True Life | I’m on the #SASearch #16

Updates Part 3

This afternoon, I had a phone interview for a student activities job here in Mass. I really like this position and this institution so I was nervous going into this interview.  Leading up to the interview, I made sure I was very prepared. Before the interview, I printed out my resume and cover letter, the job description, the mission of the school and the department and any information about things that were listed on the job description. I read it ahead of time to make sure I knew some things but it was good to have it printed out for the interview. They only asked me about 10 questions and it lasted about 20 minutes. I was able to ask them some questions as well to get a feel of what the job would entail and what or who I would be working with. I finished the interview with a good feeling so I’m hoping to hear back from them soon. 

In other news, I have a list of about 10 jobs I want to look through and see if I want to apply too. This job search has become really tiring and I’m trying hard not to give up or get too stressed about it.  I would love to have a job already and know where I will be headed before the summer ends. I would love to know if I’ll be staying in Mass or moving out of state. I would love to be able to tell my boyfriend, hey we’re moving to (Insert City or State Here) by the beginning of July or August. I’m a planner, an organizer by nature so not knowing is killing me.

True Life | I’m on the #SASearch #15

Graduation!

As of Saturday, I can officially say I am done with graduate school!

Graduation was at 9:30 in the morning on Saturday. I was so excited and nervous at the same time. Graduation itself was actually really nice. It lasted about two hours and it was beautiful outside so that was good. There were a lot of people at graduation to support the 700 graduate students that had finished this year. It was a great feeling to see my family there and to hear them cheering me on.  My boyfriend, who lives in DC and my Stepdad, who lives in FL, both came up to watch me cross the stage which was a great feeling.

These past two years have definitely been amazing. There were so many people that helped me make it through these two years and make them a great experience. I don’t think I would have been able to make it through without the support of some amazing people.

•  My mom – because she supports me through anything and everything I want to do. She is also my back bone through everything.
•  My boyfriend – because he let me vent to him whenever something went wrong or went well for that matter too. He also was my constant motivator throughout the two years.
• My classmates and program advisor – since they were going through the same thing, they were able to sympathize when I was feeling off or feeling like this may not be for me.
• My internship supervisors – because they allowed me to have great experiences. They let me try 5 different areas of higher education & student affairs to let me see what I thought was the best for me. They also gave me some great advice along the way. 
•  My friends & family – for allowing me to take a break from grad school. Sometimes I need a day to myself and they were there to remind me of that and to take one with me.

I can’t believe that I am officially done. It doesn’t seem real. However, I know the feeling won’t last too long as I plan on going back to get my Ph.D. or Ed.D. soon. I can’t get enough of school apparently.

The New Girl #15

Oh Happy Days!!!

I am so excited to share with you all the I received a job for the upcoming school year! Wahoo!! It feels so good to be done searching and know that my hard work has paid off. 

It was an interesting process to say the least. I went to the Oshkosh Placement Exchange and interviewed with this school back in February, went to an on-campus in April, and now accepted a position this May! The process of receiving an offer over a phone call was something else too. I was so excited I screamed! I know super professional(sarcasm) but I was so excited! I probably scared the woman on the other end of the phone, but not enough to make her regret offering me a position. I'll be starting Mid-July so I will have time to enjoy my summer and soak up the sun before I move on to my new position and my third institution I have worked at. 

A little more about the process: I received a phone call on Tuesday morning with the offer. After screaming in the employer's ear, I asked for time to consider the offer as I was very excited for the offer but wanted to really consider what I was going to be devoting myself to. I was given til Thursday to call back with my answer. I then set out to review the job description and clarify the position one more time. I also reviewed the benefits as I would now be moving off of my parent's insurance and onto my own. I looked also at the pros and cons list I had made on my way home from the on-campus visit. I called the office back first thing Thursday and accepted the offer verbally over the phone. Within the next day, I received an email with my written offer, I printed it and just mailed it back to the office yesterday(Monday)! 

To all those still searching, keep your head up! I know my supervisor is still searching and she has been getting a lot of phone interviews and on-campus offers out there. The hiring process goes in waves so don't give up and keep looking for new openings as the summer is upon us and you never know what could happen! 

To all my loyal readers out there, thank you for partaking in my experience and my first job search. It has been quite the experience and I'm glad I could share it with you!

You know you'd love to have a job! XOXO Graduate Girl

True Life | I’m on the #SASearch #14

Rejection

“We regret to inform you that you are no longer being considered for this position.”

“We appreciate the time, energy and effort involved in your application for this position. However, School Name regrets to inform you that we are unable to pursue your candidacy further on this occasion.”

“The search committee has completed its initial evaluation, and, at this time, we are moving forward with other applicants we feel have all the required and preferred qualifications we seek for this position.”

