The Great Fishbowl Quest #14

Wow.

Good opening for both me and my blogging buddy.

There is a job offer on the table.

I’m grateful for the offer. It was an interview I enjoyed, the people I met on campus were great, and the job would be close to home. Here is why there is no exclamation point on that sentence.

This past week I had an on-campus interview that exceeded the offered job in every category except for being closer to home. I also have my third on-campus interview scheduled for Friday of this week. Now, typically, because I enjoyed the interview and could see myself working there, I would ask for time to make a decision. This way, if the excellent institution didn’t offer (I believe they are only inviting three onto campus), I wouldn’t end up jobless or taking a job somewhere that I didn’t enjoy.

I asked if I could contact them in two weeks. They laughed.

I explained that I had one more on-campus this Friday. They were gracious and gave me this whole weekend to decide.

Keep in mind they contacted me on Thursday.

From what I’ve heard and experienced, this is a rather unrealistic timeline. Typically, when you ask for a specific length of time for a specific reason, you can get it. If not, there is some level of compromise that you can work with. In this conversation, no compromise was made, regardless of the number of options I attempted to provide.

It can mean different things, but at this point in the process, I see it as a bad sign. To me, it says that there is poor planning on their part, high pressure to have me accept before checking out my options, and it communicates a lack of foresight. I was told when I finished interviewing that there would be every effort made to accommodate my timeline as necessary within reason; now I’m being told there is no time for a decision to be made.

Having to make a decision in such a short period of time, I asked if they could tell me what position I would fill. I was told that they weren’t sure if I would be placed in one of two halls. This typically occurs when hiring multiple professionals for the same level of position. However, wanting a quick response from me warrants me having extra information. I was told I could end up in an all-male hall composed of mainly freshmen or a co-ed hall of upperclassmen. These are two very distinct populations. One of which I’d be excited to work with, one of which I’d be somewhat hesitant.

Needless to say, I’m going to have to respond tomorrow declining the position. This is very frustrating, as I did enjoy my experience and could see myself working at the institution down the road. Also, from a practical point of view, having a “contingency” plan never hurts. I know that we don’t tend to talk about “Plan B’s,” but they make sense to have. I didn’t really view this institution as a “Plan B” yet; there is still one other institution I wanted to be able to compare it with.

So…I am officially making the decision to continue this exhausting process and tell a pretty good place that at this moment in time, if they require a response, I’m not interested.

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #14

Wow.

There isn't much more to say than that. Atlanta is amazing.

The city is beautiful and bustling with activity. Our hotel is right downtown, and it's awesome to look outside and see everything going on. I've already been sight-seeing, with more planned. The weather was beautiful (up until the rain that started today) but at least it's still warm. You can feel the humidity already - I have no idea how people stand to be here in the summer.

Today was the first day of interviews. I came with a total of 10; I've added one other first interview and got asked back for a second interview already. The bulk of my interviews so far have been really good. I'm surprised how easy some of them go. A few have been not-so-thrilling, but I wasn't expecting everything to be fantastic. The placement center seems a lot calmer than what it was last year. With everything very separated out this year (unlike the Joint Conference last year where the majority of everything was crammed into one large room) there's a lot less noise and it feels like a lot nicer of an atmosphere.

I'm still not sure if I'm going to make it to any sessions or not. I haven't even cracked the book yet to look at what's out there and when. I have plans to make it to the opening session, if nothing else. We'll see what happens. I'm very glad that my extreme nerves of last night have subsided. I was eerily calm this morning, and it lasted all day long. I'm currently exhausted. Even though it's Saturday night and I have plenty of time to go out and about, I'm not sure that I'll actually make it. It's hard work talking about yourself all day long and sounding absolutely employable :)

The Great Fishbowl Quest #13

5 Minutes Remaining

That's what this whole job search experience feels like at the moment. And now I'm down to 4 minutes remaining. In the past week I've continued my travels and am currently at a public library where I had to beg for the opportunity to use the internet and fill out a guess pass for a dollar that bought me 31 minutes. The first twenty-seven have gone to checking e-mail, finding more directions (which I've had to write out because there is no public printer).

Anyway, I will be posting again soon. The biggest struggle is that I'm tired of searching. I just completed an on-campus interview that was perfect in every way except for our families being so far away. The biggest fear is approaching...what if perfect offers away from home and pretty good offers closer to home? We'll see...

At this point, I've got to go. It's counting down my seconds...Good luck at ACPA, everyone!

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #13

Since the start of the week it seems like things have exploded.

