<p>I just got off the phone with my hysterical, dear niece. She is a junior in college and this year has been a Dorm Associate, their word for RA. She had just returned from a meeting with her Director where she was informed that she would not be rehired and that she would not support her in seeking a position in other dorms.<br>
Granted the information I have is one-sided, but my niece (unlike my own kid who is also a first time RA at another school) is the straightest arrow you'll ever meet. First semester the Director was on leave for surgery. I'm not sure if she was living on campus or not. When she returned at the beginning of December she informed my niece that her performance was subpar, very subpar and unless she quickly straightened herself out she would be fired. She says she had been having the normal weekly meetings with the director's temp replacement and although she had some rough spots (she'd never been a DA before) in no way was she told her position was at risk or given any type of warning. At my daughter's school, they receive monthly written evaluations with specific crtieria if improvement is required. She must have managed to do what the Director wanted as her job wasn't terminated. Among the issues were that her dorm decorations were not good and she hadn't spent enough time getting to know the other DAs and the students on her floor well. Our families go skiing for a few days right after Christmas. She spent the entire time working on these art project things to put on the dorm doors and in the common rooms. She isnt the most artistic girl, so this was a struggle. She had my daughter, an RA at another school in stitches as she would have quit if she had to do such elaborate decorations. Back when dinosaurs roamed you put your own name on your door, it wasn't a multimedia extravaganza.
A week ago this Director complimented her on her improvement and that her doors looked very nice. Niece set up an appointment with her this morning to discuss next year as she was trying to decide whether to stay in this dorm or apply for a position on the other side of campus which would have been closer to her classes. It was then that the Director informed her that because she was only average now in performance she would not rehire her and neither would anyone else. She did agree to give her 2 weeks to improve and she would reconsider her position. Nothing specific, just make improvements.
My sister and her husband are away visiting his parents. Niece called me because she doesnt want to ruin their visit. The free room and board has been a godsend for her parents. She is also afraid this will ruin her chances to get a job when she graduates; no recommendation and she gave up EC leadership roles to become a DA. At first I thought there must me more - I asked niece if there was anything she wasnt telling me drugs, alcohol, whatever, missing scheduled work hours? She says no and I believe her. As for the 2 weeks to improve, I think this director is stringing her along. Some managers are just evil and manipulative; Ive meet a few in my own profession. I suggested she ask for specific performance criteria and cc the letter to the directors boss. I feel she has nothing to lose. Does anyone else have any suggestions? Shes calling me back after lunch.</p>
<p>I seriously doubt that her lack of artistic skills is the issue. For one reason or another or perhaps for a multitude of reasons, those in charge do not feel that she is the right person for this job. Other than the issue of losing the free housing, it’s not a big deal. It’s not going to effect her employment after graduation. She has the choice to either include it on her resume or leave it out.</p>
<p>What a good auntie you are to give her a listening ear.</p>
<p>I would have her pull out her job description and carry it with her to the meeting, and ask for specific instances where she didn’t meet the standards. Did she have any job training? What were the criteria for her selection? Did they see her artwork beforehand? </p>
<p>When the director returned in December, how did she know niece’s performance was subpar? And I would ask for specific, quantifiable ways she can “improve” in two weeks.</p>
<p>Just some things off the top of my head. </p>
<p>It MIGHT be time for her to move on. I don’t think the director can honestly say NOBODY will give her a good recommendation.</p>
<p>It’s usually a mistake to keep working for somebody who doesn’t like you. I agree that this will not affect her job prospects in the least. The free room issue will be a hit, of course.</p>
<p>I love my niece so my “auntie” claws are out!
