After I completed my first professional job search, I likened the experience to taking an additional course in graduate school. You have intense amounts of research to do, lots of information and websites to read, a strong need for lots of pens and highlighters, and you have to some how make sense and digest all of what you are gaining through your search. Now that I have been through several more searches, there’s a few things I’ve learned along the way and want to offer on to other searchers.
Often times what I find as both a reference for others and a job seeker for my references is that we don’t provide enough information or utilize our references enough to make our search go even more positively. Below you will find just a few tips and tricks to help utilize one branch of your search process even more efficiently and effectively.
1) Make sure your reference is a positive reference, and is available to you/your search.
One of the first pieces of advice I was ever given when I entered into my very first search many moons ago was to make sure that the people you are asking to be a reference will agree to be positive references. A reference can be your supervisor, a professor, or a mentor that worked with you during an internship. But, just because you think you did a great job for them doesn’t mean that they will necessarily speak glowingly of you in the important phone call. A few years ago I asked someone to be a reference for me and I followed their “yes” up with a “can you agree to be a positive reference for me?” and the answer I got was “no”. The two good things that came from that were: 1) An opportunity for me to talk openly and honestly with this person about conflicts and unresolved issues (and miscommunication) that we had in the past and resolve them and 2) An understanding that just because someone is above you or around you in a flowchart doesn’t mean they would be your best spokesperson.
Above all else, make sure when you ask someone (yes, you have to ask….don’t assume) to be a reference, make sure it is positive. In fact, be brave and ask them if they would share some of the things they would say about you just so you know! Those positive strokes and things they would highlight about you can often times be good ammunition and examples to use in your initial interviews for a position.
Also, make sure when you are confirming a reference, be sure that they can be committed and available through your entire search. I served as a mentor to a staff member in the past who found out that they were not progressing in a university’s process because one of their references would not return phone calls and emails and therefore their application became incomplete. Be sure you have appropriate contact information for your reference and make sure they know that this process could last several months to several years for you!
2) Send regular updates to your references to keep them updated.
One of the tools that I use to keep my own group of references “in the know” about my current search is by sending them periodic emails with updates. In my last search, I had applied to a wide breadth of positions and universities, so I created a document that listed a lot of information for my references to utilize in a “quick call” manner. In this document, I:
Listed all of the position titles and universities at the beginning, like a table of contents
Created a separate page or two for each position
Bolded the position title and university at the top for easy finding
Copied the exact job posting/description
Included the date that I applied, and any information I had about their process
As I progressed in several processes, I would include that information in the document. In the body of the email that I sent to my references, I would highlight specific updates (things like just completed phone interviews, placement conference attendance, etc). Having an “all-in-one” document like this allowed my references to have a handy go-to guide for my search process. Before returning a phone call from a potential employer, they could review the actual job I was applying for so that they could better gear their comments towards it.
Just like any other business email or document, make sure that you have it geared toward the audience/recipient. Your references are very busy people, so do what you can to highlight important information in bold, put questions that you have for them in red, orunderline important deadlinesso they stand out for their viewing. You want to make it easy to be your reference.
3) Recognize that references and mentors don’t have to be (and sometimes shouldn’t) be the same people.
In future posts, I will talk more about what it means to be a mentor. It should be noted in brief, though, that mentors aren’t necessarily references, and references aren’t necessarily mentors.
When you are doing a job search, you want your references to be knowledgeable advocates for you as an employee. You want them to have in-depth knowledge of your skills, strengths, areas of improvement, and unique aspects you will bring to your future employers. You also want these people to be knowledgeable about our field and be able to speak intelligently about the positions you are applying for. Ideally, your references should include a group of “been there, done that” folks who have been in the positions you are applying to, allowing them to not only personally but also professionally relate.
Mentors, on the other hand, may not be people who are knowledgeable about our field or education. Mentors sometimes are people who were our club advisors from high school, a pastor from church, or the 4-H leader from your hometown. These are people who probably have longer term knowledge of us as a person, but may not have the skills and professional base knowledge to be effective references.
