from the desk of...candidate #3

Faith… (George Michael)

No time like the present to jot a few notes about my job search, both to reflect and share with others about the experience. Currently, I'm a Resident Director in the Midwest at a private, religiously affiliated four-year school, and the prospects of leaving are simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking. I'm married, have no kids, and desperately want a dog and a chance to live off-campus, where I get to mow the lawn and complain about property taxes. My job has exposed me to a more than I originally intended; I've traveled to tiny towns for student leadership conferences, worked through the night to create a 108-page RA Training Booklet the day before they arrive, advised exemplary students (some who may truly discover a cure for cancer someday), and tackled nearly everything possible under the 'entry-level' moniker in residence life. Yet, like a bag of chips, the shelf-life of a Resident Director only lasts for so long until it's time to move upward and be presented with new professional challenges. Thus, I'm diving into the deep end, filled with spiritual faith, support from family and colleagues, and confidence in my abilities to land a good job.

As a lover of 80s music (it's often playing in my office), I heard George Michael's Faith this morning and reminded myself that I gotta have faith. Faith in myself, faith in the process, faith in my next supervisor to plow through dozens of resumes to find mine and call me. All this faith will be put to work because there will be frustrating days searching and exciting afternoons of e-mails and calls with the next hot lead. While staying with a residence life position is certainly possible, I'm also interested in academic advising, student affairs administration, and student learning/ success at the mid-level. I'm particularly interested in working directly with students on academic initiatives, living-learning communities, or other advising of students and programs to fully utilize my strengths. Part of the job search is about listening to your truest self and setting a congruent course of action.

I have worked with numerous undergraduates entering the world of work and have helped prepare graduate assistants for their own job search in student affairs. Now, I find myself needing to believe the things I've told them about the job search: 1) you will get a job and 2) you have the answers and abilities, it's just a matter of timing and meeting the right people. There are plenty of fantastic people to meet at TPE and there's a demand for quality people with a diverse array of experiences, interests, and abilities to thrive at the next campus. So I've gotta have faith…(fantastic hair and a perpetual 5-o'clock shadow doesn't hurt, either).