University Students’ Council and The University of Western Ontario
FACULTY HEAD SOPH APPLICATION
DUE: November 12 at 4:00 pm
INTERVIEWS: November 17- 21, 2014
SUBMIT APPLICATION ON: www.westerncareercentral.ca
APPLICATION SUMMARY
Applicants will be required to submit a completed written application and resume at
https://www.westerncareercentral.ca/student/studentLogin.htm
The intake of all Head Soph applications will be through Western`s CareerCentral portal.
Individual job postings have been created for each position. Applicants will be required to log on
to CareerCentral using their Western username and password. Applications can be found by
clicking on `Head Soph & Programming Assistant Applications` under `My Account` IN THE
LEFT COLUMN.
Successful applicants will be contacted for an interview to be held from November 17- 21, 2014.
If you have any questions about the written application framework please contact Cassie Anton,
Student Engagement Programs Coordinator at [email protected] or by telephone at 519 6612111 x85214 for more information.
INTRODUCTION
A Faculty Head Soph is responsible for coordinating programs and events for first year students
during Orientation Week and throughout the academic year through their Soph Team and
Faculty Council.
There are seven (7) Faculty Head Soph positions available:







Arts and Humanities
Don Wright Faculty of Music
Engineering
Health Sciences
Information and Media Studies (FIMS)
Science
Social Science
PAGE | 1 of 4
University Students’ Council and The University of Western Ontario
FACULTY HEAD SOPH APPLICATION
A detailed position description of the Faculty Head Soph role is available as a supplement to this
application. The position description can be found online on www.oweek.ca and on
CareerCentral with the “job posting.”
This application is comprised of two sections. The first section will focus on competencies.
Applicants will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate and provide evidence for relevant
position competencies through past performance and experience. The second section will allow
the applicant to expand on their ideas for the role.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants for any Faculty Head Soph position must intend on being an undergraduate student
registered at Western University for the 2015/2016 academic year.
Applicants must be majoring or specializing in a program of the Faculty they wish to represent.
Specifically, Faculty Head Sophs must be enrolled in these programs for the duration of the
2015/2016 academic year.
All Orientation Leaders must attain a 65% academic average in their course marks in the school
year ending in April 2015. Summer courses do not count towards the calculation of this average.
A successful applicant`s eligibility will be confirmed through the University Registrar.
PART ONE: POSITION COMPETENCIES
A successful Faculty Head Soph will be expected to demonstrate the following competencies in
the position (in no particular order) as identified by the Orientation Planning Committee (OPC):
Leadership
Indicators:





Communicate a clear and compelling vision for a team’s work.
Effectively build trust among team members and lead by example.
Assess situations and make decisions using critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Develop effective program/event planning and facilitation skills.
Share the responsibilities of leadership with others and provide the support and resources
required for others to succeed.
Communication
Indicators:
PAGE | 2 of 4
University Students’ Council and The University of Western Ontario
FACULTY HEAD SOPH APPLICATION





Engage in active listening, accepting information without bias and seek to understand
different perspectives.
Effectively facilitate mediation, conflict resolution, and/or consensus building.
Facilitate engaging and productive meetings that allow for diverse opinions and focus on
action plans.
Ask questions that increase insight, generate new information, or enhance dialogue.
Deliver clear and engaging presentations that enhance audience understanding and
participation.
Diversity
Indicators:
 Value differences in gender, culture, sexual identity, religious beliefs, spirituality, and
more.
 Demonstrate a willingness to create fair and accessible environments, in personal and
professional situations.
 Advocate for the respect and inclusion of marginalized and/or disenfranchised
individuals/groups.
 Understand the principles and dynamics of power and privilege.
 Develop strategies for developing more inclusive communication styles, forms, and
language.
APPLICATION FORMAT
Applicants are asked to produce evidence in their written application that validates a
demonstration of two of the three listed position competencies. Each competency has a number
of associated indicators, which applicants are asked to produce personal evidence for (i.e.
behaviours, events, or activities). Personal evidence must demonstrate an applicants’ past
performance of the related competency
The best way to communicate how you have demonstrated a competency in your written
application is in the following way:
1. Identify a Concrete Experience: recall a relevant personal experience, or several
experiences, which exemplifies the competency and its indicators.
- A highly detailed description of events (i.e. as close as possible to a ‘play by play’
that a video camera might have recorded).
- For example, personal experiences and observations from others.
PAGE | 3 of 4
University Students’ Council and The University of Western Ontario
FACULTY HEAD SOPH APPLICATION
2. Reflect on your Experience: reflect on what you learned from the experience(s).
- Your analysis and judgments of the experience(s) and the discussion about the
learning that you engaged in with others. Reflection is a middle ground that
allows you to come to conclusions about how and why you think and behave in
certain ways.
- For example, judgments, feelings, and connections with earlier experiences, and
conclusions reported from others.
3. Apply Your Learning: make generalizations and formulate practical applications which
can be related to the Faculty Head Soph position.
- The conclusions you formed from your reflection stage then form the basis by
which you can plan future action. Indicate situations when you would implement
what you learned from your past experience(s) in the role of Head Soph.
- For example, application planning articulated as specifically as possible for
practice in the position.

Please address each competency separately, as opposed to combining multiple
competencies in a single paragraph.

Please select only 2 indicators per competency.

Applicants will be expected to demonstrate 2 competencies (i.e. 4 indicators).

Please use only 1 example of a personal experience per indicator.
PART TWO: POSITION VISIONING
Applicants should provide detailed and clear responses to the following:
1. Please describe three (3) new initiatives or changes to current team programming you
would like to accomplish during your term as Head Soph. Describe the steps you would
take to implement these initiatives. (1000 words maximum).
PAGE | 4 of 4