Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #2

Okay, I'll be honest.

I'm a pretty bad secret-keeper.

I've been this way all of my life - if you tell me something (or I manage to find out about something), it's going to be very difficult to keep it to myself. I'm cursed with 'verbal vomit', as I like to call it, where if it's in my head then it's probably going to come out of my mouth. I've created many an uncomfortable situation this way, but no matter how hard I try it just won't stop.

So it's natural that the moment I find out I'll be writing this blog I start thinking about who I can tell. And of course, I've let the cat out of the bag to a few select people. I literally cannot help it. One moment I'm talking about watching rereuns of America's Next Top Model, and the next moment I'm spilling out "So, I'm a professional blogger now..." One of the downfalls of doing this job search journal is the extra anxiety I feel. I mean, I can't be the Loser Blogger that never gets a job and becomes the laughingstock of student affairs. I have to be the Super Awesome Blogger that gets the Wonderful Job and does plenty of amazing things. The positive element is that this is just going to make me even more organized and goal-oriented. I'm one of those really odd individuals that is fueled by stress and anxiety - as much as it makes me absolutely nuts, it also makes me get my butt in gear.

That being said, I'm working hard to get ahead in my classwork and leave myself enough time to work on cover letters and resumes. We're up to 8 jobs applied for, with a ginormous stack of job descriptions I need to go through and make decisions on. I'm rocking out a spreadsheet and numerous folders on my jumpdrive with all of the pertinent information on the jobs I'm applying for. I'm considering buying a filing case so I can organize in hard copy instead of using my "I'll just paperclip this all together" method I'm currently using. Not only has job searching made me more organized, it's also letting me indulge my love of office supplies.

While my job searching writing pal seems to be fielding resume discussion in his neck of the woods, over in my Higher Ed Land it is quiet. Eerily quiet. So quiet, in fact, that no one is really discussing anything. No talk of jobs that we like, jobs that we hate, perfect jobs, or jobs that we're completely not qualified for but apply anyway. Granted, I'm in a position where I don't come in a lot of contact with my fellow 2nd years, but nothing is even floating down the grapevine. Either we've all independently decided to take a vow of secrecy, or no one's really looking yet. I find the latter to be hard to believe, especially with conferences coming up. It's kinda nice to attend class without discussion of The Search, but I'm sure soon enough that will all change. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Meanwhile I'll be spending the next few days working on getting my own resume a little more up-to-date and ready to send off to a few more sites. While having three areas of student affairs in mind during the job search is great and definitely gives me a broad search, it also makes life difficult when it comes time to write the resumes and cover letters. Trying to come up with three separate template resumes and three separate template cover letters is time consuming, and this last area I'm looking in is seeming to be the hurdle I just can't get over. I need to get crackin' on it if I want to have any sort of chance at scoring one of these jobs.

Of course, none of that will even happen if I'm not able to clear enough desk space to actually work. Whoops. Too bad my assistantship stipend doesn't let me afford a maid.

The Great Fishbowl Quest #2

When Cohorts Can Co-Hurt
So today I got asked the question that I’ve been dreading.

“Hey, can you send me a copy of your resume?”

The issue here wasn’t a matter of not wanting feedback; I’ve gotten enough of that to consider myself an expert in receiving “thiscouldbe” (“This could be tweaked/amped/deleted/shredded”) comments. The issue at hand was the person asking.

Oh, yes. It was a cohort member.

For those of you who don’t know me (which is hopefully everyone reading this blog), I am a strong advocate of cohort-style programs. I have relied on my cohort since day one and I believe cohorts can provide unparalleled relationships beneficial to future collaboration and career-building. With that inspirational comment made (feel free to quote me), cohorts provide some real issues. Issues that anonymity (good thinking, StudentAffairs.com) will allow me to talk about.

Cohorts develop very distinct personalities with unspoken “rules” and attitudes that develop with time. Well, there’s been plenty of time for my cohort and many rules have been established. So for the first time ever, I’ll do my best to list the rules as I know them (drum roll, please):

1) Cohort members will act to protect the cohort’s integrity as a whole.

2) Cohort members will act to protect each individual’s professional integrity.

