Take Me As I Am, Hire Me, or Leave Me! #9

A Sweaty Mess

Besides it being 75 and sunny today, I am a sweaty mess. Why you ask? Well, I just applied for my first job!! I felt like Santa Clause checking everything over and over again making sure it was correct! Phew glad that is over with! Now on to the next one!!

The mind is everything. What you think, you become.

~ Buddha 

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #5

To Theory or not to Theory...

As a 2^nd – year graduate student, I am required to enroll in a class that serves as a capstone to our experiences in Student Affairs. While sitting in class, listening to a set of panelists talking about “job one” the question about how much of our theoretical insights should enter in the job search process, especially the interview portion. As an answer to this question, one panelist commented that those going through the interview process need to be cautious about how much theory enters into the interview, because it can intimidate the employer who does not come from a similar theoretical background. I let this comment soak in. I’ve never been one to proclaim theory is the end-all be-all in my practice, but it has been a central part of the last two years of my life. I never claim to be a-theoretical in any aspect of my life…there is intentionality behind how I conduct myself as a professional. (I really have come to dislike the word intentionality, due to the buzz-word status is has gained in the field, but I chose to use it anyways…). So if this if theory and intention are a central part of my practice, how can I communicate this in an interview without intimidating potential employers?

In other news, I applied to my first two jobs this past week! Both are outside of Residence Life. While I’m not sure how competitive I’ll be for both of them, it’s inspiring to find positions that align with my passions and experiences!

Until next time…

Take Me As I Am, Hire Me, or Leave Me! #8

It Happened, I Cried, Screamed and Jumped Around a Bit!!

This weekend I hit a bump in the road. I've been stalking the TPE website, Higher edu jobs and Studentaffairs.com and was feeling like I would never find a job that would excite me. All the jobs I've been looking at didn't have that edge, or catch my attention... until I found a posting at an all Woman's college working with their first year students in a LLC. It was such a perfect fit t I was legit crying as I was reading a the job description! Yes, tears were rolling down my face, I was jumping for joy and I started to learn everything I could about the school. I showed the job posting to my mentors and they all agreed that this had my name written all over it. I will keep you all updated!

Congrats to the other grad who is sharing this blog with me, who also found his/her perfect job this weekend! So exciting!

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #4

IT HAPPENED.

It happened. I found the PERFECT position for me! It satisfies 3 out of my 4 functional areas of interest, incorporates undergraduate teaching, and is in the academic realm of this particular institution. Perfect, right?

I forgot to mention ITS LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE-OF-NOWHERE- PENNSYLVANIA!

Gulp.

Now comes the moment of truth. Would I sacrifice my non-negotiable requirement of living in NYC for this dream job? Well, I’ve already began editing my resume, perfecting my cover letter, and scrambling for references. There’s your answer – I cracked. I simply could not turn down a position that was calling my name!

After much reflection this weekend, I realized that sacrificing the perfect (did I mention how amazing this job sounds?) to live in a less favorable environment is rational. I can still have a dream of living in NYC one day, but maybe this is not the year for that to happen. There will be more years, more jobs, and much more opportunity once I gain professional experience outside of Residence Life.  I recalled my “wants” “needs” and “icing on the cake” list that I referred to in my previous post. NYC was on my “wants” list, but so was all of these other dimensions, dimensions that make the job look so desirable. The decision was simple. I would rather have the institution turn me down, rather than me turn the institution down over one little bullet point on my list.

So then I began to think of what my life would be like in the middle-of-nowhere-Pennsylvania. And I thought to myself – maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Because there’s no distraction other than wildlife (and, no, I’m not referring to the students) I could time to hone in some research endeavors I’ve been putting aside while in graduate school and other personal pursuits. Who knows, maybe I would find peace within the mountains and lakes of Northern Pennsylvania. I cannot believe I am saying that!

And for those of you who are thinking “will she change the name of her postings?”. No. No, I won’t. The dream is still there, although the road to get there may take me on bit of a detour.

