Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #20

Just as quickly as everything came to the boiling point, everything simmered back down.

I headed to my on-campus interview trying to keep a clear mind. This was my #2 choice from the ACPA interviews and I knew I had to be fair with this. Since my #1 choice was no longer in the picture, obviously this became a little more important. My trip to the campus was fun and on a very beautiful day. I arrived, and I think one of the first things that came into my head was "Oh shit."

The campus is beautiful. Coming from an undergraduate institution that had the most amazing scenery, I'm pretty tough on other campuses about their atmosphere. This place looks like it's out of a movie. I loved it.

My interview day was full and tiring, but very helpful. I met so many people, all of whom were fantastic. I spoke to a few students and got to be a fly on the wall in the office during my breaks. By the end of the day I knew that I really liked this place, and I knew that was just going to complicate my decision. I was lucky because they were already moving quickly with the search and so it went perfectly with my accelerated timeline.

I left campus and burst into tears. In my head I'm thinking, "Great. WTF am I supposed to do now?!"

I am lucky to have supportive people all around me, and after a few hours of thinking and talking, good food, and a few drinks, I realized that I wanted nothing more than to get that job. If they passed on me, I would accept the other offer. As the night wore on, I wanted the job more and more. As I kept thinking about all the positives about the position I started kicking myself for not giving THAT much more energy and enthusiasm during the interview.

Apparently, my self criticism wasn't that necessary.

Yesterday, while sitting in the parking lot of a restaurant off of some random exit on some highway, I got the call that offered me this position and I immediately accepted. I will be moving in a few months to embark on the next leg of my journey through student affairs and to start a position that will bring me challenges and positive experiences. As my mom pointed out - I went on two campus interviews and got two job offers. Lucky doesn't even begin to describe it.

I have actually managed to accomplish what I set out to do so many months ago; I have job by graduation. This weekend I will walk across the stage and be incredibly proud that I finished this degree and obtained a position that I fell in love with back in February. I remember the moment I read the position description and thought, "Wow. This could possibly be the best position ever." The journey to get to this point has been exhausting. I finally feel like I can sleep and eat normally and not worry about what to do with my life. It's been almost exactly 5 months since I applied for my very first position. I am glad that this process was so successful for me (and for my blogging buddy) but I also realize that it's not been that way for many others. There are only a handful of us in my program who have already accepted positions and the rest are still actively searching and interviewing.

For the rest of the summer I will continue at my assistantship and keep plugging away at my second job. The packing and cleaning will start soon (Because I seriously love nothing else more than packing. Really.) and then I'll be off on my next adventure. Let's hope it's as great as I think it could be.

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #19

You would think that by now I would be used to the unexpected when it comes to my job search, but I am constantly surprised by happens.

This week I was offered an on-campus interview which I immediately accepted. This comes from an institution that really interests me and for a position that seems like it could be the best thing ever.

Two days later I received my first job offer.
I hate to say that I wasn't surprised, but I wasn't. I knew I nailed that interview, but I guess I didn't realize what kind of an impression I had made until the bargaining started after I said I'd need some time because I had another interview lined up. I am completely unprepared for feeling of being recruited for a position. Luckily, my supervisors at my assistantship are wonderful, caring people. Each one of them dealt with me in the midst of my freak out, and they all helped to talk me off the ledge.

That same day I found out that an institution I had JUST applied to days beforehand was already checking my references. I went from having virtually nothing on the horizon to multiple things going on all at the same time.

I'm losing my mind.

In all truth I am in a much better place now than I was a day ago. I felt like I was walking around in a daze, and I was. Maybe I still am. I am constantly weighing my options and trying to decide what decision I should make. I am giving this on-campus interview a fair shot, but I'm wondering what decision I will make once it's all over. If I like what I see and feel at my interview I will have to decide whether or not I have the metaphorical balls to turn down my other offer. If I'm not 100% after the interview.....I will probably take the offer. The job offer is a decent one, and it's a position that I know I would be great in. My friends beyond the realm of higher ed have all said that they would pick this job for me out of any other ones that I have floating around as options. I'm taking this into consideration, regardless of whether or not I should, because these friends know me better than most.

I've been told to take some time to do some soul-searching following my interview. Despite how busy I will be, I plan on following this advice and do some major thinking.

On the other side of the coin, my life as a graduate student is officially done. Classes are completed, coursework is turned in, my last hours at my assistantship are clocked in. I just wait for graduation and for the celebrations to begin.....with or without an accepted position.

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #16

Ring.

Ring, dammit.


As I stare at my phone repeating this over and over, I can't help but feel like this is a futile attempt at getting a callback. Still, it makes me feel like maybe I'm willing some employer out there to think about me and dial my number.

In other words, since I've returned from ACPA I haven't heard much of anything. I had a reminder email to officially apply for a position online (which I did) and a response to an additional thank you email I sent. My gainfully employed friend (and previous fellow student) has told me to be patient, and that by the end of the week I will hear things. He doesn't understand that I'm not patient in any sense of the word and I don't understand why people aren't calling me NOW.

