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Open Day student volunteers

Be apart of it

Open Day is one of the key recruitment events of the year and its success is the result of many hours of effort leading up to and on event day from staff advisers and student volunteers. The RMIT College of Business will coordinate approximately 400 staff and student volunteers to assist visitors at Open Day on Sunday 14 August 2011.

On this page…

Who can apply?

To be eligible to register as a Business Open Day student volunteer, you must:

  • Be a currently enrolled RMIT Business student (TAFE, trainee, undergraduate or postgraduate)
  • Be friendly and outgoing
  • Be a good communicator – you will be speaking with members of the general public
  • Not already be registered to help at Open Day through the University’s website or the LEAD program

What are the rewards or incentives?

The College of Business offers student volunteers the following items for giving up their personal time to help out on Open Day:

  • Free fleecy vest
  • Free lunch
  • Free nametag with lanyard
  • RMIT merchandise
  • Certificate of Appreciation

What does being a volunteer involve?

Open Day runs from 10am to 4pm on Sunday 14 August. Depending on the role you are assigned and your availability, there is a minimum commitment of three and a half hours on the day. You will be asked on the registration form to indicate whether you are available in the morning only, afternoon only, or all day. Even if you indicate all-day availability, you may only be rostered on for half the day. There are also roles which require you to come in to RMIT before the scheduled time (e.g. Team Leaders).

For most roles, you will need to arrive approximately 15 minutes before your duties begin to allow any last minute briefing from your team leader. If you are starting in the afternoon, you should arrive earlier so you have time to eat your free lunch before your duties begin.

The duties and responsibilities for volunteers vary. Some involve a lot of talking, others require you to be outside, some involve a lot of interaction with the public, some involve support services for Business staff.

Before you register to be a volunteer, be certain of your commitment as it is very difficult to change the roster after it has been set. After registrations close, Team Leaders for each group of volunteers will be selected by the Open Day Coordinator (Business).

A briefing kit and support material are expected to be available in the week leading up to Open Day. A briefing session for Team Leaders will be held in the week before Open Day also.

Volunteer roles

Meet and Greet Volunteer

Are you a friendly person that has no problem to approach people looking for help and directional orientation? Then this role is for you!

A Meet and Greet volunteer is there to make visitors feel welcome and help them to find their way to the program display or information session they are interested in. You will greet every visitor that comes by and hand them an Open Day showbag and direct them to their area of interest.

If you are friendly by nature and you like meeting lots of people then this is the role for you!

Locations:

Emily McPherson Building 13 (outside, if the weather is bad inside)
Victoria Street Courtyard (outside)

Duties:

  • Greet visitors
  • Distribute showbags on arrival
  • Hand out Open Day Event Guide (explaining what it is)
  • Replenish showbags from storage
  • Approach visitors who look like they need help
  • Direct problems or enquiries about non-Business programs to the General Info Booth
  • Advise visitors the best way to get to each Location
  • Keep area tidy and free of obstructions throughout the day
  • Assist with moving visitors through the foyer area of Building 13
  • Direct visitors to trams and provide directions to other RMIT Open Day sites

Directional Guides

Do you have a good sense of orientation and do you like helping people? Then you might consider being a Directional Guide!

Directional Guides are located on each level at various points trough out the building. They are there to help and point visitors in the right direction. You will have to familliarise yourself with the venue and where different displays and programs are located on your level and in the building.

Directional Guides will not specifically talk about their program, there will be Program Assistants that do that, but you can talk about your study experience in general.

As a Directional Guide you are there to help directing traffic that comes through to the building and to ensure that each visitor finds their way to their area of interest.

Locations:

Various – where possible, students are allocated on the same floor as the programs they study.

Duties:

  • Direct visitors
  • Assist with wheelchairs, prams etc
  • Familiarise yourself with floor layout (activities, exits, stairs, toilets)
  • Announce when Info Sessions are about to begin on the appropriate floor (5 minutes beforehand)
  • Coordinate meal breaks with other volunteers on your floor
  • Assist with general enquiries about activities or your experience (no program advice)
  • Take note of traffic flow and visitor questions, to report to your Team Leader

Event Assistants/Gophers (Roaming)

Event Assistants will be on call during the day to perform scheduled tasks, and in particular to be a troubleshooter and closely assist the Business Open Day Coordinator.

Event Assistants will also be a key point of contact for Directional Guides, Volunteer Team Leaders and School Open Day Organisers on each level if the Business Open Day Coordinator is unavailable.

The mobile phone number of Event Assistants will be issued to supervisors of volunteers and School Open Day Coordinators.

Duties:

  • Ensure staff in busy traffic areas are supplied with refreshments (they may not be able to leave their display).
  • Liaise with external caterer
  • Restock RMIT booklets if required
  • Assist Info Booth staff as required
  • Take photos of all displays and of visitors; obtain talent releases
  • Assist with set up of the showbag greeting area
  • Deliver boxed lunches if required
  • Other duties as requested.

A comprehensive list of tasks and timings will be issued

Program Assistants (by invitation only)

This role is by invitation from your School only. You can not register for this role.

Program Assistants will assist staff to talk to prospective students on the day. We always like to have students around who can talk enthusiastically to future RMIT students about the program and their study experience and student life at RMIT.

Location:

Various locations

Main duties:

  • A public relations role, to promote the highlights of your program alongside your teachers/lecturers
  • Mingle with prospective students, talk about the courses you are studying, experiences at RMIT, special activities you’ve been involved in, the School, etc.
  • Other activities as directed by School staff (e.g. attend or speak at information sessions)

Other duties:

  • Direct visitors
  • Announce when Info Sessions are about to begin on the appropriate floor (5 minutes beforehand)
  • Coordinate meal breaks with other volunteers in your display room/location

Comments:

These volunteer positions are usually by invitation only, via the School or Program Coordinators.

Communication

All successful student volunteers will receive an SMS/email confirming their role by mid-June.

Further advice may be sent by email or SMS about:

  • the student briefing kit
  • briefing sessions
  • when your Open Day Kit (program, nametag, Open Day vest) is available for collection

Register to be a volunteer

Volunteer registrations for the 2011 Open Day have now closed. Successful applicants will be contacted mid June.