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.

The Great Fishbowl Quest #4

Dear Potential Employers,

I appreciate your enthusiasm in contacting me in regards to the career opportunities that you have available at your institutions. Please keep in mind, dear Employers, that I share your enthusiasm; nothing fills my heart with greater joy than an inbox full of potential interviews. What I ask you to understand, though, is that I do not have the ability to dedicate all of my time to the job search process. The very reasons that you are interested in considering me as a candidate are the same reasons that I cannot reply instantaneously to your e-mails. I am trying to obtain the Master's degree we would both like for me to achieve and perform my current position with excellence and integrity.

I understand that these placement exchanges are quickly approaching and you are looking to make the most of these opportunities. As a candidate, I can assure you that our inboxes are filling at a much quicker rate and will likely continue to do so until these exchanges occur. Because of this, it is likely that my response time may slow by a matter of a few minutes.

In closing, I appreciate the effort you have put into recruiting me. I also hope to interview with you in the very near future, assuming that both of our schedules still permit.

Respectfully,
Candidate

P.S. In your excitement to contact me, there have been a few errors in some of our correspondence. I am quite accepting of this issue, and only point it out in hopes that you will share my ability to overlook a simple mistake if I happen to do the same.

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Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your honest feedback in regards to establishing interview schedules at these exchanges. While we understand the multiple roles you are currently playing at your institution, we’re intent on finding the right professionals to fill our open positions. Please understand that you may take your time in responding; you just may not like the options available to you if you decide that you want an interview.

Respectfully,
Potential Employers

P.S. In your excitement to contact others, we are waiting to find out if you are even interested in us. Seriously. E-mail us and let us know.

P.P.S. You are free to make as many simple mistakes as you would like. We will simply choose to hire those who make the decision not to make any. Good luck in your search!