Within this past week, I’ve received three rejection emails from schools I have applied to. Let me tell you, it sucks. I know it was going to happen seeing as I can’t have every job I’ve applied to, however I didn’t think it was going to be as bad of a feeling as it is. Two of the schools that I got rejections from, I really liked the position so that added more hurt to the letters.  I’m going to use these as a motivation for when I do get interviews from other schools. I know that there is a job and school out there that will be a great fit for me. 

Sorry this one is so short. I just needed to get it off my chest. Getting rejections emails suck, especially since you don’t get to know why. They just tell you thank you but no thank you and that’s it.

On another note, graduation is on Saturday!!! I am beyond excited!

True Life | I’m on the #SASearch #13

Real Updates!

I just noticed I haven’t blogged in about two weeks. I’m sorry about that! However, I have some good news to share with y’all.

First off, yesterday was my last day as a student affairs graduate student! I am officially done with all my classes. It feels so good to be done. I have to go back to campus for a senior event on Monday and then just for graduation in 15 days! I can’t believe that these two years have flown by. I’ve learned so much with my classes, my internships and the professional development I have done. I will forever remember this experience. 

On the job searching side, I have some updates! So, I’ve been applying to jobs that I find either here or in DC still. I applied to a job with an organization that works with high school juniors and seniors and gives them support throughout their time in undergraduate. I had actually participated in the program when I was in high school and college so I thought it would be appropriate to apply to work for an organization that helped me out. 

Last week, while I was waiting for class to start, I got a call from the organization asking me to come in for an interview. They said I would be meeting with two people (one who is a colleague and the other who would be my boss). I said yes and went in for an interview on Wednesday. The interviews went well. It was quicker than I expected it to be. They both asked about 10-12 questions and then allowed me to ask any questions that I had. When I asked about the timeline, I was told that I would hear back within 2 weeks and then if I was a runner up, I would have a final interview with the State Director. It’s funny, going into the interview I was very nervous per usual but as I walked into the interview, I noticed my picture from my undergraduate graduation on the wall and I automatically felt better. My confidence level went up and I think that helped me with both interviews. Today, I was at home and I got a missed call and a voicemail. It was the same company. They wanted me to come in for my final interview. We set a time for next week. I will be meeting with the State Director and the interview should last about an hour. 

This position works with low income, first generation high school juniors and seniors. I would have caseload of about 100 students and I would help them with applying to college and financial aid. Once they are in college, I would be there support for up to 6 years. I would assist in picking classes, settling financial aid and overall college life.  The position is a combination of academic success work and academic advising. 

I’m excited about this position because it would mean that I would be able to stay in my hometown. It would give me time to find my own place and save some money to start paying off these school loans. 

I’ve applied to some other jobs that I’m waiting to hear from that are within my state. I’m hoping to hear back from those as well to see what other job opportunities I may have. 

Graduation Countdown = 15 days!

The New Girl #14

Making it to the finish line!

Almost there... You can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

This past week has been crazy but who else has been just relaxing with the end of the semester coming to a close, finals week right around the corner, and all projects being due on the same date. I recently just finished my practicum for this Spring Semester and had my exit interview with my Site Mentor and my professor. It went well but not as well as I had hoped so I learned a few lessons when working with another department that I'm not familiar with for future references. I also had to defend my final Written Comp Exam this week and it went about as well as I thought it could. I was praised for my APA format (whew!) and my outside articles that related to the topic as well as key points addressed in my courses through out the past year. Oh and related to my job search, I was at an on-campus interview as well so if you couldn't tell my week has been crazy and I'm glad it is Friday! Oh and I graduate in like a week or two!!

My On-campus interview went well from my perspective so I'm staying positive. I believe that I made a good first impression when I first met them and by going to their campus, I was able to showcase my personality more and the skills I could contribute to their group!

One thing I wanted to address is work ethic. It is hard to persevere through some difficult times or over a long period of time, but I found a few methods to keep myself motivated. The first was to really connect with the people you are interacting with. Whether it is a job search or an internship outside your department, getting to know the individuals makes me want to work harder for them and really do my best rather than put off my work. Second, think about the end goal and don't change it! Set a realistic goal using the S.M.A.R.T. technique and stick to your goal. Work while remembering the end goal of either getting a good review or that perfect job because you didn't give up. Third, stay positive! There are going to be a lot of ups and downs but you need to stay focused on the positives. You can accept the negatives but learn from it and move on, especially if you can't change it. For example, if you don't do so well with a phone interview, reflect on how you could have answered a question differently, or prepared better before the interview and use that as a reminder for your next one!

I know the last one, staying positive, can be really hard, but remember that job offers come in waves. Sometimes, the second or third waves are bigger and better than the first and the jobs you have been looking for most!

You know you can do it! XOXO, Graduate Girl