The same can be said when I am doing reference checks for potential Community Adviser/Resident Assistant candidates. While I appreciate hearing from a hometown pastor who has known you from age 5, it is more helpful for me to hear from your professor who has supervised you in your lab position or from your current Community Adviser. These people know the environment, and often times, the position you are applying for therefore can be more effective in advocating for you as a candidate.
4) Utilize your references for preparation.
One of the things I hear most often from my current references is “let me know how I can help!”. A good reference wants to not only be there to take a phone call and speak on your behalf, but they want to be able to help guide you through the entire process.
Again, your references have probably “been there, done that” so they can offer a substantial amount of advice and experience that is from an insider’s perspective. It is important to remember that you references represent you in the job search process, just as much as you represent them/their university. The way you present yourself to your potential employers also helps them determine how they view your previous institution.
I cannot stress enough to utilize the help that your references will and can offer. Do this through in-person meetings, phone conversations, email exchanges, Skype conversations, etc. Run through a list of practice interview questions with them. Show them your interview clothing choices (I asked one of my references to help me shop for one of my suits with me because she has a great sense of business fashion!).
If you are at a distance from your references, as I am, send frequent and pointed emails to your references. Don’t just update them on your process, but make sure that you are offering your thoughts, questions, and concerns with them. As I highlighted in #3, I bolded out a few questions that I was desiring some feedback on before a recent interview, so I could get some guidance and advice from them. This advice turned out to be very helpful during my interview.
5) Listen to what they have to say, even if you don’t want to hear it.
Your references are a group of 3-6 professionals who have strong, detailed information about you as an employee. These are people who have known you for several years, and hopefully have seen you through both success and struggle. They know you as both an individual and person, but also as part of a team and a growing professional. These may even be people who you’ve shared personal aspects of your life with.
Because of this in-depth knowledge about you, these people can often times have an incredible objective viewpoint on your job search. They can help you see beyond your emotional and personal excitement about a position and help ask particular questions to guide you in the right direction.
References can help ask tough questions during a search like: “Is that REALLY the type of department you want to be in?” or “What kind of challenges do you think you’d have in your transition to that university?” or “Will you be able to find a community supportive of your hobbies there?”
Listen to your references when they ask you those tough questions. You may not want to hear the advice they have to offer, or the questions they have…but again, these are the people who know you best.
Mickey Fitch is a higher education professional who has crafted her career around the residence life experience on the college campus. Mickey loves to tell stories and help students make the most of their residential experience on campus. A native to the upper Midwest, Mickey is currently undergoing a job search to find her opportunity to serve in residence life. On the personal side, Mickey is an avid fisherman and outdoorswoman and is currently engaged in a life-changing health and fitness journey! You can learn more about her at mickeyfitch.weebly.com.
My 4-year-old son Brendan is obsessed of late with Star Wars. We have a Wii and Lego Star Wars is his favorite game. If you are a parent and have passed through this age, you know that kids can really get obsessive about their favorite things. He loves that silly game, and talks about it all the time. Non-sequiturs abound. We’ll be reading books at bedtime, and he’ll tell me about wanting to be a red-hat guy who goes up the side of a building using the hooks, or how he likes Yoda, but doesn’t like being Yoda in the game, because he’s too slow, unless he’s using the force. He likes light sabers. And I can’t get that damn Mos Eisley Cantina music out of my head, no matter how hard I try.
So lately, I have had science fiction invade my mind, my dreams, and my thoughts. It’s starting to bleed into my workday, and so I thought I’d share some lessons from popular science fiction that you can apply to your job search and your career.
“The answer is out there, Neo. It’s looking for you. And, it will find you. If you want it to.”–Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix.
Morpheus is really outlining Neo’s epic quest with this line, and it may strike some as high-and-mighty to think of their job search in such terms. But is this really a bad thing? You are the hero in your life story, and if you aren’t going to be the champion in your job search, maybe it’s time to look within. Are you looking for answers, or are they right out there, looking for you?