I have a list of other job descriptions I need to go through and apply for, but it's hard to concentrate on the idea of applying more places when I fell in love with so many others already. I have an on-campus interview this week and I'm trying to prepare for it, but it's difficult when it's in a different aspect of higher ed than what I've been interviewing for. I can't help but be really unconcerned about it. I'm completely proficient in this area and I've nearly done this exact same thing in the past. I feel like I could do it with my eyes closed, and I feel like I'd be awesome in this position....but do I want it? Do I really want it? And what would I do if they offered it to me? What if they offered it to me in the midst of interviewing at other places for other positions? What if they offered it to me when I hadn't heard back from other places at all? Ugh. Too many "what ifs" for me to think about right now.

It's starting to set in that I'll be done with school in one month. I can't believe how fast these two years have gone by, and how incredible they've been . I've learned so much, and in such a different way than I did during my undergrad years. I had a nearly tearful conversation with my supervisors last week about how much I've grown as a person and as a professional. I'm glad that others can see it just as much as I can. I must be doing something right :)

Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #15

I survived ACPA 2008.
They should give everyone who goes through placement a t-shirt with this slogan. We deserve it.

All in all, placement was a huge success. Even if something happened and nothing came from all of my interviews, I would still be satisfied. I definitely got plenty of interview experience and I learned (very quickly) how to answer different questions. I got to experience a degree of anxiety that I didn't know existed, and I learned what points about my experience to highlight.

I ended up interviewing with 11 different institutions and I did 2 second interviews. I had amazing experiences and then I also had the ones that completely left me in shock with the level of unprofessionalism. It's amazing the types of things that you encounter in these situations. I've seen (and also heard of) interviewers staring around the room while a candidate is talking. Doodling. Not writing anything. Having no pen or paper to even think about using to write with. Yawning. I definitely got a good lesson in interviewing skills for when I'm on the other side of the table.

I had the pleasure of finding an amazing institution that has everything I'm looking for. It's quickly jumped to be my #1 choice, and I'm fairly confident that I'll get an invite for an on-campus interview. There were other places that also caught my attention, and now I have a list of 5 or 6 institutions that I would love to take a closer look at. I keep reminding myself that there are other jobs outside of ACPA that I've also applied for, and I have other interviews coming up in the future. I didn't think that I'd find anything out of this process, at least nothing to the level of success that I feel I've reached. I'm a lucky one - many others from my program didn't have nearly of the level of satisfaction that I experienced.

There were a few positions that my friends and I both applied to, not finding out until we got there that we were both interviewing. I'm proud that, at least publicly, no one seemed to have a problem with it. There still doesn't seem to be a high level of competition among us, and it definitely makes it a lot more fun. Being able to see one another and talk and joke around helped keep everyone a bit more sane.

Now I play the waiting game. I sent off some follow-up emails this morning, but I know that it could be another week or so before I hear from some places. I'm hoping that those who are very interested move quickly - I would love to be to keep my job search energy high and ride the wave of adrenaline I still have from placement. Higher Ed isn't a very fast-moving field, and so I'm prepared to wait it out. I just hope I don't have to wait very long.

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 :)

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 #8

Okay, put your seatbelt on and secure your helmets. I’m hearing a good number of questions and rumblings from my grad student colleagues both on my campus and on others.

Stop showing all your cards so early! If employers ask (which they will) where they fall in your ranking, you do not have to tell them early on.

If you’re interested, but it is still early in the process:
“I really enjoyed this, this, and this about your institution and department. After talking with you, I’m interested in continuing to pursue the position. However, I still have other interviews scheduled so I don’t think that I can tell you with accuracy where you fall in my ranking.”

If you’re not interested at any point:
“I enjoyed this and this about your institution, but I don’t think the position is right for me because (I’m looking for a higher level of responsibility/I’m looking for a smaller department/etc).”

Personally, I think it is bad practice for employers to ask your “ranking” of them at an exchange. The ones that may ask are completely comfortable with you telling them that you need time to process and compare your options. More than likely, they asked in hopes that you would give them “bonus” information. It will not hurt your “score” as a candidate to hold back. In fact, at an exchange I think you’re more likely to harm yourself by sharing that information than help.

I think the tendency to share information is based in excitement and thinking that if you tell the employer they’re in your “Top 3,” it will help. Not necessarily. Here are ways that it may damage you:

1) Employers talk to each other. If you commit to giving them a “ranking,” that information may be shared.
2) If an institution knows you’re “super excited” and they are your “number one” it won’t really get you anywhere early on. If they’re interested in you, they’ll pursue you, anyway. Telling them how high they rank may lower the amount of energy they spend trying to recruit you. They may contact other candidates prior to contacting you.
3) Your ranking can change. If you tell a school that they are in your “top three,” they will carry the assumption that you will want to move into the next phase (possibly an on-campus interview). If you turn it down (which you will find to be much harder), they may actually experience a feeling of frustration with you.

LESSON 1: Don’t show employers your cards: regardless of your excitement, level of interest, or fear of losing their interest. I promise that you can get a job without ever telling one school that they are your number one.

LESSON 2: Don’t leave employers hanging when you decide that you aren’t interested. Let them know as soon as you make the decision. There is nothing more frustrating than a candidate who shows interest and then never responds.

You have control as a candidate to pick who you interview with and who you pursue. After all, you’re the one committing to a new job.