Job Search Update - Post 15

Hello faithful readers! Let me just jump right into is, shall I? First, the bad news. The Husband did not get the job he recently applied for. This was a big blow to him, as he has never applied for a job he has not received. But, in a way, I think it is a good thing. First, this job would have been very time consuming, and due to the distance he would have to commute between an hour to an hour and a half everyday. This may not seem like a big deal, but with gas prices on the rise and The Daughter needing to be dropped off and picked up from daycare each day (he wouldn't be able to help out with either) it is probably a blessing in disguise. But still, I feel for my partner and wished he would have had the opportunity to turn down the job rather than have them turn him down.

Okay, onto the good news. I had a job interview and it went really well! It is with my current institution for a mid-level housing position supervising professional staff. I was really proud of myself for many of my answers and my presentation. I have to tell you that I was quaking in my sneakers when I learned there would be a presentation, but I think I did a great job and I am eager to hear some news either later this week or early next week. Getting the job would mean a huge life change for our family. For one, we would be able to live off campus! I cannot even imagine what that will be like, but I know it will be wonderful. Two, we could have a washer and dryer!!! For those of you out there with little ones, I know you understand the value in this. Three, it would be an opportunity to really set down some strong roots in a city and university that I enjoy. I am at a point in my life where having a foundation somewhere is very important to me. I want to make a name for myself at an institution rather than leave after a couple years and start over somewhere else. The more I think about how my life could change in a matter of days, I am filled with excitement and fear. Excitement for all that could be, and fear that it won't happen.

In other job related news....well, there really isn't any. After many months of assessing and reassessing our situation, The Husband and I feel pretty confident that we will be staying here in one capacity or another. If I don't get this job, I will return to my current job. The Husband will take the offer from that weird company that he interviewed with and we will stay one more year living in and then do the dual job search again next year. If I do get this promotion, we will make our home here and the husband will either take the weird job or continue looking. Either way, it looks like we are here for another year. Why, you ask? Well, we have decided that if we can't move closer to home, then we refuse to move further away, so looking at jobs in other cities is just not something we are interested in. (As if the dual job search wasn't hard enough...we've added this dynamic to it!) So, with that said, I will leave you this week with the promise of more to come and ask that you keep me in your thoughts as the week goes on and send me some good vibes!

A Ray of Hope - Post #14

Hello Fabulous Readers! Do I have news for you?!? I have an on-campus interview! WOO HOO! I am 100% not kidding here. Next week I will be interviewing with my current institution for an Assistant Director position...can you believe it? The phone interview that I felt like I bombed actually garnered me an on-campus interview. I have another shot at showing them what I could bring to the position. Let Round 2 begin!!!

Also, in other news, The Husband has an interview with a company about 30 miles from where we currently live on Friday! Can you believe it?!? Both of us have interviews within the span of a week! Can you tell how excited I am? Maybe this dual job search thing will work out after all. I'll keep you posted!

In Crisis - Post #13

I realize that this blog is supposed to be about my dual job search; however, tonight I need to debrief, and as it is 2:47 in the morning, I feel I only have this means of processing. This week and last have been very trying for me. Not only do I feel that my sense of balance is gone, but I feel stretched thin. My candle is being burned at four ends and I feel like I am running out of wax. In the last three days, two of my students have been in crisis with one taking too many pills and the other self-mutilating. (I am relieved to report that both students are alive and out of the hospital.) My two graduate students are both struggling with their personal job searches, have family issues affecting their lives, and are taking their frustrations and fears out on each other. This week is hall pride week, which means that every night this week we have a program that I must attend. We are conducting multiple professional job searches in our department and this week we have four candidates on campus which means extra time to interview and serve a dinner host and tour guide. Finally, tomorrow The Husband leaves at 8am for an athletic event and will be gone till Sunday evening, so it is just me and The Daughter for the rest of the week.