3) Cohort members will keep each other informed on general progress related to job work, course work, and other work related to the profession. In this manner, cohort members can make choices on how to use their insufficient supply of time (still only allotted 24 hours in a day). It is our belief as a cohort that knowing the accomplishments and progress of our peers, we can gauge our own work to maintain Rules #1 and #2.

I’m sure all of you could add far more to this list, as I could as well, but for the purposes of this post, I believe this captures the spirit of my cohort well. Up to this point, we have functioned well with these unspoken rules and have sufficiently impressed our faculty, department, and other professionals that we interact with at conferences.

But now…now we reach a problem. We all happen to want jobs. And I’m apparently interpreting our “rules” differently than at least a good part of my cohort.

The first sign of “uh-oh” was when a peer that I worked with on a project asked to see how I described the project in my resume. He held the belief that we should describe the project in the same (exact) manner so that it presented the same image to potential employers. My jaw dropped (I never believed that actually happens, but it sure did.). I tried to explain that employers appreciate collaboration, but I don’t think they view collaboration on resumes in the same light. I’m pretty sure this is not a group project.

I hoped that would be it. Isolated experience. Today, though, I got asked directly by another cohort member for a copy of my resume. She wanted to compare it to her own. A third person in the cohort e-mailed me an hour ago asking me how to word something.

My strategy at the moment: Provide as little assistance as possible to evade directly breaking the “rules” of the cohort. I’ve heard how these things can turn out, and it seems that things can get ugly quick. Not so bad, except that I plan to room with my cohort at conferences; I rather not have to choose my interviews based on who will give me a six-month pay advance, and we all know you can’t afford to job search alone.

Have any advice, I’m the guy sitting at the computer researching “How to Remove Oneself Safely from an Angry Mob.”

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Job Update
So this weekend I successfully accomplished reviewing and ranking approximately 30 institutions with my wife. It seems like an insane amount of work, but I'm finally at the point that I can begin contacting institutions that will be interviewing at TPE. I've been holding off with the fear of contacting too many institutions too early and missing some great opportunities that present themselves closer to the conference. With a list in hand, I can focus my cover letters and applications in a more organized manner (because as my writing partner put it, time is getting filled with mundane tasks like coursework and the present job). I'm up to having scheduled...get ready for this...a total of 3 interviews (aside from the phone interview that I'm waiting to hear back on). I think the number will jump this week now that I'm actively pursuing.

Here's hoping...

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #1

First off, lemme introduce myself.
I'm a 2nd year in my Higher Education program, preparing for graduation, and launching into my first ever serious job search. And I'm not gonna lie - I'm totally scared.

Back in August one of my assistantship supervisors asked me what I was thinking about doing for my job search - what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I went completely deer-in-headlights on her, and she laughed and told me she'd let me get away with that for now. Around November she asked me again. This time I was a little more clear about what I wanted to do, but still wimpered in fear about the whole job search process. Eventually, I broke down and let her edit my resume. Then another supervisor wanted to see it. Finally, in December, I came across a job description that was fantastic. It seemed nearly made for me and all of a sudden I found myself asking for cover letter assistance. The next thing I knew I was perfecting my resume, logging into the website, and filling out my first application. Hitting 'submit' was the scariest thing I'd done all semester. And now here it is, the beginning stages of my last semester, and suddenly I'm truly faced with finding a job or being unemployed with a mountain of student loan debt. *gulp* No pressure or anything.

I didn't think that these decisions would have to be made already. I've spent the last year and a half completely falling in love with student affairs and trying to get as much experience as possible. I've been able to meet so many incredible individuals, both in and out of class, and do amazing things. My classes have been thought provoking, my professors have been endearing. Suddenly, it's time to become an adult. Where did all of my time go?

Despite my fear and reservations, I'm ready to finally "grow up" and do something fantastic with my life. I've been going to school virtually non-stop since kindergarten - I headed to college straight from high school, and then I decided that continuing right on to graduate school was the best choice. I think it's time that I made some decent money and got a Big Girl Job. I need a salary. I need benefits. I need an office.

