DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. The authors admit the intensive process of RA selection is often susceptible to personal bias. What measures, if any, exist in your department to identify and eliminate bias within hiring decisions? 2. The goal of hiring decisions is to accurately predict future performance of the staff member. What are some elements of your department's hiring processes that might not play a role in this goal? 3. Does your department's hiring process rely more on a mechanical approach or a holistic approach when hiring candidates? What are the pros and cons of both approaches? 4. The authors contend that bad hiring decisions may result in negative ripple effects that could manifest. What are some ripple effects that you have observed because of a bad hiring decision, and what specific qualities led to that ripple effect? 5. Social media was mentioned as a minor factor in determining the decision made about a candidate. Do you believe social media should play a role in hiring decisions? 6. In what ways can a housing department increase involvement for graduate-level employees in order to increase their confidence in the hiring process? 7. Participants identified their own observations of candidates at group process as more influential than a candidate's group process score. Aside from group processes, what are some ways to increase observations of candidates? Discussion questions developed by Nikki Elkins, Assistant Residential Life Coordinator at The University of Texas at Dallas, and Taylor Lawson, Assistant Housing Operations Coordinator at The University of Texas at Dallas. Volume 47, No. 3 * 2021 59