“When you can’t do something smart, do something right.” Jayne Cobb in Serenity.
Jayne is a crusty, cynical and rough guy, driven by base desires…usually money. So it makes sense that he would dwell on the practical and dismiss the need for intellectually driven solutions. Adjusting to the reality that this results-driven approach is favored by many managers can be frustrating to job-seekers coming right out of school, especially when they work in a field like student affairs, a touchy-feel-ey, theory-driven sector of the workforce. We don’t like metrics, and we are often terrible at quantifying our accomplishments and proving our points. And the reality is that many student situations need quick responses that may not be compatible with extended periods of brainstorming, processing and building consensus. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. The thinking and processing can come later, and may be seen by some constituent parties (supervisors, parents, and students) as beside the point. So at times, it’s best to dwell on getting things done, rather than obsessing over whether the solution was the best in all worlds, or just the best solution, given the circumstances.
“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” Darth Vader in Star Wars.
Nobody wants to be around someone who is a negative Nelly all the time. It gets old quickly. So believe in yourself, or no one else will. Have faith that there will be positive outcomes for your search and in your long-term career development, and if you don’t feel this way now, try to act like you do until things settle out. If you just can’t find that faith in your abilities, maybe it’s time to get some career coaching or talk to a trusted colleague, mentor, member of the clergy, or professional counselor. Depression and other psychological issues can really set you back in your career, if you don’t take steps to address them.
“The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error.” HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey
HAL was a really impressive machine, and capable of many things, but the incapacity to admit errors was, in the end, an error in and of itself. Like HAL, some co-workers, supervisors, or supervisees you come across will insist on their infallibility, and at times, they will lock you and others out. You’ll find it terribly annoying and even possibly dangerous to your well-being.
There are actually a few lessons here. First, be aware of who these people are, and be wary of them.
Second, in your job search, pay attention to signs of inflexibility in your potential co-workers and supervisors. It will help you steer clear of potentially bad situations, or at least go into them knowing some of what to expect.
Third, and this is possibly the most important…don’t be a HAL. Nobody wants to work with a HAL. They can picture being locked out of the pod bay door, screaming. And in space, no one can hear you scream. Show any sign of arrogance or inflexibility in your interviews, and the hiring committee will likely pull your plug.
“Admiral, if we go by the book, like Lieutenant Saavik, hours could seem like days.” Spock, to Kirk in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.
If institutions are known for anything, it’s love of policies and protocols. My uncle used to work for the government (Department of Energy) and we never really understood what he did, but to sum it up the best I understood it, he made rules about how to make rules.
When you come out of graduate school and into your first job, you’ll likely have a lot of enthusiasm for student development theory and spend a lot of time talking about how we “challenge and support” our students, and you’ll suggest responses to situations that are “developmentally appropriate” and holistic.
Then, soon enough, someone will shut you down with “that’s not how we do it around here” or “this is our protocol, and you need to follow it.”
In the movie, though, Spock’s comment to Kirk was actually his way of telling Kirk that the logical thing to do would be to interpret the rules in their own way, to get things done. This ability will come to you once you understand not just the written policies and protocols, but the institutional culture, and the “code-speak” that goes along with it. Then you will know how to play by the rules, and when to creatively interpret them with an eye toward obeying the spirit, if not the letter, of your institution’s protocols.
“If money is all that you love, then that’s what you’ll receive.” Princess Leia to Han Solo in Star Wars.
Let’s not kid ourselves. We all need money, and most of us love having it. But if that is all you come to work for, then that is all you’ll get. Make sure that you have other reasons to come to work, that light you up. Times are tough and many people are out of work, so it’s understandable if you find yourself in the position of taking a less-than-ideal job, out of the necessity to survive. But don’t stop looking for sources of fulfillment other than money. It’ll empty you out, and leave you spent.
