Into the Wild...Let the Hunt Begin #8

The Interviews...

TGIF, am I right? This week has been pretty crazy, but in a good way. It started off with a bang with "mock interviews" that my graduate program held for us to give us a taste of the conference placement sessions. Even though we all knew it was fake, most of us were still sweating bullets! We were interviewing with real professionals from around the state, and of course my interviewer had the highest title of them all: VP of Student Affairs. We knew we had to make good impressions because the field is so small. We took these mock interviews seriously and I gained valuable feedback--I apparently enjoy talking with my hands and demonstrating my words visually with such gestures. The feedback my interviewer gave me? Start off with a deep answer to the first question to show your interest in the position and then see how the interviewer reacts. Apparently I gave a great response to my first question (the "what made you apply for this position") that had a lot of depth and really showed who I am and why I'm here and he liked that because he says that answer is "memorable." Too bad I was so nervous I couldn't remember what I said!!

The next day, I had my first phone interview. I was told it was going to last for 30 minutes and it ended up going for an hour. I think that's a good sign... The woman who interviewed me was great because she would tell me what she liked about my responses afterward and really reinforced a lot of what I was saying, relating it to her professional experience and philosophy. We definitely jived and I could already see myself working well with her. But it's a very large staff and the position requires working in a team of 4-5 professionals so who knows who I would work with if I got the position. They'll get back to me in a week to let me know if I receive an invite to campus or not. After learning more about the position from the interviewer and her favorite aspects of the job, the school, the students, and faculty/staff/administration, I really hope I get a chance to visit campus. We'll see!

Then I got sick. My tonsils ended up looking like gross golf balls and I had to trudge through the rest of my week looking fine on the outside but feeling like I had two large protrusions on either side of my neck. Wonderful.

Also this week, I received a voicemail from another institution asking for an on-campus interview. Unfortunately, it was too short notice for me to make the proposed interview day. I had to call them and tell them I could not make it which was difficult because I do want to interview with them. But while they had me on the phone, they made it a point to say they are looking for someone who can start earlier than I am available. I don't know, I just didn't get a good vibe. I said I would like to graciously take my name out of the candidate pool so they can focus on the applicants who are readily available, but they were like "weeeellll...we're not set on the start date yet." I didn't know what else to say. It's like they were not giving me the chance but at the same time they were.... So I gave them possible dates I would be able to interview, and we'll see if they would like to schedule something. I am all for on-campus interviews because I like getting that "vibe" in person, but phone interviews are more convenient sometimes and I just felt bad having to turn down an actual on-campus interview because it didn't work with my schedule!

So I'll keep ya'll posted. If you can learn anything from my experience, it's sticking to your guns and knowing how far you are willing to go for a job. Is it worth it to drop everything you have planned for a last minute request to interview? You answer that for yourself.

Real World: Job Search #7

My First Phone Interview

Yesterday, I had my first phone interview!

I would have been way more nervous about it if I hadn’t done the whole phone interview thing last year in the quest for a summer internship. I did a lot of interviews last year, but my first one was just—not that fantastic. I was sitting on the couch, on my cell phone, in my PJs and fuzzy slippers. I thought I would be relaxed because I was really comfortable. Unfortunately, comfort doesn’t always translate to “Hire me.”

This year, the stakes are a bit higher. I’m not just looking for a 3-month position. I’m looking for the next 3-5 years. At this level, phone interviews are all about weeding out candidates for on-campus interviews. So I knew I had to bump up my game. After my first phone interview for an internship last year, there were a few lessons I learned.

My Top Five Phone Interview Tips
1. Dress professionally – I know that no one is going to see you, but it helped keep me in the right mindset. Dress for success.
2. Sit in a chair – Sitting up straight helped to keep me focused on the interview and what I was being asked.
3. Gather your tools – Do you need your resume in front of you? I do; and I usually grab the position description (complete with notes and annotations), a list of questions I want to ask, and some answers to common questions (like what are your strengths and weaknesses).
4. Don’t mind the long pauses – Hopefully, they’re just writing down what you are saying, taking notes, etc. So don’t try to fill the awkward silences with rambling thoughts.
5. Keep a bottle of water at your side. This helped me to NOT ramble during the awkward pauses. I resisted the urge to speak by taking a sip of water.

So, yesterday, I decided to follow my own advice. I grabbed a water bottle, a whole bunch of papers, and sat at my desk in my office. And I think it went well. I hope it went well.

