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Prioritizes tasks and projects through systematic and timely processes.
Asks for help with projects and tasks when needed.
Demonstrates active engagement in planning, designing, and implementing change
initiatives.
Understands own possibilities and limitations in completing projects.
Takes initiative and utilizes available resources when assigned new tasks or projects.
Takes ownership of assigned projects and shows initiative to complete tasks on time.
Addresses conflict and issues constructively and in a timely manner, using solutionoriented behaviour.
Teamwork
Indicators:
 Communicates effectively with colleagues and peers through written and oral mediums.
 Understands the holistic value of engaging in dialogue for the purpose of hearing varied
viewpoints and perspectives.
 Promotes trust through transparency and consistent communications.
 Asks for feedback from a variety of relevant sources.
 Collaborates with team members to generate shared outcomes.
 Able to interpret the effect of one’s actions on others.
 Respects the boundaries of other team members.
Creative Thinking
Indicators:
 Makes constructive suggestions when issues arise.
 Creates innovative solutions to problems.
 Challenges assumptions and identifies opportunities for growth or change.
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University Students’ Council of the University of Western Ontario
ORIENTATION STAFF APPLICATION
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Able to reframe problems when faced with changing circumstances.
APPLICATION FORMAT
Applicants are asked to produce personal evidence (i.e. behaviours, past events, experiences,
activities) for the indicators associated with competencies listed above. Personal evidence must
demonstrate past performance of the related competency.
The best way to communicate how you have demonstrated a competency is in the following
way:
1. Identify a Concrete Experience: Recall a relevant personal experience, or several
experiences, which demonstrates the competency and its indicators.
- Write a detailed description of the event (i.e. as close as possible to a ‘play
by play’ that a video camera might have recorded).
- E.g. personal experiences or direct observations from others.
2. Reflect on your Experience: Reflect on what you learned from the experience(s).
- Discuss your analysis and judgments of the experience and the discussion
about the learning that you engaged in with others. Reflection is a middle
ground that allows you to come to conclusions about how and why you
think and behave in certain ways.
- E.g. judgments, feelings, and connections with earlier experiences, and
conclusions reported from others.
3. Apply Your Learning: Make generalizations and formulate practical applications
which can be related to the Head Soph position
- Share the conclusions you formed from your reflection stage which form
the basis by which you can plan future action. Indicate situations when
you would implement what you learned from your past experience(s) in
the role of Head Soph.
- E.g. application planning articulated as specifically as possible for
practice in the position.
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Please address each competency separately, as opposed to combining multiple
competencies in a single paragraph.
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Please select ONLY 2 indicators per competency.
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University Students’ Council of the University of Western Ontario
ORIENTATION STAFF APPLICATION
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Applicants are expected to demonstrate ONLY 2 out of the 3 competencies (i.e. 4
indicators).
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Please use only 1 example of a personal experience per indicator.
PART TWO: POSITION KNOWLEDGE
Candidates should provide a detailed and clear response to the following question:
1. Aside from the position competencies listed in this application, what skills do you have
that could be an asset to the Orientation staff team? (500 words maximum)
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