The Dreaded Cover Letter - Post #7

Sunday, February 25, 2007
Personal Temperature: Excited!

Well I did it! I finished my cover letter for THE job and I feel great! I kept hitting road blocks on the first paragraph and couldn't seem to get into a writting groove. I want the job so much and I think my fear of not writing the perfect letter caused me to have a brain freeze. A friend of mine told me to stop being an idiot and go to the place where I just "let it flow". =) Thank you friend for kicking my butt into gear! So, the cover letter is written, the resume is done and now all I have to do is apply via the HR website and then send my application materials directly to the head of the search committee. Woohoo!!!

Speaking of HR websites, I just hate them. One of these days I will have to sit down with an HR person and try to gain a better understanding of why in the world I need to fill out a 10 page application for any job at the university. I especially hate it when they ask you to list out all the jobs you have been at for the last 10 years and your job functions. I just want to say..."see resume". Oh well.

Update on The Husband's job search....well there really isn't an update. His jobs will not be posted until later in the semester and we may have to wait until the beginning of the summer to know something. But, he says he is 100% behind me applying for THE job so I'm pressing forward. My next challenge is to get him to tackle his resume and polish it up for his search. ::SIGH::

I'll keep you posted...

Creeping out of Cheese Station C - Post #6

Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Personal Temperature: Nervously Excited

Well, I took my first few steps out of Cheese Station C this past week. How, you ask? I finally made myself sit down and update my resume. Believe me, this is a huge step that serves as the first sign that my job search is actually happening. Now that the resume is complete, it is on to the dreaded cover letter. Just saying the words "cover letter" makes me want to scramble back into my cosy Cheese Station C and stay awhile. Why is it that writing a cover letter pretty much stinks for most people? All my fellow colleagues seem to agree with me on this point, as none of them would accept my half-joking offer to pay them to write one for me. I would like to think that if one of them had stepped up and agreed my ethical compass would have guided me to decline, but my hatred of cover letter writing is such that it would be a tough battle. That is my goal this week...write the dreaded cover letter and apply for a job.

Speaking of applying for a job...IT was posted this week. THE job that I have been waiting for has been posted! As exciting as this was for me, I will also say that I read the posting and also felt elements of fear. Why? Because I want this job bad...capital B - A - D...and I think it is never a good sign to want something this badly as the disappointment should it not be attained is inevitably harsh. So, why is this job the IT job? It meets many of my job search values (close to my family, a live-off position in Residence Life, opportunity to continue supervising graduate students, ability to teach, and opportunities to work with a college I am passionate about) and when I read the posting, I just get excited thinking about myself in the role. Am I going to apply? Of course! I just need to write the dreaded cover letter, which becomes even more dreaded in this case because I want THE job sooooo bad.

Did I mention though that there is a downside? The Husband does not neccesarily have opportunities there. In talking with him this past week, he claims that should I get THE job he will be able to find something, even if only temporary or he will consider going back for his Doctorate. (This is where I fall in love with The Husband all over again, because honestly folks, he is just wonderful and deserves an award for putting up with my craziness!) While I know he is sincere, I still get those feelings of guilt. Is it right for me to apply for a job where he may not have any opportunities? How will his professional career be affected by this next move should he not be able to attain a good first time professional job in his field? Will he be happy simply "finding something" or going back to school if that is not what he truly wants? Can two people truly have what they both want at the same time? (Now I am starting to sound like Carrie from Sex & The City!) It is a lot to think about, and while he assures me I don't need to worry, I still do because lets face it, I care about the guy and don't want him to feel like he needs to take second place in the race that is our life. I would much rather us cross this mile marker hand-in-hand at the same pace. It is something to ponder...

Okay, so one final thought. This past week I have been talking a lot with my graduate students about their upcoming job searches and the positions they are interested in. Many of them ask the same question..."If I don't meet the preferred qualifications, should I even apply?" My answer to this question is always the same and I have now adapted this answer to be the motto of my own job search. So in closing, I have included it.

The Wife's Job Search Motto: Don't take yourself out of the game, let them take you out.

Cheese Station C - Post #5

Saturday, February 10, 2007
Personal Temperature: Confused & Hungry

Recently, The Husband was given a copy of "Who Moved My Cheese?". There has been some unhappiness and unrest in his department lately due to unpopular decisions that have been made recently. In an effort to help the department better cope with change, The Husband's boss gave everyone a copy of the Cheese Book. Usually, The Husband wouldn't be open to this kind of staff development, but surprisingly he read the book and thought it was something that would be of a benefit to me. If you've never read "Who Moved My Cheese?" I would highly recommend it! It is a fast, easy read that offers some really good insight into how we as humans process, react and adapt to change.

Anyway, I digress...after reading the book I came to the realization that I am most like the character "Hem", the one who likes his life as it currently is, can't or won't identify when there is no more "cheese", and who refuses to believe that he must move on and seek out new cheese in order to thrive. This really hit home this past week, when I began to question whether The Husband and I should really leave this wonderful Midwest town and pursue a dual job search. I began to convince myself that there were still opportunities for me here, that I could continue to live in and do my job one more year, and that it was crazy for The Husband and I to both start new jobs and buy a house and find daycare for The Daughter all in one year. (If you have a child and have been through the difficult challenge of finding quality daycare then you know what I am talking about.) To be honest, I am still not convinced that my "cheese" has run out here, but I definitely believe that I am beginning to see mold growing. My biggest problem is fear. There is a part in the book that asks "What would you do if you were not afraid?" I have thought a lot about this over the past few days and here are some of my answers: I would submit my resignation letter (but I'm afraid that I won't find a job and then I will be jobless and without health insurance for my family); I would go back to school (but I'm afraid of going into debt and getting off track with my career); I would make contact with schools in that lovely Southern state my family lives in (but I'm afraid employers may think I'm presumptuous or pushy); I would take a step back and wait till The Husband has a job and then look for me (but I'm afraid of letting great opportunities pass me by and further stressing myself out). Is it any wonder with all these fears that I have begun to seriously consider staying where I am? While it would be the easiest option, would it necessarily be the best? Is the cheese here moldy and running out, or is there still fresh cheese to be had? Am I simply living in denial like Hem and refusing to seek out better cheese because of fear? With all these questions, it is no wonder that I stress myself out!

Oh well, I obviously have more thinking to do.