Take Me As I Am, Hire Me, or Leave Me! #7

The job search is stressful, confusing, yet rewarding. Remember to think positively...

I should take my own advice.

 No matter how many cover letters I read or  (try) to write..  I'm just not doing a great job writing about my skills. UGH. I'm really good at building relationships, being a team player and thinking of  innovative ideas  BUT, I am NOT good at writing about myself....
With that being said.. I know you want to hire me:)



Any tips on how I can get over being a perfectionist?

Take Me As I Am, Hire Me, or Leave Me! #6

TGIF



Goals 4 the weekend: stop being a perfectionist with my resume, start enjoying writting about myself in cover letters. sleep. football #GoGiants

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #3

Advice? Whose to Take?

As the meetings with my supervisor dwindle in number towards the end of the semester, I thought, hey, I should probably talk to her about (1) wanting to leave Residence Life, (2) my job search. As always, she gave wonderful advice about ways to prioritize items in the job search. She told me that I should work on creating lists entitled “want”, “need”, and “icing on the cake” while reviewing job postings. I have taken this piece of advice to heart, but still find myself swayed by a job posting that I am not qualified for or quiet interested in. The other day I found myself saving a job posting, only to happen upon it a few days later. With fresh eyes, I knew that this job was not the right one for me. Yet, I couldn’t help but think what attracted me to the job in the first place?! I take this question quite seriously, and have since taken the last few days to compile a comprehensive list of wants, needs, and icing on the cake. Ok…if you’re getting hungry, that was my last mention of cake!

The other day I found a posting that appeared ideal. When reading the qualifications, I felt like screaming FINALLY A POSITION FOR ME! Then I realize that the job requires 3-5 years experience. For a second, I felt deterred by this requirement. Then I thought about ways that I can make up for lack of experience by talking about my experiences in undergrad and the wealth of experience I gained in graduate school (which felt more like 5 years than 2 years anyways…). When I speak to some colleagues, they tell me “you might as well apply” or “you never know what they’re looking for” or even “yeah, but even with your experience you would be a competitive candidate”. However, this evening a friend of mine told me that she heard that Human Resources won’t even look at a candidate who has less than the experience required. She then said, “it might even look like you didn’t read the job posting clearly enough.” This advice makes sense, but I really don’t know what to think. Should I operate under the assumption that the risk is worth the reward? Or should I play it safe with experience?

Take Me As I Am, Hire Me, or Leave Me! #5

Tis The Season....


Great job searching tips from @annmarieklotz http://annmarieklotz.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/tis-the-seasonto-be-job-searching/ #takeheradvice

Take Me As I Am, Hire Me, or Leave Me! #4

Great Advice:

KMRothfeld Kristen Rothfeld 

Don't be afraid  reach out to others for advice, edits of res/cover letter, and discussion of your journey. They can be your biggest allies.

 Thank you Kristen!

Take Me As I Am, Hire Me, or Leave Me! #3

TRUST THE PROCESS

I just realized this will be my wonderful life for the next 7 months..


sleep ( I hope) coffee (I need a IV drip of Dunkin Donuts ONLY please ) check job websites ( 100x  day) write cover letters (by the end of this process I will be sick of talking about myself!) apply. tweet       ( I'll NEVER give up tweeting)  work , do hw. go to class. repeat= story of my life

Can someone please make 30 hours in a day :)

Take Me As I Am, Hire Me, or Leave Me! #3

TRUST THE PROCESS

I just realized this will be my wonderful life for the next 7 months..


sleep ( I hope) coffee (I need a IV drip of Dunkin Donuts ONLY please ) check job websites ( 100x  day) write cover letters (by the end of this process I will be sick of talking about myself!) apply. tweet ( I'll NEVER give up tweeting)  work , do hw. go to class. repeat= story of my life

Can someone please make 30 hours in a day :)

Take Me As I Am, Hire Me, or Leave Me! #2

#FF –  AKA Follow Friday

 Now that I have shared with you how wonderful Twitter has been to me, I would love to share the wealth with you!