First, I just have to get through this final semester. Classes, my Assistantship, an Internship, and my Second Job are filling up my plate - not to mention all the time that a job search actually takes. I have already realized that all of this will challenge my organizational skills to the max. I'm already a freak with my day planner, and it's starting to get even worse. My 'to do' lists are filled with the most mundane of tasks, but I fear that if I don't write it down it'll never get done. The anxiety is building, and I've already experienced my first panic attacks of the semester. So far, I've applied for 6 jobs. This number seems ridiculously small, and I'm combing all the good places to find interesting postings that might work for me. The goal is to have an offer that I'm planning on accepting (or have already accepted) by graduation. This leaves me with three and a half months - not very much time. And the next wave of anxiety washes over me....

This brings me to the title of my little blog. While at the Second Job this evening, KT Tunstall's song "Suddenly I See" came up in the playlist. Truth be told, I already love this song and I've been known to sing it loudly (and out of key) when I hear it. With everything on my mind already, including what to title this thing, it hit me that the first line of the chorus would work beautifully. Despite all the anxiety and the nervousness, the suffering and the worrying, this really IS what I want to be. Can I imagine myself in a life that doesn't involve student affairs? No. This means I have to be on the right track.

And you know, if all else fails, there's still Second Job to fall back on. This is one of the reasons I haven't quit yet. But it's all about positive thinking. It won't matter, because I'll get a job. I don't need a fall back plan, right?

Of course I'll get a job.
.....right?

The Great Fishbowl Quest* #1

Really? Already?

What better day to start a blog than the day you hold your first interview?

Before getting into that, though, I’ve been asked to tell you a little bit about myself. This should be a breeze considering that this is the first interview question all of us who are job searching will be asked a countless number of times. The tricky part is answering without a name, an institution, or other identifying labels (mysterious, isn’t it?).

Currently, I am completing my last semester of graduate school studying “Student Affairs” while serving as a “Hall Director” at my institution. The coursework is quite intimidating this semester, and I believe the instructors are looking to make our comprehensive exams a “grand finale” which will leave us with spots in front of our eyes. In addition to graduating, I also hope to be granted a job (that I choose) at an institution in a community that my wife and I will enjoy. That’s right; I’m married, too, which is fantastic for me, because I have a support network 24/7 (although I don’t know how great it is for her, having to be my support network 24/7).

With that said, I’d like to jump right into my experiences up to now. Last week I was contacted by an institution to set up a phone interview. I was very excited to have the opportunity, as this school rates high on my list (Once my list is complete, I will have a ranking I may refer to throughout the blog). We’ll call this school Top Ten Institution. Being excited about the opportunity, though, is not the same as “looking forward” to it.

I have never had a phone interview. I’d like to emphasize that word “never.” I’ll even add “ever” to it. Never ever. Had this not been Top Ten Institution, I wouldn’t be so nervous. I’d much prefer to hold my first phone interview with Far Unlikely Institution.

I combined some survival tactics and did the following: I waited two days to respond and used that time to give myself a crash-course in practicing interview questions and learning everything I could about phone interviews. When I replied, it was that time in the week that the odds were in my favor that we would interview the following week. All went just according to plan.

We had scheduled for this morning. I dressed the part (tie and all) and waited for the phone to ring in my silent apartment. I used my cell phone to call my apartment and make sure the phone was working. I had my friend call so I could find out if the volume was alright. I ended up hiding my cell phone so that I would stop looking at the time. And then I jumped a mile high when the phone rang.

It rang once (Don’t answer; you’ll come off too eager). It rang twice (Hurry and answer the phone before it rings a third time!).

I’d love to say it went perfectly, that I anticipated every question. Not quite.

I made the mistake of anticipating the “tell us a little bit about yourself” question. It’s the question to test the waters; your chance to figure out if this is a formal or informal interview. And with a phone interview, you need any clues you can get when you don’t have any nonverbals for hints.

Here’s how the first fifteen seconds of the phone interview went:

“Good morning, Candidate speaking.”

“Good morning, Candidate. I’m #1. This is #2. Let’s get started. Why Top Ten Institution?”

I wanted to ask for a chance to pick myself up off the ground, but I thought that might make a bad first impression.

After that, though, things quickly took a positive turn. Once those first five minutes were over, the interview went perfectly. I feel very confident that Top Ten Institution will ask me to interview with them again at one of the exchanges.

One down, two to go (with that institution). Only about forty other institutions left.

* I’ve titled my portion of this blog The Great Fishbowl Quest as I currently work in a “fishbowl” and am on a quest to find a new and exciting “fishbowl” to join.