Ironically, I feel like I am handling all of this stress pretty well...and to be honest that scares me a little. Am I simply pushing aside my emotions in order to stay focused on the tasks at hand or am I truly coping with all of these events and the impact they have on my professional and personal life? Part of me feels like I am in robot mode, handling each issue systematically rather than allowing my emotions to interfere with what needs to be done to help those students and staff. Perhaps I just need a good cry to let out some pent up emotion or perhaps I just need to accept that I have changed my coping mechanism. I know one thing that will help a little...sleep. I'm off to bed. I have job related news, but will post that later. Thanks for letting me process.

Cheese Station O: No Cheese - Post 12

Date: Friday, April 13, 2007
Personal Temperature: Weary

I ventured out into the maze and I found a new cheese station: Cheese Station O. It is a cheese station that I have been at before as an undergraduate student. During my past time in Cheese Station O, the cheese was plentiful and delicious. It was a happy time. So happy in fact that I was ecstatic to learn that my dream cheese (my dream job) was located in Cheese Station O. I put on my shoes, I made my way through the maze, I did all the right things, met all the requirements, and when I arrived at Cheese Station O...there was no cheese for me. Now, don't get me wrong. There was cheese in Cheese Station O, but none of it was for me, i.e. there is a job in Cheese Station O, but I am not being considered for it. I'll be honest folks, I was devestated when I heard this news. I cried for over half an hour. You see, this wasn't just another job for me. This was an opportunity to be close to my family, my parents, sister, aunts/uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc; for The Husband to be close to his family; and for our daughter to see her grandparents more often. It was an opportunity to live in a town that feels like home to me and to serve a university community that I have an investment in and believe in. It was an opportunity to continue my housing career and move up the latter to a job I could see myself in for 5-7 years. But, regardless of meeting all the required qualification and the preferred qualification, I am not being considered. I didn't even get a phone interview! I am stymied. While the job listing said that candidates not attending the joint conference would still be considered, I am now wondering if that is what hurt me. I guess I will never know.

What is our next move, you ask? Well, The Husband and I need to regroup. I still have my application in for the Assistant Director job here, but other than that, there hasn't been a job come open near my family or within a decent distance. We will keep you posted on where we are heading from here. For now, I am just not sure what is the right next step. I would welcome any suggestions any of you might have. Feel free to email me at dualjobsearch@yahoo.com with any tips you have!

When It Rains, It Pours - Post #11

Date: Thursday, April 12, 2007
Personal Temperature: Tired & Hopeful

Yes, I am still alive. The dual job search has not killed me yet! And, for the first time, I have news to share! But first, I need to take a moment to process. You know the phrase..."When it rains, it pours"? Well, I feel as though it has been stormy weather in my world for over a week now. Here we are five weeks till the end of the semester and I am seeing more destructive behavior in my hall than ever before. It seems as though a huge portion of my residents can no longer stand living with their roommates and must move with only a few weeks left. Between the phone calls to them, phone calls from their parents, conversations with staff, and some troubleshooting with my custodial staff, I am finding little to no time for my non-work life, let alone my job search. But, what's a girl to do? We must press on....

So...what is the news you ask. Well, The Husband got a job offer...sort of. He says it was the strangest interview he has ever had. He went the other day to a medical clinic here in town to chat with them about an open position. He got all spruced up in his nice blue pin-stripe suit, had his list of questions ready, had a mint in so he would smell all nice and fresh and heads down for the big interview. Once he gets there, things start off pretty smooth. The doctor gives him a tour of the facility, he meets some of the staff, and then the doctor leads him in to an examine room. The Husband ends up sitting on an examining table with the doctor and talking to him for 20 minutes about the clinic and the position. At the end, the doctor says, "Well, I'm thinking about $35,000 for this job...so when can you start?" The Husband was floored. He wasn't prepared for anything like this, but really, who is? He explained to the doctor about him currently being in school, when his contract ended, and that he wanted to know more information (benefits, hours working, etc). The doc seemed to dodge these questions and The Husband left with way more questions than answers. Can you believe that? 20 minutes of chatting and The Husband gets a job offer? I interviewed over 10 hours for my current position...10 HOURS! I was floored when he told me. Anyway, don't get too excited for us just yet. The Husband has since talked to some of the doctors who work with him now and they say this doctor and practice is really sketchy. They don't recommend he take the job and worry how it would affect his reputation. But, it is the only thing that has come open so far in this area and as you all know, we are either staying around here or moving closer to home...so we can't really afford to turn down a job paying that much. I'll keep you posted on what happens.