The following are some of my favorite resources.

For those of you thinking about joining Twitter or are brand new Ed Cabbelon  is your go to man. ( TRUST ME!! I can’t wait to meet him In real life ( IRL) ) Check out his Blog: http://edcabellon.com/about/ 

Here are my favorite  posts from his blog:

1. In TEACHING TWITTER TO HIGHER EDUCATION COLLEAGUES Ed teaches you the Twitter basics. http://edcabellon.com/tech/teachingtwitter/

2.  In Teaching Twitter: Part DO, Ed explains the Do’s on how to take your Twitter adventure to the next adventure.

http://edcabellon.com/tech/teachingtwitterdo/

3. In TEACHING TWITTER (P3): ADVANCED GOOGLE SEARCH TIPS Ed explains how to use Twitter and Google together! Check it out: http://edcabellon.com/tech/teachingtwitter3

 4. I haven’t been lucky enough to switch over yet but there is a New Twitter. If you have it and don’t understand it Ed will teach you about It in this blog post: The New, New Twitter & Higher Education  http://edcabellon.com/tech/newnewtwitter/

You can follow Ed on Twitter: @edcabellon

I would explain this next resource as the hidden gem of  Student Affairs , also known as the Student Affairs Collaborative. Take and look and let me know what you think.  http://thesabloggers.org/sachat/

If you want to connect with other professionals,  the @The_sa_blog hosts a chat every Thursday from 12-1pm CST . Come join us, We would love to hear from you!  Please follow the @the_sa_blog

Here are the few Student Affairsback channels to follow:

#Sachat ( student affairs chat)

#Sagrad ( student affairs grad)

#Sapro ( student affairs professionals)

#WLsalt  (Find more about them here: http://sawomenlead.com/wlsalt-hashtag/ )

#reslife ( res life)

#sadoc  ( for those who are earning their doctrate)

 ( There are so many, please share with me what you use!)

And if you don’t believe anything I just said take a look at this tweet:

@LaurenKappy: I am so thankful for the student affairs twitter universe. It such a powerful tool and sometimes you don't even realize it."

Since this blog post is titled #FF, below are a few people that I enjoy following because they provide me with awesome resources.

Clconzen Christopher Conzen- He’s cool because he’s from NJ!

DSchmidtRogers Deb Schmidt-Rogers-  one of the founders of #WLsalt

OberBecca Becca Obergefell- Becca is REAL proof that Twitter helped her with her job search! Read her blog post: http://edcabellon.com/tech/twitters-impact-on-my-job-search/

tbump Teri Bump- If you need help on how you should brand yourself Teri is your best resource!

NikiRudolph Niki Rudolph –Niki tweets out helpful articles.  My favorite tweets are about her kids!

annmarieklotz Ann Marie Klotz- Also known as soon to be DR. AMK. AMK is my res life resource. On the side she has a love for fashion.  There has been a few times where I almost hopped on a flight to Chicago  JUST to get the opportunity to go shopping with her.

LaurieABerry Laurie Berry - #sadoc inspiration!

JPKirchmeier Julie P-Kirchmeier –  Also known as JKP. JPK is an advocate for women in higher education

laurapasquini Laura Pasquini one of my favorite Canadians who has a love for technology .

amberagd Amber GarrisonDuncan – Amber tweets some great articles but she is my go to person for inspiration.

kristendom Kristen Abell- If you ever want a blunt opinion, Kristen will tell you how it is! I enjoy reading her blogs.

sethodell Seth Odell-  Founder of @HigherEdLive Check it out!

bethmoriarty Beth Moriarty-  Anything you need to know about parents of college students, Dr. Beth Moriarty can help you out.

BreakDrink BreakDrink- Current news and trends in SA

cindykane Cindy Kane-  Anything you need to know about leadership/involvement

JoeGinese Joseph Ginese- Rock star enough said… you will just have to follow him.

