Resident Assistant Resume Examples & How to Show RA on a Resume

You just found the best resident assistant resume on the planet.

Lots of people want to be resident assistants.

Lots apply.

The problem?

Your RA resume must show you’re more responsible than Stephen Covey. But—

You don’t have experience to show on a resume.

How can you compete?

Deep breath.

You’ve actually got tons of experience. You just need to find it.

This guide will show you:

• A resident assistant resume example better than 9 out of 10 others.
• How to write a resident assistant resume that gets the interview.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a resume for resident assistant jobs.
• How to describe your experience on a resident advisor resume to get any job you want.

Here's a resident assistant resume template made with our online resume builder tool.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Sample Resident Assistant Resume—See more templates and create your resume here.

Wondering how to put resident assistant on a resume? Try these guides:

• How to Target Your Resume to a Job Ad
• Work Experience on a Resume: Bullet Points [100+]
• Internship Resume

Writing your first resume? Need a little help? These guides have your back:

• High School Resume for College Application
• Resume Examples for Teens
• Scholarship Resume
• High School/College Student Resume

Want to check out other college jobs? Are you sure you should be writing an RA resume? Try these guides:

• Teaching Assistant Resume
• Teacher’s Aide Resume
• Paraprofessional Resume
• Camp Counselor Resume
• Tutor Resume
• Best Resume Examples for 500+ Jobs

1

What's the Best Format for a Resident Assistant Resume?

Format, shmormat, why do you care?

Because a good resident assistant resume format fast-lanes you to the HD’s eyes.

Put it this way—

Let’s say you’re up against a candidate with the same qualifications. Her name’s Claire.

Nice word art tattoo.

She’s got all the same experience. You’re identical!

But you hide your best features behind poor formatting. Claire doesn’t.

Which resident advisor resume gets the job?

That’s right.

The one that didn’t make the HD work.

Your best friend is the reverse-chronological resume format. It highlights your most recent wins.

Keep it in line with the best resume fonts, white space, and big headings.

Export it as a PDF. A resident assistant resume PDF won’t flake out when it leaves home.

But check the job ad too. Some say “PDFs Keep Out.”

Want to do some independent study on resident assistant resume format? See our guide: Best Resume Format for Your Needs [3+ to Choose from]

Meet the HD. His name’s Jeff.

On his desk, near his Darth Vader coffee mug, sits a laptop stuffed with 50 RA resumes.

He’s got nine meetings and a pile of trainings to attend.

Here’s what he’s thinking as he picks up your resident advisor resume:

“Is this worth reading?”

Answer with a resident assistant resume objective.

The secret?

A resume objective used to say, “I’m passionate. I promise I’ll be great. Please hire me.”

Today’s RA resume objectives need to offer something more concrete.

Let’s look at two resident assistant resume examples.

Resident Assistant Resume Examples [Resume Summaries]

Why does the first of our resident assistant resume samples flunk the smell test?

That’s not exactly peeping-Tom level, but it won’t get the Hall Director nodding.

So—do it like the next of our resident assistant resume examples:

That’s an A+.

Why?

You didn’t just say, “Gimme.” Instead, you got the HD to say, “Holy cow, he’s responsible.”

Pro Tip: How long should a resume be for an RA? Almost always one page. Longer resumes are for people with long work histories.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.

Create my resume now

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

Why avoid first-person pronouns like I, me, my in a resume for resident assistant jobs? See our guide:

+20 Resume Objective Examples - Use Them on Your Resume

3

Resident Assistant Job Description on a Resume: Experience Section

Experience?

What experience?!?

You're an RA applicant, not a career machine operator.

But you’ve got to show you’re as dependable as Tom Hanks or Emma Watson.

So here’s the magic.

When you can’t list tons of jobs, show lots of positions.

Have you played on sports teams? Been in clubs? Done fun projects?

There’s your resident advisor resume experience.

Put your most recent front-and-center. Add 3-5 resume bullet points.

Write them like the next of our professional resident assistant resume examples.

Resident Assistant Resume Examples [Experience]

This first sample resident assistant resume experience section aces it:

Crushed it. Those hobbies are like mini-jobs.

You didn’t list “Eagle Scout” in a single bullet, like it doesn’t matter. You showed why it’ll make you a Sun Yang-level RA.

But put those accomplishments on probation, and:

That resume for resident assistants should’ve stayed in bed.

Is this easy?

No. You’ll need to do some head-scratching.

But unless you watched TV your whole life, you can make a great resident assistant resume.

How to Show Resident Assistant ON a Resume

Oh.

You want to know how to show RA on a resume.

If you’re applying for your first job out of college, don’t miss our entry-level resume guide.

Then, dig for buried treasure in your resident assistant experience.

Pretend the job you’re applying to wants skills in (1) Leadership, (2) MS Excel, and (3) Conflict Resolution.

Do this with your resume bullet points:

You’re in like Daenerys Targaryen.

You showed each skill the job requires. Numbers like “35+” and “30%” prove you nailed it.

What makes a good resident assistant? Check out this post from Clarke University.

Pro Tip: When should you stick something in a Hobbies section on a resume for resident assistant jobs? When there aren’t enough achievements in it to make a separate section.

Don’t put the HD on quiet hours with boring language in your RA resume. Make him sit up straight with action words. See our guide: 240 Resume Action Words & Power Words to Make Your Resume Shine

How much does education matter on a resident assistant resume?

