Candidate #0000 - Post 3
98 days until graduation.
Music I’m currently listening to: Crazy, K-Ci & JoJo
Mood: confused
I got one of those e-mails today. An Assistant Director of a Residential Life department e-mailing me because they saw my resume on the ACPA Placement Web site and would like to encourage me to apply for a Hall Director position at their institution.
I know I should be excited. I mean, I am excited; I am flattered; but I’m also nervous and anxious, overwhelmed and most of all confused. So here is this ResLife department that has taken the time to look at my resume and after seeing what I’ve done, they are interested in me. ME!!! But what exactly does that mean? How many people did they e-mail? If I decide to interview with them, how good are my chances really? And do I even want to work at that school? I mean I really need a job, so how picky can I be? And if I decide to interview with them, sign up for an interview slot at ACPA…and then slowly my interview schedule fills up and when a school I’m really really interested in posts a position, I don’t have any open interview slots anymore. Can I just cancel with a school and tell them I’m not interested in interviewing with them anymore? Does that look bad? We all know Student Affairs is a small field and everyone knows everyone.
And here is my other question: How do you know what working at a school is really like? Of course, they will make their institution and department sound great on the Web site. And it may be great, but just not the right fit for me. But how do I find that right fit? Do you just know when you find it?
I am applying to schools all over the country. Unlike some of my colleagues, who know exactly what region they are interested in and even what type of institution they want, I’m up for anything. East cost, West coast, or any of the states in the middle. Okay, I have to admit, California – beach – sun – all that sounds really good to me right now as I’m sitting in my apartment wrapped in a blanket because it’s freezing cold. But then again, if I move out to the West coast, I’ll be really far away from my friends. But should I stay somewhere just because that’s where my friends are? What if they move? But then again, if I pick California, will I really be able to get a job there? Some people have told me that I have a very competitive resume and that I won’t have a problem finding a job wherever I want. Others have warned me that everyone wants to go to California, so getting a job there is really hard. And do I really want to move out to California now or should I live somewhere else for the next two or three years and the move out there?
And how important should the location really be? I mean, isn’t it more important that it’s a school that I love working at? I went to a college for undergraduate that was in a tiny town with not a lot to do and I loved it. After all, I never left campus, so what did I care if I wasn’t living in the most exciting place of America? And if I thought that small town was out in nowhere, I got a wake-up call when coming to my graduate institution. I’ve seen more deer in this past year just in my residential area than in my whole life put together. But even though I jokingly complain about living “out in the woods,” I’ve never really cared. As long as I love the institution I’m at, I’m okay.
Which brings me back to my earlier question: How do you find the school that’s the right fit for you? I read through job description after job description, and most of them sound really exciting and fun. I check out Web sites, read through department mission statements and I think, “Yeah, this could be it.” But is it? How do you know???
Music I’m currently listening to: Crazy, K-Ci & JoJo
Mood: confused
I got one of those e-mails today. An Assistant Director of a Residential Life department e-mailing me because they saw my resume on the ACPA Placement Web site and would like to encourage me to apply for a Hall Director position at their institution.
I know I should be excited. I mean, I am excited; I am flattered; but I’m also nervous and anxious, overwhelmed and most of all confused. So here is this ResLife department that has taken the time to look at my resume and after seeing what I’ve done, they are interested in me. ME!!! But what exactly does that mean? How many people did they e-mail? If I decide to interview with them, how good are my chances really? And do I even want to work at that school? I mean I really need a job, so how picky can I be? And if I decide to interview with them, sign up for an interview slot at ACPA…and then slowly my interview schedule fills up and when a school I’m really really interested in posts a position, I don’t have any open interview slots anymore. Can I just cancel with a school and tell them I’m not interested in interviewing with them anymore? Does that look bad? We all know Student Affairs is a small field and everyone knows everyone.
And here is my other question: How do you know what working at a school is really like? Of course, they will make their institution and department sound great on the Web site. And it may be great, but just not the right fit for me. But how do I find that right fit? Do you just know when you find it?
I am applying to schools all over the country. Unlike some of my colleagues, who know exactly what region they are interested in and even what type of institution they want, I’m up for anything. East cost, West coast, or any of the states in the middle. Okay, I have to admit, California – beach – sun – all that sounds really good to me right now as I’m sitting in my apartment wrapped in a blanket because it’s freezing cold. But then again, if I move out to the West coast, I’ll be really far away from my friends. But should I stay somewhere just because that’s where my friends are? What if they move? But then again, if I pick California, will I really be able to get a job there? Some people have told me that I have a very competitive resume and that I won’t have a problem finding a job wherever I want. Others have warned me that everyone wants to go to California, so getting a job there is really hard. And do I really want to move out to California now or should I live somewhere else for the next two or three years and the move out there?
And how important should the location really be? I mean, isn’t it more important that it’s a school that I love working at? I went to a college for undergraduate that was in a tiny town with not a lot to do and I loved it. After all, I never left campus, so what did I care if I wasn’t living in the most exciting place of America? And if I thought that small town was out in nowhere, I got a wake-up call when coming to my graduate institution. I’ve seen more deer in this past year just in my residential area than in my whole life put together. But even though I jokingly complain about living “out in the woods,” I’ve never really cared. As long as I love the institution I’m at, I’m okay.
Which brings me back to my earlier question: How do you find the school that’s the right fit for you? I read through job description after job description, and most of them sound really exciting and fun. I check out Web sites, read through department mission statements and I think, “Yeah, this could be it.” But is it? How do you know???
posted by StudentAffairs.com at 1:46 AM
1 Comments:
I, too, am searching for jobs in student affairs. There are several questions I ask myself before I apply for a job - in this order - (1) does the job description fit my knowledge, skills, abilities? (2) based on the college's website, does the mission of the school and specific department fit with my values? (3) is this a location I could live in without going crazy. Only if I am able to say yes to each of those questions will I apply.
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