The interview lasted about an hour, and my interviewer asked me about my strengths and weaknesses, my supervisory style, experience working with diverse populations, organizational habits, and how I use student development theory in practice. You know, the usual.

There wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary. It was a pretty run-of-the-mill interview. It was a good first interview. It boosted my self-esteem a bit. And it got my feet wet, you know, before jumping into the pool at the conference in March.

We’ll see what happens!

Into the Wild...Let the Hunt Being #7

Silencing the Doubt To Hear What You Really Need

My class had the chance to speak to a few new professionals about their job hunt experience. When we were able to ask questions, these professionals couldn't stress enough the importance about knowing what you need and being yourself. Being myself is easy. It's too hard for me to try to be someone I'm not. I'm an introvert, an "I," so trying to be overly chatty, for example, is draining for me. I am one of those people that many extroverts probably "don't get," because I don't mind silence. But I also like being inside my own head (typical introvert, right?) so that would make sense. Point is: I can't be fake. It's too hard.

Being myself? Check. Knowing what I need? Ehhh, not so much.

I feel like deep down I must know what I need. But the fear of not having an income for an extended period of time if I cannot graduate immediately with a job frightened my brain into ignoring those needs during this job hunt at times. The good thing is that as an introvert, I enjoy reflecting about my thoughts and actions, so I can easily recognize when I've let the doubt take over. For example, I applied to a job that was a great position at a great school, but it's in a location where I know I would not enjoy living in--a BIG city. Everyone tells me how exciting city life is, how great it is for singles, how fun it is to go out and meet new people. But hello? You're talking to an introvert here!

Let's learn a little bit about my likes and dislikes (this will help me reflect later and hopefully clarify my "needs"). I mean, don't get me wrong, I am not a hermit. I like people, otherwise I wouldn't be in Student Affairs! But if you know your MBTI, and I'm sure you do, you know that introverts are prone to having small, close networks. I enjoy smaller communities and a few friends with whom I can form deep relationships (Like #1). I also enjoy smaller communities because I like the freedom of driving around and discovering quaint towns and villages (Like #2). I don't like to rely on public transportation because I feel lost and out of control (Dislike #1). I do not mind having access to a city, but honestly, the pace of city life does not match my personality! I need more solitude and more natural surroundings (Likes #3 and #4). I really love being outdoors and I love biking (Likes #5 and #6). I prefer to bike on paths or trails, and do not like biking on busy streets with crazy taxi drivers (Dislikes #2 and #3).

When considering living in a cramped apartment and making the trek to work into a HUGE city, my gut tightens up. But then my brain kicks in, getting all pushy on me, and says, "Well try it for a little while, it won't kill you!" One of those guest speakers we had offered a pretty good rebuttal to what my brain keeps telling me: "Yes it's just an entry-level position, but it's still a big part of your LIFE." She went on to say that if you aren't comfortable with the life you're living, you won't enjoy your job as much.

I feel like I need to wear one of those anti-bark shock collars that they have for dogs, except adjusted to recognize when I say things that go against my needs. A mild jolt of electricity to my neck to snap me out of making sacrifices. (Just to be clear: as a humane animal lover, I actually do not support the use of those dog collars, in case anyone was concerned about that comment). I don't WANT to sacrifice anything from my "needs list" but sometimes the doubt just gets so loud. I am going to do some soul searching this weekend instead of job searching and sit down and write a list of my Top 5 Needs to refer to when considering positions (to either apply to or accept interviews for). I obviously know that lifestyle and community are important
factors for me...so that's a start.

Oh, and by the way, I have my first phone interview scheduled! The first step in a lengthy search process for the school, but hey I will take it! I'm very excited to speak to someone at this institution and see what vibe I get, because the position sounds great and the school community is small. It's all about that "fit" though. (And in case you couldn't tell as I talk about "vibes" and "fit" I'm also a big "N"-- intuitive). We've learned a little about me today.

Real World: Job Search #6

It’ll All Work Out

I’ve always hated it when people say “Don’t worry; it’ll all work out.” I guess I’m just a natural pessimist, because I DO worry and I don’t know that it will all work out. What if it doesn’t? What if something goes horribly awry and it all falls through? What if I can do something to change it, but I don’t, because I’ve been told to not worry and that it will all work out? Too many ifs…

And I hate relying on ifs. I like concrete facts. I like knowing how things are going work out. In True Colors, I’m totally not an orange. I’m not spontaneous; I’m a planner. I want to know where I’m going, how I’m getting there, and who is going with me. And unfortunately, the thing that I have learned about “working it out” is that it rarely works out the way you’ve imagined it. The reality is usually far from the ideal.