Well—

Let’s get back to Jeff, our Resident Director.

He’s reading a stack of RA resumes and sipping cocoa.

Mmm. Tiny marshmallows.

He merely glances at the education section on each resume. After all, this isn’t rocket science.

Education doesn’t matter.

Then this happens:

He looks at your resume. The education section stops him in mid-sip.

He picks up the phone.

What did you do right?

You used your resident advisor resume education section like a master key.

Of course show:

• School Name and Location
• Years in School
• Degree

But here’s the superpower:

Fill it with achievements that take you off the wait list.

The next resident assistant resume examples show how.

Resident Assistant Resume Examples [Education]

Both these resident assistant resume samples are for the same job.

That’s no slacker, hoping to earn free money for watching TV.

No HD will be able to resist a resident assistant resume example like that.

Now suspend those details:

Yipe. That resident assistant resume example needs a good advisor.

Pro Tip: You can stretch an education section as long as you like to get a one-page RA resume. Add big headings to each project to draw the RD’s eye.

How long can your education section be on a resume for resident assistant jobs? See our guide: How to Put Your Education on a Resume [Tips & Examples]

What resident assistant resume skills will get you hired? How should you show them?

Don’t just copy-paste a list of skills.

That’s sophomoric.

Instead ask, what does an RA do at your school?

Talk to the RAs and even the HD. If you can’t call, email. Learn the resident assistant skills they value most.

If there’s a written job offer, troll that for the right skills.

What next?

Prove those skills in your RA resume bullet points.

The resident assistant resume examples below lead the way.

Resident Assistant Resume Examples [Skills]

Let’s say Jeff put these skills in the resident assistant job description:

Required Resident Assistant Skills: 1) Community-Building, 2) Safety Policy Enforcement, 3) Leadership

Of course put them in your resident assistant resume skills list.

Then do this:

If you do that, your interview requests will fill a dormitory.

The resident assistant skills for resumes below will get you oriented.

List of Skills to Put on a Resident Assistant Resume

This skills list is full of great resume keywords.

Again, don’t copy-paste. Find the skills in the resident assistant job description.

Pro Tip: Never lie on an RA resume. Lying can help you get the interview, but the RD will see through fibs like study lounge windows during the interview.

What universal skills do all employers want on a resume for resident assistant jobs? See our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume (Proven Tips)

You can’t turn in a half-page resident advisor resume.

You’d get laughed out of the quad.

Mature your RA resume with special "other" sections that stand out like a cherry red Ferrari.

Look at the next two sample resident assistant resume sections.

Resident Assistant Resume Examples [Other Sections]

The next of our resident assistant resume examples passes out in the rotunda:

Hey bro, let’s party. But first let me hire a good RA.

Instead, write other sections on a resume for resident assistant jobs like:

That’s like Harry Potter with an undergrad degree.

Pro Tip: Don’t just talk about a leadership position in a resident assistant resume. Discuss how it helped you serve the people in your charge.

Need some hobby examples for your resume for resident assistant jobs? See our guide: +20 Best Examples of Hobbies & Interests To Put on a Resume (5 Tips)

“I thought I didn’t need to send a cover letter with my resident assistant resume!”

Cover letters are old school. But so are a lot of HDs.

That means you need to write a cover letter. But don’t make it like the rest.

Use the HD’s name.

Show you know what it takes to be a good RA.

Show you have those great RA skills.

This short example resident assistant cover letter lays the ground rules:

Always end a cover letter by offering something. Try, “I’d value the opportunity to discuss how I built an active community of 20,000 Fortnite players."

Pro Tip: Do you have experience building any kind of community, even a small one? That looks great on a resident assistant resume.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

What two little letters on a resident assistant cover letter can get you noticed? (It’s not “Dr.”) See our guide: How to Write a Cover Letter for an Application in 8 Steps (12+ Examples)

8

Do This Before You Add Contact Info to a Resume

Freshman mistake!

Contact info on a resume for RAs isn’t easy.

Start with:

• Full Name
• Updated Phone Number
• Professional Email Address

Like this:

Donnie Nesselrode, Resident Assistant Applicant, donnie.q.nesselrode@gmail.com, 317-450-4082

A "professional email address," is john.doe@gmail.com. Don’t use JimmyVodkaBoyDog234984u@yahoo.com.

But here’s the kicker:

Check your social media presence for exploding kittens that could sink your RA resume.

I’m talking about compromising Facebook pics or obnoxious opinions. Anything that could get you tossed.

Pro Tip: Do you lack leadership experience for a resume for resident assistant jobs? Watch some Lynda tutorials and list them in a special “Courses” section.

What’s the best way to email a resident assistant resume? See our guide: How to Write a Resume that Gets You a Job (20+ Examples)

Here’s a recap of how to write a resident assistant resume:

• Start with a resident assistant resume objective. Add 2–3 achievements that snap the RD’s head around like a bullhorn.
• Make resume bullets that fit the job like a bunk bed in a double. Pepper them with measurable accomplishments.
• Add other sections that show all sides of your personality. List certifications, hobbies, publications, self-care, and volunteering in your RA resume.
• Write a resident assistant cover letter. Use it to show you know what the job is all about and why you’ll the best resident assistant since Batman’s Alfred.

Do you have questions on how to write a great resume for a resident assistant? Not sure how to describe your skills or achievements? Give us a shout in the comments! We’d be happy to reply.