My inbox is still getting interview requests, and now they've started via phone. I'm up to 9 scheduled interviews for the conference, with two more email requests hanging out waiting for my response.

I have another institution that's trying to set up a phone interview. Time constraints on both sides have pushed this off until after the conference, thankfully.

I scheduled an on-campus interview yesterday. Not the one I've previously mentioned; I'm waiting for a reply back from them. This is another one, who apparently isn't doing phone interviews....or else I made beyond that round with just my experience. This one is an interesting one because of where it's at, and I think everyone is surprised when I tell them that I'm interviewing. Hell, I'm surprised. But it would be fun and enjoyable and I'm not going to turn down an interview for reasons that I don't feel are really worth giving up this type of opportunity.

I feel like I'm standing still and watching everything around me fly by. Most of my prep for ACPA is done, there's just a few last minute things left to finish up. I'm saving all of my packing and outfit configuring until Thursday, mainly because I'll have no time to do any of that until then. I am sure I will spend the evening trying to cleverly fold and maneuver everything into one suitcase, one carry-on, and my purse. I'm refusing, at this point, to check two bags and increase the risk that one or both of them won't make it to Atlanta. My flight leaves Friday morning and then this whirlwind weekend begins.

As for the actual conference....at this point I'm betting that I won't make it to very many sessions. I haven't looked at what's being offered, but I know that there will be things that I'll wish I could be at and won't be able to get to. The greater good is finding a position that fits me.

So, I'm off to start my day and make long lists of all the things I need. I feel like I'm preparing for some huge event that will change my life. Despite my tendencies to wax philosophical about things, I think this time it's actually true. Good luck to all my other job search companions out there -- ACPA, here I come!

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #12

It's a week until the conference and suddenly my inbox has exploded with interview offers. I'm getting multiple invites a day and it's getting overwhelming. The good thing is that I'm starting to actually get a little picky, and so it's easier to decide who I will meet with and who isn't really interesting. I still just have the 6 interviews for now, but I'm planning on setting up at least one or two more before I head off next Friday. I'm working on setting up the on campus interview that I received last week and I also just got an offer for a phone interview with another institution. The weeks of silence are now yielding a lot of hoopla. It's exciting and overwhelming, but at least it means that people are interested.

A lot of the more recent ACPA interview requests have come from places much farther away than I ever thought I might end up. Some I can easily dismiss - either the place is just not one that appeals to me at all, or the institution doesn't really grab my attention - but others are becoming harder to ignore. The one interview that I mentioned a few entries ago (the one that I was struggling over accepting because of where it's located) is the only "far away" one that I've accepted as of now. I gave in because of how amazing the institution is, how fantastic the students seem to be, and how beautiful the campus looks. The latter was the real kicker. I'm completely won over by atmosphere every time. I could meet these people at ACPA and immediately know that it's not where I want to be.....or I could fall in love with them and the position. We shall see, but I'm keeping an open mind.

All of my stress and anxiety is finally taking a toll on my body. I started getting sick a few days ago and I'm pumping myself full of cold medicine to try and head it off before it turns into something big. Being sick next week is NOT an option. I'm consuming lots of juice and yesterday I slept so much that I'm not really sure how I'm actually still tired. None of this makes my to-do list any shorter, and so I'll finally venture out of my apartment today and try to rejoin society.

I hope to update again before leaving for the conference, and definitely (if time allows it) while I'm there. The more entertaining bits might be any stories I have of the airport and the flight. I'm not the most calm flyer and I still don't really understand how everything at the airport functions, so there's bound to be something mildly embarrassing to share. I'm also hoping that Atlanta is somewhat put back together by next week. I've been wondering if everything is still set for the conference, but I got an email a few days ago saying that the hotels and conference center are ready to go. I just need to make sure that I am, too.

The Great Fishbowl Quest #12

I apologize for going silent for a solid eight days. Today was our comprehensive exam. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad at all. I’m proud to say that at no point in time did I lose sleep in preparing for this test. I have successfully kept from sacrificing sleep in regards to the job search or prepping for what my cohort has referred to as “the test with no name.” Hopefully, everyone is as confident as I am with our performance on the test. The looks on some of my peers’ faces don’t have me convinced.

Anyway, with the job search, I have to say that I’m a little anxious. Up until now, I’ve done well at predicting the “traffic” of interview requests and on-campus offers. I predicted incorrectly, though, that more institutions would be getting in contact with me this week than the number that got in contact with me last week. At the beginning of this week, I declined three on-campus interview offers. I was confident that one of those would pretty much translate into a job offer very quickly. I keep telling myself that I knew that none of those were going to provide the right “fit” for my wife and I, but it would have been nice to have accepted more on-campuses than I’ve declined. I’ve been comparing offers of on-campuses with the one that I have already completed. The only possible flaw in this strategy is that if that institution doesn’t offer a job, it isn’t going to do me any good to have turned down everybody else.