Over the summer, two of my closest friends and I decided to go to one of the national conferences together for placement. Attending is so much easier with other people because you get to split the cost of the hotel, you have company for the journey, and you have automatic confidence-boosters with you when you need it. I wanted to go with friends because I didn’t want to travel back and forth between the hotel and the conference center by myself. I wanted someone to eat meals with and go to program sessions with… you know, to experience the conference.

For various reasons, these friends ultimately decided not to go to this conference. That’s fine; it’s the right decision for them and I absolutely respect that. I’m all about the individualization and personalization of the job search process, and hey, you have to stay true to yourself and to your goals and what is going to make you the most viable candidate.

But for me, I knew that I had to go to this conference.

I went back and forth about it for more than a month. I was registered for placement and the conference. But I had no one to go with, no one to travel with, no hotel, no plane ticket—nothing. And for a while, I thought to myself that I could probably get away with NOT going to the conference. How much harder could it be to just beat the pavement and do the job search the good ol’ fashioned way: sending out resumes, calling people, using your contacts?

And then I got an interview offer at the conference. And another one. And before I knew it, I started to realize that I would be crazy for not attending. It was the right choice for me. I sat down to seriously think how I could afford to do this…. I had some caveats about attending.

If I was going alone, I wanted to stay in a hotel attached to or right next to the conference center. The problem: incredibly expensive rooms. I just didn’t want to trek back and forth between hotel and conference by myself, not knowing the city, not knowing the weather, not knowing—anything, really. And then, when you factor in airfare/travel, meals, printing resumes, buying those 3oz bottles that you can bring on a plane… well, it was going to be about 1.5 paychecks. Seriously.

There was only one way I was going to be able to afford this: sacrifice Spring Break plans.

I had amazing plans with incredible friends. But there was no way that it was going “work out” if I did both. So, all of the money that I’ve saved for that trip is now being shifted over to my “Operation: Conference Attendance” fund.

The moral of the story: It worked out. I’m going to the conference. I’m staying in the hotel I want. I bought a plane ticket. I’m interviewing at the conference. But I couldn’t have my cake and eat it, too. So, au revoir Spring Break. Yeah, maybe it was my last chance to go on Spring Break as a college student, but sometimes—well, there are more important factors to weigh. It’s the right decision for me. I want a job. And hopefully, this decision helps me to get one.

So, I guess it worked out. Sort of.

Into the Wild...Let the Hunt Begin #6

On the Flip-Side of the Coin: The Waiting Game.

So the great thing about this blog is that you get two different stories. My story may not resonate with some of you readers out there, but perhaps my co-blogger's story will, or vice versa. It is always helpful to see two sides of the coin, and as of now we truly appear to be "heads" and "tails." Alas, I have not heard from any of the positions about interviews yet. So my story is THE WAITING GAME.

My area is very specific so I knew it would be a little difficult to find jobs, but I have come across some great postings so far. I think I will hit the big 1-0 over the weekend when I put in some more applications (that's 10 applications so far). I try to be optimistic, though, because this means that there actually ARE a lot of good jobs in my area out there and I have a few months until I graduate so I have time to keep applying. But it sure is hard to keep the "what if" bug from biting... What if my cover letter wasn't good enough? What if the design of my cover letters is flawed to begin with? What if my resume design is off-putting? What if they didn't get the notification that my materials were uploaded into the system? What if I made a grave spelling error? Etc..etc..etc..

Doubt. It can eat you alive. But here is how I try to get rid of the What If Bug. The other night I went through all of my files/folders for job applications on my computer. I printed out each job description, cover letter, and version of my resume that I submitted (sorry, trees!). I keep these organized by date of submission in a pretty folder titled "JOBS 2010." I have this folder in my bag just in case I get a phone call for an interview. When a majority of the job descriptions are the same for the positions you're applying to, it's hard to remember the details of each school!

This folder is a good way to review my cover letters, too. It also shows me how much I've accomplished with this hunt. It does come easier now and I can bang out a cover letter like nobody's business. Even though I get the doubts, I like my cover letters and I like my resume--my professors seem to agree, but I still can't help but wonder what these search committees think...

