SOULs lead small groups of incoming students through sessions at orientation. As fall semester nears a close, another season is just beginning: leadership recruitment season. It’s the time of year when many of Miami University’s most well-known and high-impact positions are open to applications.

Through these positions, students can build and demonstrate leadership on campus, while also earning money and building their resume with skills employers are seeking.

According to researchers at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) most employers agree on what they’re looking for in college grads. The top six key attributes employers are seeking on college graduates’ resumes are:

1. Ability to work in a team
2. Problem-solving skills
3. Analytical/quantitative skills
4. Communication (written & verbal) skills
5. Initiative
6. Leadership

Available Leadership Positions

RA Casey Newton leads an information session in Collins Hall.The following leadership positions are opportunities to build these skills while at Miami, and many are currently recruiting.

• Resident Assistant. RAs build community, support Living Learning Communities, and serve as a resource for residential students. Applications are open; priority deadline January 13, 2022. 
• SOUL. Student Orientation Undergraduate Leaders (SOULs) facilitate small groups, hold individual consultations, facilitate orientation and welcome weekend programs, and present content pertaining to student life at Miami, all to help our incoming students transition to life as a student on Miami’s Oxford campus. Applications are open; priority deadline November 28, 2021; general deadline January 9, 2022. 
• Scholar Leaders. Scholar Leader is an upper-class residential living-learning community involving a one-year residence in Elliott or Stoddard Halls - two of the most historic residence halls in the nation. Endowments for each room provide a partial scholarship to students selected to live in the community. Applications are open; deadline February 6, 2022.
• iPOL. International Peer Orientation Leaders (iPOLs) are undergraduate or graduate students who assist International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) with welcoming new international students to Miami University. Applications are open; deadline in Spring 2022. 
• HAWKS Peer Health Educators. HAWKS Peer Health Educators are dedicated student leaders who combine their specialized training in health education and wellness with a desire to make a difference on campus. Applications are open; deadline February 16, 2022. 
• Voices Intergroup Dialogue Co-Facilitators. Using detailed lesson plans, co-facilitators  guide students in the Voices Intergroup Dialogue program through the four stages of IGD using team building activities, interactive exercises, reflection prompts, and dialogic techniques. Applications are open; priority deadline November 30, 2022. 

Impact

Allison South ‘20, who was a Resident Assistant at Miami, is now an environmental consultant in Washington, DC. “I made several references to my experiences as an RA when I applied for my current job," she said. "I had a lot of things to talk about in my interview."

Now a graduate student at James Madison University, Keresa Murray ‘20 commented, “I use many of the skills I developed as a SOUL every day in my assistantship… one-on-one and group communication, problem-solving, and working in a team.”

Working in and leading teams is an integral part of almost every career field. The leadership positions at Miami can provide that experience employers are seeking.