Residential Advisors

What Residential Advisors Do

Coordinate activities in resident facilities in secondary school and college dormitories, group homes, or similar establishments. Order supplies and determine need for maintenance, repairs, and furnishings. May maintain household records and assign rooms. May assist residents with problem solving or refer them to counseling resources.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Short-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

2.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.5/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 4.2/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.0/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 4.0/5
• English Languageimportance 3.9/5
• Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.7/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.5/5
• Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 3.5/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail4.6/5
• Contact With Others4.6/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.3/5
• Telephone Conversations4.2/5
• Health and Safety of Other Workers4.2/5

Related Careers

• Social and Community Service Managers
• Rehabilitation Counselors
• First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers
• Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
• Social and Human Service Assistants
• First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services
• Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling98% skill match
• Recreation Workers98% skill match
• Postmasters and Mail Superintendents98% skill match
• Social and Community Service Managers98% skill match
• Gambling Managers98% skill match
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers98% skill match
• Administrative Services Managers98% skill match
• Fire Inspectors and Investigators97% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.6/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.6/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.6/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.4/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Cooperation
• Empathy
• Social Orientation
• Optimism
• Self-Control
• Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• SocialHigh
• ConventionalMedium
• EnterprisingMedium
• RealisticLow
• InvestigativeLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where residential advisors make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Rapid City, SD10.90× national avg
2. 2Sioux Falls, SD-MN7.61× national avg
3. 3Duluth, MN-WI5.12× national avg
4. 4Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC4.98× national avg
5. 5Mankato, MN4.78× national avg

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.