I do have one on-campus I’ll be doing this next week during my spring break. I’m pretty excited about the opportunity, but the job I was originally interviewed for (and considered strongly for) has changed. I’m now being interviewed for a job that is quite different within the same department. We’ll see. I’m really excited about the new opportunity, possibly more than the original job I interviewed for. This interview requires a presentation, though, so it would be wise if I stopped blogging and started working.

Taking my own advice isn’t something I do when I finish such a big accomplishment as comps. I’ll keep writing.

Unless I hear from a few institutions by the end of this week, my interest list drops to six institutions. One of the institutions that I’m very interested in has just notified me that the position they were considering me for may be changing (seems to be a trend). The problem with this is that it may create a different opening that I can’t be considered for (female only). I’m disappointed just thinking about it. We’ll see.

My peers are having varying experiences. One of my close friends attempted to get into another master’s program and was unsuccessful with the institution she was hoping for. Seeing somebody I care about having to shift to Plan B and let go of Plan A is disheartening. Another one of my colleagues is starting to receive “no longer considering you” communication.

At this point, I’d really take any communication. I think tomorrow I will begin contacting the institutions left on my list. I’m starting to worry about the silence.

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #11

My concentration level has taken a nose-dive. I can't stay focused on anything and my mind is all over the place. I will directly blame daylight savings time.

It's nice to suddenly have sunshine into the evening hours, but not when I lose an hour of my life to make it happen. I thought I was ready for the Saturday night change over last week, but Sunday came and I felt like I was lost and confused. I couldn't fall asleep and then, of course, I was exhausted Monday morning. This lasted the entire week. How I actually made it to class is beyond me. And of course, when it comes time for this weekend and I'm finally able to sleep in, I sleep one hour later than normal and then wake up. I just can't win.

My classmates have returned from NASPA with stories about second and third interviews and on-campus requests. I am jealous, and I can't wait for ACPA to get here. 2 more weeks and I'll be freaking out about everything and preparing for my own interviews. I haven't scheduled any more and I haven't contacted anyone new; suddenly there's not a whole lot up on the site that interests me.

The big news for the week was an email I received regarding one of the phone interviews I did last month......they want to meet with me in person!!!! I am incredibly excited. This job is awesome because:
1. It seems like something that would amazing to get involved with, and I know I'm good at it.
2. It's in (what I hear is) a really cool place.
3. I don't think it snows there, or if it does, it's nothing like what I'm putting up with here.
4. The institution is...well, there are no words. It's a place that when I mention it to my friends as an option for me they say, "Ohhh yeah. I can totally see you there."

I can't wait to hear back so I can set something up. I was starting to have mini anxiety attacks about not being a viable candidate for ANYTHING, and then here is someone who is interested in me. While I'm definitely still worked up about this whole process, I've gone down a few notches on the crazy meter.

So I guess it's time to use my day wisely and start in on the many things that I need to get done. The only good part about being up early is then having the opportunity to take a nap. And as a grad student who's schedule is pretty much always out of control, I never pass up the chance to curl up and sleep.

The Great Fishbowl Quest #11

So much to write about, so little time. I have comps in eight days and we have recruitment going on for both our graduate staff and our undergraduate RA staff. I think for the purposes of today’s post, I will focus on what I learned from NASPA’s TPE and hopefully that will help my blogging buddy and others going to ACPA.

This was my second placement exchange of the season. I think I have now attended one of the smallest popular placement exchanges and one of the largest. People kept telling me how different it was going to be and to be quite honest, I didn’t see too much of a difference. Yes, it TPE was a lot larger than SPE. Instead of one waiting area, there were seven. Instead of 100 mailboxes there were 1,000 (maybe less, maybe more…I was too busy to count). Overall, though, you could use the same pattern of: interview, write your thoughts, prepare for your next interview, interview, etc.

The biggest difference I noticed immediately was the other candidates. It seemed as if I walked into the wrong conference: not one person was smiling. I understand and appreciate professionalism (I’m not one of those people that get excited about glitter or training themes), but I felt as if I had walked into a union meeting of the Cubicle Corporation. This, of course, made me smile and slow my pace as I walked. It was a perfect opportunity to exude my warmth and optimism! With “poker faces” racing by on every side, I took the time to make eye contact as I strolled through the main hall and the reaction was great: it kept me calm and it got others interested (at least curious) in me.

