The Great Fishbowl Quest #17

Once again, I'm posting while in another state. This time, though, I'm in my home state, visiting family. I'm anxiously awaiting any news from the institution I'm hoping takes me in. At this point, pretty much everyone (at school and at home) knows what our hopes are. I can't think about re-entering the search process at this point; most institutions I'm interested in are close to wrapping up their process.

I just recently learned that whyen I declined my #2 a week ago, they had to reopen their search process. They had only invited a very small number of candidates onto campus and now they seem to be back to square one. I only know this because a person in my cohort was contacted the afternoon that I declined the opportunity.

I love attempting to explain how this process works. I find it hard to give advice to anybody new to the process, as it requires so many personal variables. Somebody recently asked me, "How do you decline your #2 without any assurances of your #1?"

My answer was, "Very carefully."

Our job searches in student affairs require a level of gambling (most true in entry level positions, from my viewpoint). We interview with a number of institutions, all on different timelines, choose the best fits (usually with some level of ranking), and have to choose how long to hold out for. In addition to that, many of us will attempt a level of negotiating and find leverage through offers.

I think that this is the most challenging (and most exciting...and frightening) part of the process. I had the realization last week that I've officially declined two job offers (one I declined twice) with the hope of getting the only other job I took an on-campus interview for. While I feel rather confident with that decision, there are others who have made similar choices and feel that they've put themselves in jeopardy.

Only time will tell (I'm hoping my time will be Monday). At this point, I believe only 1 of 16 people I know job searching have accepted a position.

Will I have my #1 job? Will I need to make our families cry and develop a last-minute plan? Stay tuned...same bat time, same bat channel...

The Great Fishbowl Quest #15

Well, with another on-campus interview complete (third of the season), I think that I’ve seen enough. I’m on the fast timeline, which means at this point I’ve started declining on-campus interviews that I otherwise would have enjoyed visiting. I hope that I’ve declined in a matter that hasn’t shut any doors for future opportunities.

I’d like to provide an update on the institution with a quick turn-around on the job offer. When I e-mailed them, I expected them to offer an extension, even though one was denied to me on the phone. The response I got, though, pretty much was summed up, “Thanks for declining us. Good luck, pal.” I was surprised that such an uncompromising timeline really stuck. I don’t feel that I am typically one who wishes a hard time on those who give me a hard time, but I am glad to say that I received an e-mail this weekend from the person who wasn’t willing to compromise by a day on the timeline. The e-mail stated that I would be getting called tomorrow to discuss our search processes.

Needless to say, they received an e-mail from me saying they are no longer a part of my search process.

Apparently, this institution has a history of offering like this to all levels of staff. That’s not the place for me. It seems that it’s not the place for others, either, as apparently they were not able to get enough people to accept this past week.

This story seems to sum up my thoughts about the power of the candidate. I think far too often new job candidates underestimate their worth and negotiating power. I know that there isn’t a magic formula for knowing how much power a candidate has, but there are some factors that help determine your power.

A good example, and the easiest to determine in my opinion, is “supply and demand.”

In short, if they are hiring for a larger number of positions, you may have some level of power in negotiating timelines, salaries, other tangibles (moving expenses, preference in living location). A good and fair question to ask to determine the “demand” is: “How many positions are you hiring for and how many candidates are you inviting onto campus?”

You can also ask, “Where do I stand as a candidate with your institution?” If they are highly interested, more than likely they will share that information.

This does not apply only to institutions that are hiring a large number. The more important factor to look at is the ratio between open positions and candidates invited on-campus.



Alright, enough of the strategic talk. I hope to have this search process wrapped up by the end of the week. That’s the plan. My wife and I have it narrowed down to two schools and the timing is perfect. I’m pretty confident I will have one offer that I believe I will have high negotiating power with and a potential offer from another institution. Regardless, I will hear from one institution this week and will use it to solicit information in regards to where I stand with the other institution. Based on the details that we can work out, I hope to select a position.

My wife and I (and our families) are holding our breath in regards to which job we will select if both offer.

The decision of the next chapter of our lives is quickly coming to the decision we feared most: a great opportunity in a dream location far from family versus a great-but-not-dreamy opportunity in a great community (but far colder) closer to family?

Stay tuned for the surprising results (even we don’t know yet…)…