Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in applying for a WLUSU volunteer opportunity. Truly, volunteers and our long history of volunteer participation are what makes the Students’ Union so special. The purpose of this document is to orient you to the process by which we hire all of our volunteers, increase your comfort level with the process, and enhance your chances of being successful.

For most general level positions there are 2 marked components in the selection process. The first is an online application and the second is a behaviour-based interview.

Applications

Applications are submitted online and are marked by a team of trained volunteers called the Hiring Committee. They are all marked blindly, meaning that the person marking your application is not aware of your identity. This measure is built into the process to ensure that all marking is done fairly. Once your applications are marked you will be ranked in descending order and contacted to come in for an interview.

** Note: In instances where there are large numbers of applicants for a small number of positions, an application cut-off may occur by which only the owners of the highest marked applications may compete in the interview process. **

Interviews

If your application warrants an interview an executive member of the committee you are applying to will contact you and arrange a time and place to hold your interview. Below are listed some important tips for your interview:

Behaviour Based Interviews and the STARR Model

In WLUSU we select applicants using behaviour-based questions and mark them using a model called the STARR method. Behaviour based questions are designed to ask you as an applicant to:

1. tell a story about a time in your past
2. explain what you learned from that experience
3. how you would apply what you learned from that experience to the specific volunteer position that you are applying to

   an example of such a question would be:

   “Tell us of a time in your past when you had to exhibit problem solving skills to ensure the success of a group project. What specific actions did you take to make the project successful? How would you apply this to the position you are applying to?”

As was mentioned before, it is important not only that you are able to clearly state what you did in the situation, but that you understand the position well enough to identify how you would apply your experience to it.

STARR Framework

The STARR method is a framework by which answers to application submissions and interview answers are measured against and marked. STARR is an acronym that stands for:

(the above example question will be used to demonstrate the model)

S – Situation
Clearly state the situation in the answer you are about to give (Example: A time that I had to use problem solving skills to ensure the success of a group project was when I was the organizer of the Senior Prom in High School. It was a day before the prom and all of our decorations were missing)

T – Task
Clearly state the task or challenge that you faced in the situation (Example: It was my responsibility to ensure that the prom was a success and to support the team. I had to take steps to fix the problem)

A – Action
Explain what specific actions you took to accomplish your task in the situation. Be careful not to use we language here. Although you were a member of a group in this instance, the interviewers are trying to find out about your role specifically. (Example: I quickly called the company that we had ordered decorations from, I went to the wholesaler to pick them up, I directed my team members to individual tasks and made sure that they stayed calm)

R – Result
State what the result of your actions was. Were you successful? If not, feel free to say that you weren’t successful but explain what you learned from that experience. (Example: The prom went very well. We didn’t get all of the decorations that we were originally going to get but we made due with what we had and everyone was happy with the way that it looked.)

R – Relate
Relate what you learned from the situation to the position that you are applying for. **Note: This is a very important part of the interview so make sure that you do adequate research on the position before you come to your interview. (Example: In this situation I used quick judgement, I was proactive and I supported my team mates in a stressful situation. These are all qualities that would be useful for (Emergency Response Team as an example) because as an ERT member I will be called on to respond quickly to injuries and accidents on campus, remain focused and calm, and support my shift partner in those situations.

Interview Tips n' Tricks

If your application warrants an interview an executive member of the committee you are applying to will contact you and arrange a time and place to hold your interview. Below are listed some important tips for your interview:

1. Research the position
   It is very important that you are familiar with the committee you are applying to and understand your specific role within that committee. You will need to demonstrate this in the interview. Sources of information on committees is available in the following places:
   
   www.wlusu.com - Coordinator contact info and descriptions of each committee are available on the website
   
   Recruitment Team - There is a recruitment team that will be passing out promotional materials and providing information during our main hiring periods. They will be able to give you background information on each committee and positions within each committee. More of their promo events are listed on this site under the "HR Events" listing.
   
   
2. Arrive 5 minutes early dressed in business casual dress. Your interview will be administered by 2 individuals, a trained Hiring Committee representative and an executive member of the committee you are applying for. The Hiring Committee representative will come to the location you were told of and bring you into the interview room. Please be early but be patient if the interviews are running behind.
   
   
3. Relax and be yourself. Try to be relaxed when you are in the interviews. The interviewers are going to be writing while you are talking, but don’t feel like they aren’t listening, they are only trying to get down all of the great stuff you are saying. Questions can be long, so listen carefully to the entire question You can ask them to repeat the questions as many times as you like or you can even bring in a small pad of paper and a pen and jot down questions that are a bit longer so that you are sure to touch on all of the parts.
   
   
4. Remember to have fun!!! WLUSU interviews may seem daunting at first, but they are designed so that the executives of the committees can get to know you. Be relaxed, be yourself, and learn as much as you can from the experience!

Asking Questions

If you have any questions whatsoever, we are here to answer them. You can visit us in person at any of our recruiting events, visit the office, call any of our volunteers or staff.

OR... e-mail us at staff@wlusuhr.com

Get Involved Week

If you have any questions on the above STARR method and would like to have a chance to practice your skills, the Recruitment and Hiring Committees offer WLUSU committee information and mock interviews in the Campus Centre. Please check the WLUSU Human Resources main page under "Events / Info" for dates.

Get Involved Week

Recruitment tables in the Hall of Fame promoting all committees and mock interviews.

Volunteer Fair

Recruitment hosts a fair at which each committee in WLUSU will have an opportunity to recruit for themselves. The fair is outdoor and participants will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from each committee.

Interview Skills Workshops

Recruitment and Hiring put on two evening presentations featuring interview information and mock interviews put on by the hiring committee.