This is not to say I was the James Bond of the conference. I most definitely messed up an interview one night (yeah…night); apparently I could no longer translate “student affairs” speak into English. The mistake that bothered me the most occurred in a second interview. It was one of those interviews that you feel like you can’t get any “points” in; the goal is to stay at zero and avoid negative points. Well, I was doing well until I was questioning the employer and asked about a program that wasn’t in place at their institution (it was most definitely a program I had learned about at that bad interview the night before). I think, typically, employers would say something simple: “You must be thinking of something at another institution.” Instead, the employers chose the most awkward option and said nothing about my mistake. They simply answered the question in a very vague manner. Quite honestly, it created some concerns to me when they weren’t willing to address that I made a mistake: I make a lot; I could have handled it).

With both placement exchanges done for me, at this point it is working out who I will accept on-campus interviews with if offered. I have one completed that went well. I believe, at most, I can pull off five more on-campus interviews this semester. My concern is that I’m interested in seven. Strangely enough, there would be some level of relief if two or three of these institutions that seem interested decided to pass me up. Of course, though, I want 100% of the schools I’m interested in to offer on-campuses and jobs.

We’ll see.

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #10

I'm starting to wonder if the key to things actually happening with my job search is me blogging about how it's stagnant.

Since posting the other day I have scheduled 3 more ACPA interviews AND have had a phone interview. I feel like I hit 'submit' and everything exploded on me. This is definitely all a good thing. I'm starting to feel a little more calm about the conference in terms of the number of my interviews. I can handle 6; I think 10-15 would be my ideal. Even as I say that it seems like way too many. I just want to get the most out of the conference experience, and to do that is to take full advantage of placement. Overall, I just submitted an application for my 26th position. It kind of feels like I've done way more than that.

The phone interview went well....I think. I'm afraid to even guess anymore, as it seems like I can never really tell what anyone's reaction is. I'm hoping it went well - the institution is definitely one that looks incredible and offers much of what I'm looking for. I have a connection to someone who used to work there, and much of what I thought about the place seems to be correct. I can't believe that I have "connections".

I'm starting to go into hyper-organized mode. I've already begun to make special folders (in addition to the ones I already have) for those institutions I'll be speaking with at ACPA. I'm making lists of things I still need to gather up, things I need to remember to bring with me. I'm trying to figure out what suitcases to pack (yes, that is a plural 'suitcases'. I tend to overpack. I don't even try to stop it, I just embrace it and work with it.) and what I can squish down to a smaller size so I have more space. I'm starting to look into what there is to do in Atlanta as well. I have no idea if I'll have any time to be a tourist (especially since I'd like to make it to a few sessions at the conference), but I have to get out and do some vacation-like things admist this crazy and stressful process. I've never been to Atlanta, but it seems amazing and fun.

Back in reality, I'm working on a schedule for work and trying to figure out how many hours I have to put in over spring break. I'm working the Second Job a little extra (because I am, obviously, asking to have a mental breakdown) so that I can have some extra money for the trip. It's amazing that I find time to eat, sleep, and go to class.

I will spend my weekend trying to keep up with homework and having fun here and there. My usual dormant social life is suddenly coming around to exciting things. It's such a double-edged sword; while I'm thankful for having the time to go out and connect with my friends I've made since moving here, it's hard to get closer and closer to some people while knowing that I will more than likely be packing up and moving by the end of summer.

Oh, and the last 2% of my plant died. I have no idea what happened to it, but this part died as suddenly as the last. I suppose I'm lucky I can keep myself up and running, let alone worry about anything/one else.

The Great Fishbowl Quest #10

I got back really late (or really early) the other night after driving 8½ hours from an 8-hour day of interviewing on-campus. My wife and I took a weekend trip that consisted of my hours logged in driving than in visiting or interviewing, but it was an insightful trip regardless. We visited four institutions in one weekend, two of which I had interviewed with at SPE, and two of which I have interviews set up for NASPA. Interestingly enough, once again an institution that had been near the top of my list just jumped off Interest Cliff. The institution was too urban for our liking and the people weren’t as friendly as we were hoping for. Visiting informally has its advantages of getting to really see a place for what it may be, as long as you can see the things you’re wanting to without help.

