Assignment 8: Be a Leader

Last Saturday, the UMBC orientation team held group interviews for those interested in different parts of the orientation process. All the applicants were broken into three separate groups, and groups would cycle through three different activities which included a session on priorities, problem0-solving, and general questions to be expected from freshman. While the groups collaborated to work through the different activities, those in charge of the orientation process and previous orientation team workers observed us and took notes.

Not only did I want to establish the fact that I was qualified for the positions I applied for, I wanted to demonstrate leadership in order to create an impression on the observers and be one of the first names they thought of when deciding who to invite back for one-on-one interviews. I did so by praising group members for their ideas and efforts, trying to make the environment more relaxed and uplifting by creating lighthearted converstation and joking around, never telling people what to do but instead asking why they chose to do things the way they did, praise not just result but teamwork, and never ever ridiculing a fellow applicant. Aside from HTWFAIP methods, I made an effort to answer every question that was asked, introducing myself to the observers, and asking them a lot of questions about the positions and their previous experiences.