EricStoller Eric Stoller-  Very knowledgeable in the field.

stacyloliver – She is always making you think! 

I could go on forever but this is just a short list of those in this field who have provided me with wonderful information. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

I would love to hear your story of how the #sachat community has helped you! 

Until next time, 

Take me as I am! 

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #2

Hey Res Life...Nothing Personal!

On top of having a specific dream-job location (NYC), I also have a specific dream of making the leap from Residence Life, where I currently serve as a Hall Director, to a live-off position, either in Career Services, Judicial Affairs, or Academic Advising.

I know what you’re thinking…I must be crazy! And there may be some truth to that…

To explain, graduate school was my first exposure to Residence Life. As an undergraduate student, becoming a RA did not even cross my radar screen for college involvement. Instead, I found myself invested in the Greek system, and consequently avoided any interaction with my RA, who I considered to be “out to get” anyone who crossed his path. Yes, I was the student who memorized when RAs did their rounds in order to avoid any trouble! It’s funny to think that residents probably think the same thing of me and my RA staff!

Anyways, I was proud of my commitment to search outside of Residence Life, until I found myself talking to current Res Lifers. Last semester, during a Holiday gathering, my Res Life colleague nearly spit out her punch when I explained I had dreams of leaving Residence Life. Her reaction is like many others I have encountered over the past few months. When I tell my colleagues, some react as though I have just confessed to a violent crime! Others take it very personal, as if I am breaking up with them after a blissful affair. I assure them that my decision has nothing about my colleagues, my current office, or experience in general. I simply want to look outside of Residence Life because I am a creature of routine, which probably goes without explanation to many of those reading this post.

I get it. For many of them, Res Life is the ONLY functional area in student affairs.

Instead of letting comments from my colleagues bother me, I tell myself that I am talking to die-hard Res-Lifers, and recommit to my choice with a much stronger conviction when I hear how difficult it is to search beyond the pearly white gates of Residence Life (don’t get me wrong, I feel blessed to have had this experience). Although my colleagues challenge my ability to take a stance, I secretly feel blessed when I encounter someone who tells me that I will never find a job, I will be financially unstable, and consequently unhappy. Their Res-Life prophecies, no matter how true, prepare me for what is to come even if they never do.

For now, I dream of the world outside of Residence Life. Even if, in that world, I find myself homeless, poor, and unemployed.

Take me For What I am, Hire me, Or Leave Me! #1

52 Ways to Land a Job

Dear Twitter,

 I would like to take a moment to thank you for being created. At first, I thought it would be IMPOSSIBLE to engage with others in 140 characters or less. However, you taught me to convey my thoughts creatively by using less fluff and more honestly. At times 140 characters seem appropriate when communicating but has taken over my life.  When responding to others I find myself constantly checking how many characters I have left! Don’t worry ,I will be sending you my therapist bill!

On a more serious note, you have helped me connect with my first love; All My Children. For those of you who DON’T know what All My Children is, I suggest you Google Susan Lucci. After that, if you  STILL don’t know … then  shame on you!

Anyway, you nearly gave me a heart attack when Chrishell Stause ( Amanda from All My Children) responded to my tweet!  I would have also sent you my hospital bill!

Ok, ok, I am getting to the point of 52 ways to land a job, just bare with me. There is a secret  to my madness, I promise.  After attending a conference I was introduced to the #SAchat  ( Student Affairs chat) community. A community on twitter who eats, sleeps and breathes Student Affairs almost all day long! For a graduate student who is starting her first year of grad school, this was like winning the lottery. Yes folks, this community is more amazing then happiness money could EVER buy. Wait.. let me take that statement back. I would like to have money buy a plane to  travel the world to meet these amazing people  IRL (in real life!)

