From recruiting participants to developing future leaders, Moraine Valley Community College and the University of Rhode Island share hiring strategies that prioritize potential over experience.
Recreation departments are among the largest student employers on campus, hiring hundreds of students across a range of positions every year. But for many campus rec leaders, successful hiring is more about identifying potential over finding the most experienced applicant.
This is a philosophy shared by teams at Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC) and the University of Rhode Island (URI). While each department recruits differently, both have found the strongest hiring strategy begins before an application is submitted.
Rather than focusing solely on experience or technical skills, both departments prioritize students who are engaged, show leadership potential and are genuinely invested in campus rec. This mindset shapes every aspect of their hiring processes.
“We don’t expect every candidate to arrive with extensive experience,” said Jarrell Garcia, the associate director of Campus Recreation at URI. “We look for indications that the students interviewing care about the opportunity and are willing to put forth effort.”
Garcia emphasized how technical skills can be developed through training, but qualities like accountability, professionalism and initiative are often harder to teach. His team looks for how potential hires
Hope Michalek, the coordinator of Facility Operations and Events for CENTERS at MVCC, said her team has a similar philosophy. While positions are posted publicly, hiring is often a collaborative effort including internal promotions, staff recommendations and traditional applications.
Rather than relying on a single strategy, the campus rec department tailors its approach based on the specific needs of each role and the strengths of its existing team. The emphasis on potential aids in both departments’ most successful strategies: building talent from within their own campus rec communities.
At MVCC, many long-time group fitness participants become instructors and faculty members have recommended students they believed would thrive in recreation roles.The department is also strengthening its relationship with the college’s student employment office, hoping to introduce more students to campus rec positions.
“For example, we have a hard time finding lifeguards,” explained Michalek. “We hope by working with student employment, we’ll see more interest in this area. Our lifeguards receive their certifications free of charge by working here, so students will gain an additional bonus of a flexible campus job and free certification.”
URI has taken a similar approach. Garcia said many student employees first become familiar with the department as participants, giving them an understanding of the department’s culture before they ever apply. Building on that foundation, the department has created intentional pathways to help students grow into future employees.
One example of this is the Group Exercise Mentoring (GEM) Program, which introduces students with little or no instructional experience into the world of group fitness.
Through mentoring, shadowing, workshops and guided practice, participants develop the skills and confidence needed to pursue a certification and eventually join the department as instructors. Rather than waiting for qualified instructors to apply, the program creates its own pipeline for employees.
Even beyond group fitness, this philosophy is applied throughout the department. The Facilities and Operations team at URI has also adjusted how it identifies future Building Supervisors, looking for leadership potential during entry-level interviews rather than waiting until students have experience.
Along with helping the team create more leadership opportunities, Garcia said this approach also reinforces a culture where those positions are earned through attitude and effort rather than tenure.
“The philosophy is simple: technical skills can be taught through training, mentoring and shadowing, but qualities such as work ethic, professionalism, adaptability, and the ability to positively influence others are often what make the difference between a good employee and a great leader,” said Garcia. “These are the same transferable skills that help student succeed long after their time in Campus Recreation regardless of the career path they choose.”
While both departments found success investing in their communities, each faces different realities when it comes to hiring.
Operating as a commuter college often means working against time for MVCC. Students often spend fewer years on campus before transferring or entering the workforce, leaving less opportunity to develop employees into leadership positions.
As a result, the department focuses on making meaningful opportunities available from the moment students are hired while rebalancing internal promotion with the fresh perspective external candidates can provide.
“Being a commuter school, we’re fortunate to retain and continue developing those that stay as they move onto their next steps, whether that be transferring to other schools or even other jobs,” said Michalek. “What’s important is that we try to make the most out of their time here from the start.”
Garcia said employee referrals at URI have helped establish a strong hiring pipeline, but those same networks can unintentionally limit outreach to students who may not already feel connected to campus rec.
“We strive to create employment opportunities that are accessible to all students, but that can be challenging when awareness of positions, perceptions of recreation spaces and applicant pools vary across different student populations,” explained Garcia. “While we consistently attract strong candidates, we’re continually working to ensure students from all backgrounds see Campus Recreation not only as a place to recreate but also as a place where they belong and can build community and develop as leaders.”
Despite serving different student populations nearly a thousand miles apart, both departments showcase how successful hiring requires building relationships with students, creating opportunities for growth and looking beyond resumes to identify future potential.
For campus rec directors looking to strengthen hiring practices, the key takeaway is to invest in people before positions need to be filled. Whether that means developing participants into instructors, creating intentional programs or strengthening campus partnerships, the most effective hiring strategies focus less on finding the perfect candidate and more on creating an environment where future leaders can emerge.
