At a past University Center for Writing-based Learning (UCWbL) Winter Retreat, an interesting dilemma was posed to fellow tutors: how can we spread representation among the UCWbL in terms of ethnicity, gender and major? It wasn’t a question I had pondered until then, but it immediately got me thinking about my own experiences before the UCWbL. Quite a handful of us were recommended to the job based on a professor’s nudge or two, but prior to that nudge, I had never really been aware of the Writing Center as a freshman. As I’d only ever made one written feedback appointment before I began working at the Writing Center, but I didn’t have as much of an idea of what it was like to work there until I applied and was accepted. I had vague notions, but certainly no in-depth knowledge beforehand as I do now.
So what might be one of the easiest ways to get more representation across different fields at the Writing Center, I thought to myself. Campaigning and adding information around different departments might be one way–maybe even visiting more classes of specific fields and majors too to spread the word and see if there’s interest across different departments. Easily, encouraging more writers in general not to feel nervous of coming into the Writing Center can foster interest in the on-campus job opportunity also. Then I thought about what tools schools use to invite applicants and prospective students into their system: shadowing, which is something that the UCWbL already does in its mandatory training class for new tutors.
Why not extend that even further?
Shadowing at the UCWbL
In my high school, as a part of the choir class, we also had to attend Open Houses. These Open Houses were just showcases that highlighted some of the best aspects of our high school: the activities, the classes, the groups, the building, and so on. Tours provided prospective freshman an opportunity to get an in-depth look of the school, along with a helpful guide to spit their piece about why the high school was a good choice. In a way, this was almost like shadowing the school — getting a taste of what the school was about and what one could expect from enrolling there.
Jessica Stephenson coins the phrase “try before you buy” as she applies it to job shadowing as part of the hiring process. She describes that this method is helpful because it minimizes the likelihood of the new employee not quite feeling they mesh well with the job’s vibe once they’ve accepted and tried acclimating to the position. What stands apart in terms of job-shadowing than, let’s say, simply making an appointment or acting as a client at this particular job is the level of communication between the shadower and the employee they might be shadowing. A couple of times in appointments I’ve had writers ask me: so what’s it like to work at the Writing Center? Or, perhaps after the appointment has finished and I’ve noticed that the writer seems to have a strong grasp of writing, I’ll recommend that maybe they’ll want to think about working at the UCWbL in the future. While I never had an extensive conversation with the writer about all that is available, can be done and can be learned from working at the UCWbL, just this glimpse of dialogue echoes with what Stephenson says. One of the benefits to shadowing during the hiring process allows prospective employees to talk with employees and ask questions in order to gain a specific idea of their experiences more-so than their qualifications necessarily — whether they could envision themselves in the tutor’s position or not.
In the class-training portion, the UCWbL’s curriculum asks new tutors (during the shadowing process) to reflect on a series of posed questions as they sit in on a tutor’s appointment: what are some takeaways? What things might you find you can apply to yourself as, or if you become, a tutor? Similarly, Jacquie Butler offers an additional set of questions that seem particularly useful as well:
- What made you choose this career?
- What is your favorite and least favorite thing about this job?
- Do you have advice that may help to make my experience go more smoothly?
Modified in this way, it may allow tutors in during the hiring process (or students wanting a taste of how the actual job performs) to understand some of the mechanics of how the UCWbL works.
Moving Forward
If I had known there was something similar to an Open House when I applied for the UCWbL, where I also was able to talk and watch the tutor I was shadowing in a more analytical fashion as opposed to simply for my paper/assignment — allowing me ample time to reflect on the process.
https://www.ere.net/make-job-shadows-part-of-the-hiring-process/