So, Twitter, how have you helped me possibly land a job in 52 ways? Well I will tell you!  Last year I started a project called #52in52, have you heard of it? No? Great! Let me tell you about it.  One night  after completing a class assignment where I had to interview three professionals within the division of Student Affairs at my university, I thought it would be empowering to interview professionals at other universities.  But I wasn’t sure how I was going to accomplish this. Then, I realized I had the perfect tool to make this happen. YES! YOU dear Twitter. I would use you… again, ( I hope that you are ok with me using you to my advantage all the time.)  to engage and build relationships with other professionals from around the world.  

( Yes, I’ve made some awesome Canadian friends, eh?)  I wasn’t sure how the #sachat community would take to this ridiculously  fabulous idea, so I sent out a tweet asking if anyone would be interested in being interviewed. Within minutes a dozen people who I didn’t even know wanted to join in on the fun. After a few  interviews people were helping me spread the word. Before I knew it I was conducting 2-3 interviews a week. Wait.. I forgot to explain to you how the title #52in52 came about.  Well, I wanted to interview 52 professionals in 52 weeks  

( hence #52in52) but I finished this project in four months.  I still can’t believe the support I’ve received from this community.

I have spent the last year getting to know these professionals and building relationships with them. They are no longer strangers, but friends, mentors and I even found my soul sistah.  They have watched me grow as a person and young professional and I am excited to have them on this journey we call job hunting. 

So, thank you Twitter for giving me the opportunity to possibly land a job this spring, without you my chances were slim to none!

Until next time!

P.s. I plan on writing these blogs  from my heart, with no hidden agenda…. What you read is what you get. With that I will leave you with one of my favorite songs:

“ take me for what I am who I was meant to be

and if you give a damn take me baby or leave me” (“Take me for what  I am” By Rent)

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #1

If I Get Murdered In the City

I want to move to NYC when I graduate.

This simple sentence has sparked controversy at the numerous family gatherings I have attended over the holidays. As my cousins and siblings reach for a final helping of broccoli casserole, I wait for the inevitable “So what are you plans once you graduate?” The truth is, I have been preparing for this question since Thanksgiving, rehearsing my lines like auditioning for a B-list movie. Some would call it a comedy, but I call it my life.

One may expect a commitment to NYC from a person with city roots. I, however, have never lived in a town that boasted a booming metropolis. Nonetheless, I have always had an affinity for NYC, especially as a child when my family would take a yearly trip after Christmas to see Rockefeller Center and the Macy’s windows. The only thing similar to that in my hometown was a Christmas Boulevard, complete with four blocks of cardboard cutouts of reindeer and Santa, and a few mechanical, caroling snowman, a target for local vandals. I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, with population of roughly 12,000, attended college in an even smaller town, and am now in graduate school in a small mid-western town, with a population of 20,000. I am ready to take NYC by storm with all the small town charm that I have acquired over my 23 years.

When explaining this dream to my extended family, the conversation immediately turns to self-protective measures. While I have occasionally carried mace, I have never considered owning any legitimate weapons. One evening at the dinner table, my Uncle Dave, an avid hunter, leans over and whispers, “Consider getting your concealed weapon permit while you’re still in Pennsylvania” over the chatter of my other relatives. At another point, my Dad interrupts my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Anthony, debating between the strengths and weaknesses of a semi-automatic handgun and pistol, to state that if I wanted to carry a weapon, he would happily purchase one for me next Christmas. My palms begin to sweat as I take an uneasy sip from my glass of Merlot. I look around for the hidden camera, ensuring I am not in a pilot episode for the latest reality show on E! entitled Family: Weapons of Choice.

Leaving that lively, and might I say bewildering, family function, my head was spinning with possibilities (I wasn’t even sure about my stance on concealed weapons). Not even the increased crime I would find in NYC could persuade me from moving there. During my last search, I found that there were over 130 post-secondary institutions located within the 5 boroughs of NYC. One of those 130 employers would likely have a position to suit my strengths, right?

(title of post from The Avett Bros., If I Get Murdered in the City, 2008)