The New Girl #1

Just the Beginning…

 It was just yesterday that I was closing my Residence Hall for winter break and thinking about starting the journey of job searching when my supervisor asked how my search was going. I smiled and said “Oh you know, just great” when really I was dreading it. Don’t get me wrong, I am super excited to be searching for my first full time position, but I know the amount of effort, self-presentation, and exhausting hours that all goes into a job search from attaining my Graduate Assistantship position for graduate school. Are you sure I should be graduating already?

There are so many aspects that pop into my head when searching for a career in higher education such as the size of the institution, public or private institution, size of the town, geographical location, field of interest, size of department/peer group, salary$$, benefits, professional development support, opportunities for advancement, vision and mission of the institution, social life, social media interests/marketing and my favorite one to look for when considering live-in positions, the pet policy! Whew.  That was a long sentence, but what did I all miss on that list?  I’m sure I missed some that I will kick myself for later, but I’ll get over it.

I guess it all comes down to priorities, right? What is most important to you or what do you value the most? One thing that is super important to me is the people that I will be working with but I can’t consider that until I get an interview with an institution. So for now, I am focusing on the vision and mission of the institution/department. I know, deep right? My first job search and I’m already digging right down to the core of departments I want to work for.  However, if my values don’t align with the mission of a department I’m working for, I doubt I would want to work there, much less be happy working for a department I don’t believe in.

My other priority would be found in my field of interest. Currently, I hold a graduate assistantship in Residence Life, but I LOVE athletics, and yes LOVE is in all caps for a reason. I played collegiate athletics at my Division lll undergraduate school which most likely fuel my passion for working with student athletes and athletics, and also the reason I am doing a practicum with our athletic department now to wrap up my master’s degree towards Higher Education Administration. I work directly with our Athletic Director and she is, yes SHE is amazing. Not many schools can boast National Championships with a female Athletic Director so I’m in awe of her “amazingness” and all she does for the students at our institution. So I’m considering a full time position in Residence Life as well as keeping an eye open for working in athletics. Oh and did I mention I also have experience and interest in First Year Experience, academic affairs, student organizations, community service and student conduct? Whew. I’m all over the place when it comes to experience it looks like.

So that’s only two aspects and I’m already starting to stress out about this job search again. I still need to tell my future employers about my resume and how my experiences will make me a great candidate for that open position as well as impress the boots off of the search committee with my phone interview and my on-campus visit. I also need to make sure to drop by my references with chocolate and remind them how much they love me and all the hard work that will make me the perfect candidate for when my future employers call them up. Oh and I need to register for either Oshkosh Placement Exchange or The Placement Exchange, but I can’t decide so I’ll need to pick out of a hat. I also have to look online for open positions being posted there. Thank God for technology or I would be geographically stuck most likely to one or two states. Better start writing this all on my To Do List for this week. On a positive note though, weather doesn’t bother me! Yeah I know you really considered that when searching for your first job. I’ve spent winters cold as ice up north by these great lakes cleaning ice and snow off my car but then, I have also sweat my bum off this past summer down south at an internship in the desert. I think I can roll with the punches in any state when it comes to weather temperatures and conditions!

Well if you have made it this far through my blog, congratulations! You have had a glimpse into my non-stop mind with the crazy thoughts and considerations I relished in this past winter break while the snow was somewhat falling around me. I would suggest you stay tuned for my crazy journey and all the mostly enjoyable aspects of a full time entry level job search this spring.

You know you’re excited. XOXO, Graduate Girl

P.S. that’s as close to the Gossip Girl sign off I could get!!