Now on to me. So two Friday's ago, I had a "phone" interview for the Assistant Director job here at my current institution. I put phone in quotations because it was actually an in-person phone interview, if that makes any sense. It just didn't seem right to talk on the phone when I am a hop, skip, and a jump away from the people doing the interviewing. Anyway, long story short, I feel like I totally bombed the interview. For one, it was really hard for me to interview with my former boss and talk about myself when she knows me so well. I was afraid of going into too much detail and as a result, I don't think I sold myself or my abilities well. Also, right before I went into the interview, I lost my focus. I accidently learned no more than five minutes prior to my interview that one of my colleagues and really good friends applied for the job as well. This really threw me for a loop because I figured he would have told me about applying and I couldn't understand why he wouldn't have. He has been so open about all his other job applications and interviews that I was thrown off my game when I found this news out. I kept going over in my head why he wouldn't have told me, but couldn't come up with a good answer. Earlier this semester I applied for a job that he had also applied for. I told him the day I applied that I submitted an application and wanted to make sure he knew from me. I just couldn't understand it. Anyway, the combination of my nerves, knowing the people I interviewed with, and finding out that news about my colleague was enough to make me look like an idiot in my eyes. So, I am not too hopeful about the AD job any longer. But, we will see. Miracles do happen.

Other than that one lead, there is no other irons in the fire for me. I have been waiting for my alma mater to call and offer me a phone interview, but so far, no dice. I think that ship has sailed which makes me sad. I have a feeling this dual job search thing is going to take a lot longer to resolve than your average search. Honestly, I just wish the whole thing was over! =) Maybe I will look back on all of this four months from now and think, "Wow, what a great experience." Somehow I doubt it!

Weekly Update - Post #10

Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Personal Temperature: Underwhelmed

So, I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed at the moment. Perhaps that is due to the fact that I am sitting here watching American Idol and the first three singers have bored me beyond belief. At this point, I would welcome Sanjaya just so I could laugh a little. I digress...

Well friends, I have been feeling a little guilty about my blog lately. The Husband says that I have been acting like a Debbie Downer and after re-reading my blogs, I see what he means. I really have to get a better attitude about this job search thing. So, in an effort to snap myself out of it, I thought I would write a blog entry that would hopefully help those of you who are reading my blog and plan to one day do a dual job search. So, here are some internet websites that I have found helpful in my journey:

www.chronicle.com - By far the best website for uptodate jobs in all areas of Higher Education.

(Okay...quick digression...Sanjaya just came on. What the hell is going on with his hair?!? And he just forgot the words to the song!!! Okay...if he isn't kicked off this week, I think I will have to stop watching the show.)

www.higheredjobs.com - Again, a great website for jobs in Higher Education. In my experience, this website often times has more jobs posted than Chronicle. For instance, I have found several academic advising jobs or admissions jobs posted on higheredjobs.com that were not on the Chronicle. There definitely seems to be more entry-level and mid-level positions posted here.