I agree that working for this woman in the future is probably a recipe for disaster - apparently she has a quite a reputation, if only she had known it a year ago! My niece really enjoys being a DA and would probably do quite well in another dorm. Would pursuing this make sense? What is there to lose? I wonder if this woman does this because no one else has complained? I have seen it happen in the workplace. Some people are never held accountable for their actions because no one is brave enough to say anything to the superiors. I feel that if nothing else this is a good lesson in standing up for yourself and following through., no matter how it turns out.</p>
<p>She needs to have a meeting with the dean of students and whoever else is in the picture. Who is this supervisor? Another student? An adult? Has she been around a long time? Any other DAs in the same boat? If she is the only one, it can be an issue. </p>
<p>For whatever reason, and she should get the reason from these meetings, she is not meeting the mark that this person has made. Unless she is that way with a number of the DAs, your niece just is not the material that this supervisor wants. Could be personality, could be any number of nebulous things. At least she has warning in February/March of this instead of just not getting the assignment for next year, which often occurs when someone is not considered for returning as DA.</p>
<p>Tell your niece to keep her chin up. After 30 years working in the real world I have noticed that at times you just do not mesh with your boss- and many times it is not your fault.</p>
<p>I had typed a long story but lets just say sometimes it is the supervisor and nothing you can do will change that- sometimes people are not fair.</p>
<p>you sound like a wonderful aunt and sounding board. The best you can do is try to explain that the lack of success at this job may not be totally about her and her job performance. Future jobs and situations will bear out if she needs to improve on a certain skill set or on her interpersonal relationships.<br>
The real learning and take away comes from how she handles the rejection and what she’s learned about herself from this experience. But, I agree it does really suck. Even if most adults have had this happen to them at some point in their careers.</p>
<p>I would recommend asking to meet with the Dorm Director and her immediate supervisor. This might help to clarify what can be improved. Maybe she is more suited to a different building environment or a different age of residents.</p>
<p>I have a feeling, because of the economy, that being an RA this year will be hyper-competitive at most schools because of the free room and board. So, it might just be that they know they have a ton of candidates.</p>
<p>If things don’t work out, this shouldn’t hurt her chances of employment after she graduates.</p>
<p>I agree that this will have zero affect on her post-graduate plans, unless, of course, she wants to be a professional Dorm Associate. ;)</p>
<p>On the other hand, how annoying!!! You have your boss telling you you’re doing a sub-par job, but you don’t know whether it’s because your dorm decorations are stick figures or your people skills are reminiscent of Idi Amin.</p>
<p>Get assertive! Pull out that job description! Let’s see a written evaluation! Specifically, how may I improve my performance, and how will those improvements be evaluated?</p>
<p>If there’s nothing to lose, there’s everything to gain by being assertive, articulate, mature, and specific. Forget about the job, this is a learning experience, and will serve your niece well in the years to come.</p>
<p>Good luck little niece, and nice job auntie.</p>
<p>All the best to her. Definitely a learning experience if she can meet this head-on and try to turn it around. Documenting her meetings with this supervisor and involving someone else to be present are both good ideas. Please keep us posted!</p>
<p>I agree that it’s probably nothing she’s done or not done. Sometimes postings so obviously leave out details, but I don’t get that feeling in this case. If she has written evaluations that were positive, she should pursue a position in another dorm. It is difficult to believe that no one has ever complained before about this person, residents at least. Would she be able to get recommendations from any residents she helped as she applies for another DA position?</p>
<p>I’m dealing with this now with S1 whose manager has it out for him. He was being mentored for an assistant manager position by the previous manager who transferred. The replacement has been putting obstacles is DS’ path for the past 5 months. He is one of only 5 employees there since the place opened. He has trained other employees. They have had him working overtime for the past 11 weeks. So there is no problem with him, expect that this manager doesn’t like him. (I also think it’s a simple as the fact that he was a protege of the previous guy.) She called him in last week and told him that his performance wasn’t up to par and that if it was anyone else they would have fired him! Then she proceeded to offer him a recommendation if he wanted to look for another job! He asked, understandably why no one had indicated any problem with his performance before, and the examples she gave were ridiculous. The ass’t managers he talked to knew nothing about it, and he is certain, from their open mouthed reactions, that this is true. He had already been thinking that he wasn’t going to make any progress with this manager and was contemplating leaving. She has just accelerated the process. Fortunately, the previous manager wants to hire him at his new location and will continue to mentor him. I told him that only in academia is someone threatened with termination and offered a letter of recommendation at the same time!</p>
<p>It will certainly be a learning experience for your neice, and she has nothing to lose and will be able to keep her pride in tact by applying elsewhere. Can she get a recommendation from the replacement and/or from other DAs? It’s possible this person doesn’t ever recommend anyone.</p>