1 Google spreadsheet
212 job postings
117 applications
17 interviews
70 rejections
2 offers
1 PERFECT JOB :)
According to my spreadsheet, I submitted my first job application on February 6. Over the course of the next four months, I worried, applied, confided, celebrated, researched, commiserated, interviewed, relaxed, practiced, and panicked. My cohort and friends teased me, because I had a massive spreadsheet with columns for title, institution, application deadline, start date, salary, institution size, benefits, date applied, application status, location, and posting site. It was color-coded, sorted, and basically kept my head on straight during my last semester of graduate school. I have many interests and experiences in student affairs, and had no location preference, so I had an extremely broad job search.
Despite my large search, I was still selective. There were many jobs I did not apply to when I considered such factors as location, institutional environment, salary, and level of challenge in the position. I had my first offer before I even attended TPE/NASPA. I declined the position for many reasons. I spoke with mentors at NASPA, and spent a lot of time soul searching, researching, and evaluating. Though I knew that turning down the position was the best decision, when I still had not found a job by May and June, I started looking back, wondering if I should have compromised. I know now that I made the right choice, but it was a scary time. One that many of you may still be going through right now.
At the very beginning of June, I visited a couple different campuses. After the day that they said they would notify me about their decision passed, I decided to take a vacation for a couple weeks and visit my family in Michigan. I was having a hard time focusing on having fun, I had even brought my suit and interview materials in case anything turned up while I was home. However, the second day, I received a call. It was my top choice institution, offering me the job! Despite having researched how to negotiate, having sat through how-to sessions at NASPA, having even role-played and practiced negotiating over and over, when it came to that phone call, I chickened out. Instead of asking for some time to think about the offer, and then countering, I jumped up and down and said thank you so much, I am so excited for the opportunity. When the salary was mentioned, I just said "yes, thank you".
Fast forward a couple of weeks. I have started my position as the Coordinator for Student Engagement and Orientation at Southern Utah University, I attended the Utah Professionals in Student Involvement & Leadership conference with my supervisor (the Director of Student Involvement & Leadership, and another colleague). During dinner, the conversation turned to negotiations, my supervisor expressed how disappointed she was that I had not negotiated with her, that there is ALWAYS room for negotiation in some form or another. She told me that in the future, we will practice and talk about my future job negotiations.
One of the things that disappoints me about myself the most, is that statistically, women are less likely to negotiate and know (or be able/willing to communicate) their worth. Women also have a lower pay on average. I feel like I did my gender a disservice by chickening out and not standing my ground. I let myself be swept away by the moment, and did not give myself the time to collect my thoughts (which I had already gathered salary data about) to advocate for myself and my value to the institution.
Don't get me wrong, I love my position, the institution, and even my salary, but I will be left with the feeling that I could have done better. Oh, I will be able to pay my bills, and live comfortably, but maybe not pay off my student loans as quickly as I could have. Oh well, another lesson learned. Another way for me to mentor younger women that I encounter who are entering the workforce.
My job search was long and stressful, but in the end, fruitful. For those of you who have finished the search, congratulations. Enjoy your new position, and please share with us both your successes and failures. For those of you who are still searching for THE job, don't lose heart. And for all of us, stay organized, be productive, and NEVER be afraid to assert yourself or lose sight of the valuable insight and knowledge that you will bring to your new position. Good luck in all your endeavors.