When the comfort of the tangible folder doesn't settle my nerves, I use logic. It takes a long time for committees to go through applications and many jobs that I applied for won't start reviewing applications until the end of February. Now, when it's mid-March and I haven't heard anything, these tricks may not keep the doubt away, but for now, it works. But you know what? It's silly to think that all of these jobs that I've applied to will want me. I am not naive. And I usually have a way of finding the right fit at the very end of the race...so maybe it will be the same for the job hunt.

The never-ending job listings really does help too. As draining as the search is, I love that there is no limit as to how many jobs you can apply to. I was talking to a friend of mine who is in his first professional job and asked him if I was overdoing it. His response? "There's no such thing in the job search." Thanks, buddy!

Now I can just keep going like the Energizer Bunny. I wonder if behind those cool sunglasses, that Bunny has incredibly bloodshot eyes, because man, my eyes are always hurting after hours of computer searches and cover letter writing....

Real World: Job Search #5

…And so it begins

Over the past week or so, I’ve been sending out applications like crazy. The job listings keep appearing every day: through the different placement sites, through Higher Ed Jobs, on the Chronicle, and in different list-serv messages. And the responses are starting to roll in. I have four interviews!

I’m beginning to feel like I’ve got a decent handle on this job search thing. I had to spend some time, though, thinking about what I really wanted out of my first professional experience. And so I made two important decisions: location and position responsibilities.

There are not many parameters to my job search—but I do know that there are certain parts of the country in which I would not flourish. I know that for me, personally, there are certain parts that are entirely more appealing. For example, I would love to work in a big city, like New York or Boston or Washington, D.C.

I guess another limitation on my job search is the area—I’m pretty set on particular functional area. And there are definitely responsibilities I want associated with the position: supervising, advising, professional development, collaboration with different departments, and the opportunity to serve on different institutional committees.

…And that’s it. Those are the two biggest factors that will limit my job search. I’m fairly open to something new, despite the anxiety outlined in an earlier entry. But other than that, I just need to keep on finding jobs, keep applying for them, and keep hoping ☺

Into the Wild...Let The Hunt Begin #5

So you're done with comps...now get back to the hunt!

It's been a little over a week since I last blogged but that's because I had to put life on hold for a little bit to focus on my comprehensive exam. Now that it's over with, I felt that huge rush of accomplishment. I have a good feeling about what I submitted, but the excitement of being done with the exam faded when I realized what lay ahead of me this semester.

I must say, studying and looking back over the past two years in graduate school was a great way to prepare me for interviews. I really have learned SO much. And I had an epiphany during a group study session. I blurted out to my friend, "....it's all connected! Everything's connected!" Development theory, multicultural competency, environmental design and theory, counseling skills, group work--everything we learned about all intertwines in a fantastic way. Call me a nerd, but that is exciting to discover. It is as if I finally got the bigger picture of the field. My friends who graduated before me in this program told me when I started that it may not all make sense until well after you are done with the class. They were right. But the epiphany was still grand.

Now I feel as if I can bring so much more into my cover letters, my resume, and my interviews. I've heard people tell me that they've been asked, "What's your favorite student development theory?" Now I can confidently say that if I received that question in an interview, I'd respond, "How much time do you have, because I have so many!" (But so they wouldn't think I was avoiding the question, I'd probably talk about Phinney and Ethnic Identity Development, or moral development theory....or the beloved 7 Vectors by Chickering and Reisser.)

The comps was a wake-up call to remind me and motivate me for the job search. It reminded me of all I've learned and how I am ready to take on an entry-level position. It also motivated me to be more explicit in my application materials, connecting my education in my graduate program to my experience. While the studying and the exam were both great ways to re-energize my job search, I have to say I have been looking forward to writing cover letters this whole week. I feel like I've missed so much and the job search is still in the "fun" stage for me right now. Just today I got an envelope in the mail from a school I applied to for a job. I looked at my roommates and said, "Do you think it's a rejection letter? Couldn't they just do that via email--quick like ripping off a bandaid?" I opened it and it was simply a thank you letter from the department for my application and explained that they will begin reviewing my materials after February 22nd. Also enclosed was a more detailed description of the job and a form that I could fill out to provide them more information about me. "That's a good sign, right?" one of my roommates asked. We'll see...if I ever get an interview from that school, I'll let you all know.