“Ooh. Ah. That’s how it starts. Then comes the running and the screaming.” Dr. Ian Malcolm in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
On some level, the kid inside you probably thinks that it would be cool to walk around a park full of dinosaurs. We spend time thinking about working for big-name schools, working with people who are recognized authorities, studying with the leading scholars of this-or-that. But this is an awfully rosy view and it will not sustain itself over time. Sooner or later, the dinosaurs get hungry, the experts show their sharp teeth when people disagree with them, and the scholars come at people with their claws out, roaring this or that about their latest research and how it should change how you do something or another. It can be confusing, and kind of scary. So before you go into the dinosaur park, see it for what it is. In the workplace, you need to see things as the really are, not only as you wish them to be. (Or you’ll be somebody’s lunch someday.)
“A man is defined by his actions, not his memories.” Kuato to Quaid, in Total Recall
It’s best to live in the present and work toward the life and career you want, rather than dwell on how things once were. The good old days weren’t all good, but they are definitely old. Try to cultivate a sense of mindfulness, and understand how things are, in the present moment. Then work from there, to connect the dots, and act accordingly. The best way to get to the future you want is to work through the present moment, rather than living in the past.
“Okay, princess. That’s it. The fairy tale is over. Welcome to real life!”–Lone Star in Space Balls
Your life and your career exist here, in reality, and dwelling on the ideal can leave you stuck in a fantasy world. Hard work can make some of your dreams come true, so keep plugging away at the things that matter most to you, cultivate the skills you will need, and stay connected to the people and the opportunities that will get you where you are going.
I’m finally back on my home campus, trying to adjust to life after OPE. The conference itself was only three days, but it felt like a week and a half! The drive back from Oshkosh to West Michigan was quiet. My passenger and I decompressed a bit from the crazy schedule we had just functioned on, and looked back on how our preferences had changed, our prospects had changed, and how important personality really was.
I heard a lot beforehand about how you are interviewing a school just as much as they are interviewing you. I think this was good to know, and possibly not stressed enough. I know lots of people in my cohort are worried about finding a job, any job, but how well you could converse with the interview team during your 30 minutes with them was important. There were some interviews where conversation flowed well, but didn’t necessarily go so well at the social. There were some schools that I hope I redeemed myself with at the social because the conversation was much better.
Socials are very overwhelming. I definitely felt like the introvert in me was just in pain this whole time. Packed into a room of 500+ people, trying to smile and weave through the crowd, trying to catch the eye of that elusive school that you love. I tried to not look like I was on the prowl too much, so if representatives from a school were currently tied up in conversation I’d try to do another loop of the room and come back to them later. I spent a good amount of time at the social talking to candidates I had met throughout the conference in the lounges. Not only could we be a little bit “off our game” with candidates, but we helped each other look busy while waiting and kept an eye out for our chance to hop in to a conversation with a school. It was great having people I barely knew be so supportive and not be offended at all when you suddenly said “I’m going in!”
Overall, I loved my conference experience, and I really hope that the positive energy I felt I had with some schools really continues as everyone heads back to their home campus to talk about phone interviews and on-campus visits. I wasn’t nervous the whole weekend UNTIL the drive back when I started thinking about where things could have gone better, and wondering if I’d hear from some schools. I guess it’s better than the nerves setting in while interviewing, but I’m definitely anxious about this next step and where things are headed!
My next step? Figuring out what my plan for TPE is…
Shannon shares her experience with the OshKosh Placement Exchange
I’m writing this from the Oshkosh Placement Exchange. It’s day 2 here, and a bit calmer than yesterday. Yesterday was a live showing of “The All RA Floor” and it was intense. A little overwhelming when you walk in and there’s not a bare inch of wall space left uncovered by posters and advertisements and fliers enticing you to apply at a certain school. There’s cheering in the lounges, and everyone keeps hugging and smiling for twelve hours straightand it’s a bit tiring. But fun, don’t get me wrong. This whole weekend experience has been fun.
Yesterday was the first day, and I had six interviews scheduled. My first was one at 10 am, and I was surprised how calm I felt while sitting in the lounge waiting for them to come call my name. I was thinking by that point the nerves would have set in, but I had the really good advice of knowing that I was interviewing them as much as they were interviewing me. I know that sounds incredibly cheesy, but it really did keep me calm. I knew I could go into these interviews and be myself and that any school would know exactly what they were getting. And if they didn’t like who that was, I was okay with that, because I feel really confident in my experiences.
