Re: TPE, NASPA, and the Job Search.

Last year was my first TPE and second NASPA national experience. I applied for my first job on February 13, applied for my last job on June 14, received the right job offer on June 24 and started my new job on July 8. It was a long, crazy job search. I had 19 interviews, many of which were at TPE. Through the long process, I lost heart, gained it again, and learned a lot about myself both personally and professionally. Some advice that I would pass on to those currently job searching:

1. Put yourself out there.
Apply for some "reach" jobs. You never know when you'll be in the right place at the right time. You may get a lot of rejection letters, you might never hear anything, but forcing yourself to think about these positions and your qualifications pushes you to examine your job experience.

2. Go to NASPA
Don't just leave after TPE. NASPA was as integral to my job search as The Placement Exchange was. During NASPA, I got the chance to learn and grow professionally, I got the chance to network and connect with other job searching peers, I also had the chance to be introduced to many senior student affairs officers at institutions I had interviewed at. This opportunity to meet people who work at your chosen institutions in a laidback setting is invaluable. They get to see that you care about professional development and are interested in staying current with research and trends.

Use your conference time wisely. Volunteer. Reach out to people in conference sessions with you. Talk to people in the hallway, escalator, and restaurants. Go to your Region meetings, go to Knowledge Community meetings, both for topics you're currently involved in and those you are interested in. It might be difficult for a grad student to justify the extra conference costs in your limited budget, but it's worth it.

3. Create a spreadsheet
Job searching can be a long confusing process. I have a Google Docs spreadsheet with 3 sheets (In Progress, NO, and Didn't Apply). I have columns across the top for Position Name, School Name, App Deadline, Starting Date, Salary Range/Benefits, Date Applied, Status, Location, University Size, Posting Location. I kept up to date notes in the status column. I saved the spreadsheet so that in the future if I apply for other positions at the universities that I will be able to refer to how far I had gone in the process.

4. Utilize social media
Twitter was one of my best friends during the job search. The #sajobs was an amazing hashtag that gave me hope, and showed me new positions. Also #sachat and #sagrad gave me a great chance to talk with others in similar situations as well.

5. Don't give up hope
These days the search can be long and hard. You may start to question your qualifications and your choices. Know though, that there are many many qualified (and over-qualified) people applying for these same positions. You will find one.

6. Wait for the RIGHT job and the RIGHT fit
At the beginning of my job search, I received an offer. However, since it was not the right fit, I decided to turn it down. In later months though, when I had not received an offer in a while, I looked back wondering if I had made the right decision. I know now though that it has to be the right job, or you won't be happy. You have to find a place where you fit. You need to find a job that you will love going to for the next couple years. If you take a job, just to have one, it may not end up being the right choice in the end.

There's a lot more advice I can pass on, but I'll leave it at that for now. Good luck with your search. If you're at NASPA I'll see you at a tweet-up or somewhere else. Please don't hesitate to stop me in the hall, comment, or tweet me.

Good luck!

Sheena
@sheenak2