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.

The Great Fishbowl Quest #16

Well, I’ve been waiting to post with secrecy in regards to where I was at in the process. Only very few people know that I’m blogging, but my family was included in the few. Because my wife and I were doing essentially two separate regional searches, our parents have been holding their breath.

This past week the best/worst thing happened in our opinion. We received a fantastic offer from an institution in the Far-From-Home Region and another fantastic offer in the Close-To-Home Region. If it was that simple, the choice would be Close-To-Home, right?

Comparing these two offers felt as if we were comparing apples to...radios. The communities, the job opportunities, the institutions, etc. were completely different. However, with regards to the “totality of circumstances” (thanks, “Law and Ethics” course) it became a clear decision.

My wife and I committed to making a decision before either offered. If this is your first job search, I believe it is critical to trust your original impression of an institution. Offers make opportunities look so much more amazing. That is why it is important to journal your thoughts as you go through the process.

Knowing all of this, we made our decision prior to any offers this week. We had privately chosen Close-To-Home with no intention of sharing this decision until it was official. The first to call was Far-From-Home on Thursday. I asked to have until this coming Monday to provide a response. I spent (what felt like) all day Friday trying to get in touch with Close-To-Home to find out where I was in their process. It had been made clear to me multiple times that I ranked rather high on their list, but I had no intentions of banking on that.

With two conflicting schedules, I was never able to speak with my contact at Close-To-Home, but received an e-mail that has rather clearly laid out where I am in their process. For legal reasons, though, they cannot officially offer me a position. This means that in communicating, I have to pick up enough signals to know that I’m secure.

With that said, I have a hard phone call to make Monday morning to Far-From-Home. It also means that I’m bungee-jumping without a cord and hoping that Close-To-Home follows through with an offer, because legally they don’t have to. If some type of snag happens, there is no Plan B. I’ve turned down all other campus offers except one or two that have me listed as a Plan B candidate. Close-To-Home won’t finish interviewing until this coming Friday, meaning I’m holding no hope of knowing anything until next Monday at the earliest.

My wife and I feel good enough to share it with family, but let’s just say we haven’t gone out to dinner to celebrate the new job yet.

In the meantime, my job search is complete (we’ll keep praying) and I passed my comprehensive exam. All I have to do now is buckle down for a few more course projects, meet my own expectations in class, and prepare this office well enough that somebody new can step in and take over.

I can’t wait to truly share my excitement with my peers, but some of there are still early in their process and with me finishing my process, new stress is added to them.

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.