Other duties as assigned. We see this catch-all in every job description, and within Residence Life we know all too well how true it tends to be. I used to think that this notion was included to protect departments from backlash when needing to give special projects and tasks to staff outside of their day-to-day responsibilities. As I’ve journeyed throughout my career, I’ve come to understand that ascending is found at the heart of other duties as assigned. Knowing this, how can you seek out these opportunities and use them to build a skill set for your next professional move?
Simply put, I’ve never gotten my next job or made a career move because I’ve done my job well. I’ve moved onto other roles because I’ve sought out responsibilities outside of the role I’m in – other duties as assigned – and reframed them as opportunities for growth. It’s these extra responsibilities that I’ve written about in cover letters and spoken the most about in final interview processes when moving upward.
As a second year Residence Director, I had a peer who was unexpectedly out of the office for extended leave, leaving his community and student leaders without a professional staff member. Proximity-wise, I was the closest live-in staff member to that community, and while I’m sure my department would’ve found a staffing solution, before my assistant director needed to reach out to ask for coverage, I decided to take on the supervision of an additional residence hall. My student staff grew from 18 to 23, and I took on the oversight of an additional 400 second-year students.
I want to acknowledge taking on more responsibility can feel like you’re being taken advantage of – me taking on additional communities did benefit my institution in that they didn’t have to hire an additional person immediately, and I bore the brunt of our short-staffing. However, that additional responsibility got me to where I am today because it forced me to be strategic with my time and resources, which is a skill set I use everyday in leadership. While this added responsibility came with more work, it also gave me several opportunities to lean into. I was able to pilot our second-year experience curriculum with an additional residence hall, and I learned how to supervise the largest student staff team on campus. I had to stretch myself creatively when prioritizing daily tasks which became a lesson in how to empower student staff to also think creatively and problem solve considering my being less available to them.
When a similar staffing shortage presented itself in my next role, I sought out an opportunity to oversee a community that was sunsetting one of its living learning communities. As a result, I was asked to collaboratively come up with a concept and curriculum for a new community focus that would be implemented the following year – I collaboratively drafted a framework for a new intentional living community with the use of focus groups, assessment, and institutional values. With this opportunity came the ability to create brain trust documents, work with faculty, and brand a new residential learning community. Additionally, when a proposal for a Counselor-in Residence position was floated within the department, I offered to help craft and construct position descriptions, and then help recruit and select for these roles because of experience I had from another institution.
All these opportunities had three things in common – they were more work, they allowed me to be creative and generative, and most notably, they were not a part of my existing job description. I’ve realized that opportunities that exist in the byline of a position description are also the reason I’ve been able to move into leadership positions. My experiences as a Residence Director have given me the context to help lead a department, but other duties as assigned have helped me tell a story of putting in more work when it’s inconvenient, being able to be innovative, and looking at processes and procedures differently than we have in the past.
While taking on more work can be challenging, the art of leveraging other duties as assigned is the key to what’s next – is there a committee or departmental initiative you would be interested in leading? Is there a gap in your department that could be filled with some innovation, time, and energy? Is there another department you can collaborate with that would enhance your work in residence life? Are you interested in learning about another functional area and is there an opportunity for you to do some on the job professional development within that office?
Leaning into other duties as assigned can not only keep your professional role interesting, but it can also make the difference as you determine where you want to go – other duties as assigned are at the heart of moving upward to your next big thing.
How to Guide Your Own Professional Development and Leverage Other Duties As Assigned
Informational Interviews:
Connect with colleagues in positions that you want – whether they are in a role that is the next one that you want, or later on in your career. Get to know what types of experiences and professional opportunities got them to where they are and identify any gaps in your own experience. When it comes to channeling your professional development opportunities, seek out projects, committees, and leadership roles that fill the gaps in your own experience.Â
Say No So That Your Yes Has Power
The key to ascending isn’t about taking on more, at every chance you get. It’s about taking on the “right” more. When you think about what opportunities will fill gaps in your own experience and resume, you will have to say no to other opportunities. Figure out where you can contribute less so that as you seek out additional projects and responsibilities, you have space and bandwidth to actually do them well.
Interview Intentionally
When interviewing for your next role, ensure that you speak to experiences that that committee work, leadership roles, and other duties as assigned are highlighted, and detail them in a cover letter. Within Residence Life and higher education, it’s somewhat easy to see how typical roles will translate to another role. What doesn’t always translate from a resume are those additional responsibilities, and showcasing those experiences can make you stand out as a candidate.
Committees, Conferences, and Colleagues
This is a hot take in higher ed, but I hate conferences. From a professional development standpoint, I’ve figured out that I don’t tend to get a ton out of them. The networking and connections can be great, but I’ve come to understand that conferences aren’t synonymous with professional development even though that’s common in our field. When thinking about ascending, figure out what works for you – for me, that meant engaging less in conferences for pro-devo and spending more time chairing and leading committees at both the departmental and divisional level. It also meant spending more time with colleagues collaborating on initiatives so that I had experience to lean on in future positions, and speak to in future interviews.
Taking on more responsibility in a current role naturally comes with more opportunity for connections. Whether through having more facetime with colleagues you know well, or additional exposure to colleagues and offices you don’t normally work with, additional exposure can lead to opportunities for ascending, or navigating a functional area move, if desired.Â
If conferences are your thing, maximize what you get out of them by attending sessions that you don’t have a ton of context with. When you get back from said conference, plan out how you will implement that information and knowledge in a way that supports your day to day work.