Some interviews went really well, and it was hard to not do some fist pumps as soon as I was out of the room, or to restrain myself from dancing down the hallway back to the elevators. Some interviews just flowed nicely and I got along with the interview teams well and I had lots of personal things to write in a thank you note. Other interviews I walked out of feeling kind of “meh” about. For whatever reason – personality, hearing more about the job, having a curveball question- just left me with a feeling like while it could have been better, it probably could have been worse. There’s only been one interview so far where I walked out feeling rather ambiguous towards the position. While they didn’t seem interested or engaged during the interview itself, as I was leaving afterward they were very fun and friendly about the social and seeing me again. Out of the first day of interviews I got two second interviews, bringing my total for Day 2 to six interviews.
It’s hard to believe right now that it’s already 3 pm, yet I’m only halfway through my day. I have two more interviews this afternoon, then an evening full of socials. I’m going to suggest a future professional development on mingling, because it’s so hard for me to walk right up to someone and start up a conversation when we’ve already talked for an hour, and have been conversing through thank you notes in mailboxes. Hopefully it goes well though.
My apologies for such a rambling sort of blog post. It’s been a very long and very busy two days. You’ll all be excited to know that I did name drop the #sachat in one interview, and they were really intrigued by the concept of free, weekly professional development. So good job to all of you – the word is spreading!
Shannon is rocking her new suit. These are just rocks.
I am writing this while wearing my new suit, and let me just tell you: I am rocking it. And that is an especially good feeling considering the adventure that went into getting it. I am horrible at being a girl. I don’t like dressing up that much and have no idea what colors complement nicely or how to accessorize. So a week ago I went to the mall with my brave face on, ready to wander around in the career section trying to figure out how to buy a suit without the help of my mom.
I think this is a sign that I’m a true Millennial. Even at age 24 I wished my mom was there to be in the store telling me to turn around and making me stand with my arms out and pushing down the tops of my shoes and asked if they pinched my toes. So I found the most mom-like worker I could and asked her for help.
I think I made this woman’s dream come true.
She had a wonderful time dragging me around the store, grabbing ruffled tops and silk shells and all sorts of coats and things that would have taken me six hours to find by myself. She shoved me in a dressing room with two armloads full of hangers and said “Ooohh, I just can’t wait to see them on you!” About ten minutes later she came back with some more pieces, one being a single strap, bright red, sequined monstrosity that I would not wear in a million years.
After two hours spent in the dressing room spinning around for her I finally gave in to four different pieces she had picked out, knowing I would be returning them the next time I had a spare Saturday. I just can’t have someone else tell me to wear this and this and this. I’ve really got to feel comfortable in it.
This past weekend I went back to the mall and returned the crazily expensive items that had been picked out for me last week. $50 for a cream-colored t-shirt? No, thank you. I then spent a good couple hours walking around a completely different store, trying things on together, and dancing in the mirror. I think the true sign that you really feel good about a piece of clothing is if you’re able to dance like a goof in it. Everything I got is pretty basic (no stripes or patterns or oversize ruffles), but I think it all goes together nicely. And I made sure my blacks match, thanks to advice from my grandma.
Now I’m feeling even more confident about doing interviews. Things are really coming together. I guess they have to be – OPE is only four days away!
Work with Sean. I help higher ed professionals take control of their careers with tailored services including resume and CV development, LinkedIn profile optimization and networking strategy, interview coaching, and one-on-one career guidance.
After I completed my first professional job search, I likened the experience to taking an additional course in graduate school. You have intense amounts of research to do, lots of information and websites to read, a strong need for lots of pens and highlighters, and you have to some how make sense and digest all of what you are gaining through your search. Now that I have been through several more searches, there’s a few things I’ve learned along the way and want to offer on to other searchers.
