Approachable, respectful, confident and devoted are some of the many character traits for every great manager. On Wednesday, Jan. 24 and Thursday, Jan. 25, Blackburn College work committee hosted two information nights for all students interested in student manager positions. At these meetings, each manager described the day-to-day responsibilities of a manager and gave advice to potential student applicants. “All positions will be open for grabs, and in order to be considered, you must apply,” said General Manager Hollie Davidson. A previous manager cannot just assume manager for next year; they must apply like everyone else. Students applying must fill out a returning work form and a letter of intent along with two letters of recommendation sent confidentially to the work office. Following successful application submission, the students who applied will have the chance to interview for the available positions.
Applicants are encouraged to set up mock interviews with managers to practice and become familiar with the interviewing process. Academics manager Logan Elliott recalled his mock interview and said, “Hollie told me that my answers seemed rehearsed and that I should just say what I really felt. And now, look, I’m a manager and I love my job!” At the end of the night, the managers all agreed that it was rewarding for anyone to apply for a manager position to gain experience if nothing else.
“It’s so educational to have a manager’s position because you are learning every day from everyone,” said General Manager Jessica Baalman. “One thing you learn really quickly is time management. Separating being a student and being a manager is important.” Advice was given out to the students in the room, creating a hopeful environment. Freshman business management major Kariem Ali said, “Since they were students, I wasn’t uncomfortable being there. But there was still a sense of formalness and professionalism.” Once the work committee was done presenting their main ideas to the potential applicants, each department broke into small groups to give students the opportunity to ask the managers specific questions regarding each department.
Students applying were reminded that the minimum grade point average they must have in order to be considered is a 2.5. They were also reminded they cannot be on academic, social or work probation, and they are encouraged to be enrolled in or have taken leadership classes. General manager applications are due Feb. 12 by 5 p.m. and Department Manager Applications are due Feb. 19 by 5 p.m.