(Okay...another quick digression...I just can't help myself. Idol is so blah tonight. Haley Scarnato about put me to sleep and she did in fact put The Daughter to sleep, which is saying something since she is Miss Crankypants due to teething. I am not sure if I can keep watching tonight...but I must tune in long enough to see Miss Doolittle.)

www.studentaffairs.com - Great website for fabulous blogs! =) Not to mention, this website is great for those looking at jobs only in the Student Affairs field. It is nice to have a place to search where you don't have to weed through faculty positions to get to the applicable stuff.

www.academic360.com - Probably the best website ever for those of you who are doing regional job searches. This website allows you to click on any state and then lists out all the universities in that state. You click on any university and you are taken to their Human Resources webpage. This has been a huge help for me, especially since it has linked me to colleges that I didn't even know existed. Awesome, awesome, awesome resource!

www.acuho-i.org - Looking for a housing position? This is the website for you! Not only can you find nation-wide jobs here, but you can also learn more about regional opportunities such as conferences and professional development.

And, of course, you can always check out information on the ACPA and NASPA websites.

Hopefully some of this information can help you in your quest to find that next great job!

Fear Knocking at my Door - Post #9

Date: March 21, 2007
Personal Temperature: Scared

The fear is creeping back. This dual job search thing is not going well at all. To date, I have two applications out there...one at my "dream" school and one at my current institution. The initial review date of applications at my "dream" school was March 15th, last Thursday, and no word yet from them. I am trying to stay positive...I am trying to stay focused...I am trying to remember that fear will only lead me back to Cheese Station C where the cheese is starting to get moldy and depleted. But let's be honest folks, this job search stuff is hard enough when it is only you...let alone you and another person. I keep invisioning myself three months from now, jobless and my little girl sick and we have no health insurance and living with my parents or The Husband's parents! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! It is usually during one of these depressive rants that my husband begins to laugh at me and tells me to "Lighten up. We will find something. We always have." Sometimes, The Husband's light mood really helps me to get through the fear and other times I just want to give him a piece of my mind and say, "You are right. We have always found something, but this time is different. This time we have to find something together at the same time in the same place. This time, it is not just the two of us we have to watch out for it is also The Daughter. This time we have to think about finding jobs that don't require us to give 50-60 hours a week each so that we can be there for our little girl. This time we are in a time crunch and I have to let my current institution know if I am coming back soon so they can hire someone else or commit to another year working here and stop looking for jobs. This time around, I'm scared."

And lets face it, there is the crux of the issue. Fear! Fear can make people do crazy things, and right now, I can feel the fear of not finding a job closing in around me and making me want to crazy things like 1) committing to another year here at my current institution, 2) throwing our values out the window and looking for jobs away from family, 3) apply for positions that I am not even remotely interested in just to have a paycheck and health insurance and 4) consider leaving the higher education field. One of the readers posted a comment after my last entry asking if you really can do a dual job search with such restrictions. I'll be honest, at the beginning of this journey, I was 100% confident that the answer was YES! YOU CAN!; but now, I am waivering. The cold hard truth is that no matter how qualified of a candidate I am, no matter how much I want to serve an institution, no matter how interested I am in a position, I can't do anything if either a) there is no position posted in the area I am looking at and b) the hiring committee chooses not to give me a look. These past two weeks, I have been thinking more and more about the reality of our situation and wondering if we have set ourselves up for failure by limiting our search so much. But then I go back to the fact that family means so much to us and we want our parents to know our child and future children and we want to be near enough to attend family events. These are huge aspects of our life that impact our greater happiness, but then so does finding the right jobs.

I think another reason I am beginning to panic is because I am watching those around me have so much success in their searches. All my graduate students are headed to numerous on-campus interviews. My co-workers are headed off to the joint conference in a week with tons of interviews scheduled. And here I sit, with two irons in the fire...neither of which seem to be getting hot. And The Husband, you ask? Well, still no change in his status. To date, there have been no jobs posted for him to even submit an application for. I hate to say it, but I think the writing may be on the wall. I think we may have to broaden our search and look beyond our desire to be close to our extended families for the sake of our little family of three. How much longer do we let good opportunities pass us by? And how much longer will my current institution wait for me to give them an answer?