The on-campus interview went fantastically. Quite honestly, this was a department that truly appears to live up to its stated values. If you’re wondering how to test that (because you may have noticed most institutions say that they are “student-focused”), it’s pretty simple. Talk to everybody you make eye contact with (I said “simple,” not “easy). I know that’s a little exaggerated, but it is important to talk to a variety of people that haven’t necessarily been selected to interview you. When you do that, you’ve got to look for consistency in answers and themes that emerge. In this instance, it became clear based on everybody that I talked to that the entire staff and the students feel valued and listened to. For me, that’s a pretty big deal. Because of all of this, this institution is pretty high on my list, and I can’t imagine there being a group of people that could top this group of people. With that said, though, the apartment I saw was frighteningly small to live in with a spouse and it’s a bit in the middle of nowhere. I don’t want to make a decision on those factors, but those factors may be enough to knock it out of number one if I can find an equally awesome staff in a better location with a nicer place to call home for the next few years.

Anxiety is pretty much choking me every time I turn on my brain to think, which is disappointing, since thinking is a bit critical right now. Last night was my one chance to get a good night’s sleep this week and that didn’t happen. I’ll be getting up around 4:00 in the morning to head to the airport to get to NASPA. I feel that I can be prepared for NASPA without too much trouble, but I haven’t prepared at all for comps (pesky little detail that determines if I graduate) and it is in 15 days. Wait a minute while I grab my paper bag and do my breathing exercises.

Writing in this blog has proved to be helpful, but even now my time grows short. I have a phone interview in twenty minutes and I believe that if they are interested, I receive an invitation to come onto campus. Sadly, I feel that this may be a waste of time because even if I do well, I can’t justify traveling to a campus based on a thirty-minute phone conversation. It is hard enough to do that based on spending thirty minutes with a person or two at an exchange.

Anyway, I’ve experienced a lot of the same frustration and anxiety that my blogging buddy has, although the advice she has received is completely true. It is very typical to get e-mailed in the last few days before an exchange, even if you have e-mailed the institution weeks ago.

Reminds me a good vent story to share, but I’ve got to prep for this interview. Maybe next time. Good luck to those of you traveling to Boston!

Oh! The "open interview" I was trying to figure out: In this instance, "open interview" meant that it was open for anybody to attend, although specific people had been chosen to be a part of it as well. I interviewed with people from high in the food chain to low on the totem pole, all at once.

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #9

Three weeks from Friday I leave for ACPA.

I just scheduled my third interview. That's it. 3 interviews.

I can slowly feel my inner workings starting to switch into high panic mode. I'm getting reassurance across the board that this is what happens and then the week before (or even once you get there) ACPA employers are like, "Wha? I have to go interview people? OMG we need candidates!!!" Then you get a million emails from all over the place and suddenly your schedule is full. I'm trying to believe that. I really, really am. It just seems too unorganized for me to completely buy into. But what do I know? I'm just a soon-to-be-unemployed grad student :/

In the past week I've sent out a load of emails to ACPA employers, with more to go out as soon as I start nosing around the site again. I'm disheartened by the lack of response by some people. I'd take even a "Thanks, but no thanks" at this point. The people that respond within HOURS of my email are what make me happy. Like the institution that did that on a SUNDAY. And I'll tell you what, while I am obviously interested in said institution and the position that they have open, I'm definitely taking a closer look now that I've seen how prompt they are.

Of course, I'm guilty of this same thing. I have a request to interview sitting in my inbox since last week. I haven't responded yet, but it's on my list of things to do. You know, if I ever figure out if I want to accept the interview or not. This is a more of a mental battle than anything else - the school is amazing. Literally, it's the type of place that I had already thought about months ago and went "Wow. Working at a place like THAT would be the best thing since sliced bread." The downside (cause there always is) is that it's not in my geographic area I'm looking in (well, as much as you can say that I have a "geographic area" that's limiting me). And when I mean "not in my geographic area" I mean that this place is really nowhere in the vicinity of it that I feel like I can't even try and justify being there. Mark down another job search dilemma to the list....

Also found out that I've been passed up on one of the positions I phone interviewed for. It was the first one, the one that I knew went a little iffy. I'm not sad about it.....I don't know how I feel. Just sort of accepting and ready to move on to more interviews and opportunities.

I'm hoping my interviewing skills will be better than my gardening skills. Last week I bought this beautiful plant with all these bright purple flowers. Seemed perfect for me, maintenance wise - moderate water and sunlight needed. The plant and I were coexisting nicely until it suddenly collapsed on itself sometime yesterday between 8:30 and 5:30. About 98% of the plant died, and I have no idea what caused it. I'm hoping I can revive the remaining 2%. Perhaps the plant couldn't take the disarray that surrounds it :)