The 2007 Student Affairs Job Hunt

In Medias Res #17-Of Black Cats (Jinx)

I was going to blog more extensively about the conference, but I think Pick me covered the advice aspect pretty well. The one thing I will say is go to the Drag Show. I almost didn’t because of an early flight, but I’m glad I did. It puts the insanity of everything else in healthy perspective.
So let’s move on dear readers! It is of course, on campus season. With the Joint Conference so much later this year, I feel like everyone’s in a bit of a time crunch to get candidates on campus while they can still meet students. My most recent on campus went relatively well (I didn’t completely nail the presentation, in large part from nerves). I liked the staff that I met, and I could seriously see myself at that institution for a while. Plus it’s within easy driving distance to a lot of friends, some family, and some great hiking (but it is most importantly in a CITY).
The interview itself was pretty uneventful. In fact, I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing until the phone calls started. For those of you who have been through the process you know what I’m talking about. Usually its family first and then friends, and then maybe the one person in grad school who doesn’t completely wish you well. They all want to know how you did. What did you think? And that is a tedious conversation. Not only because you end up repeating yourself four or five times (and In Medias Res, dear reader, is not a phone person). But also because you don’t want to relive it. You just got done with it. Let a bitch breathe, people!
The one question I dread is the first question my dad always asks: Did they give you some sort of indication? What he wants to know is “will they be making you an offer?” Now, maybe people are winking at me all day, but I’m not picking up on any sort of signs. This is especially galling coming from him because this man defines superstitious. On our last vacation he pulled over and made my brother drive because a black cat had run in front of the car. I’m not kidding, and this is the man who wants me to jinx things by saying out loud “Oh yeah, I’m going to get an offer”.
You may say to yourself, “In Medias, when did you become an irrational festering mess of emotions?” And I would say to you dear reader, “Have you not been reading this blog?” The waiting is what’s killing me. It’s making me superstitions and leery and a little bit cranky. Some of my cohort have gotten offers on campus. I know that’s an extreme example, and I also recognize that given the huge HR mechanisms I’ve been dealing with, that’s not going to happen at any of my schools. I am just bored with the process at this point.
Next week I have back to back to back interviews. I did not want to schedule things this way, but thanks to the Joint Conference crunch I was more or less backed into a corner. On the plus side the travel arrangements for two of the interviews were much much simpler (they just booked for me and paid for everything. How sweet is that?). Of course all the jobs at the top of my list are next week. I’ve been declining stuff lately just because between this week and next week, I’m really hoping to have an offer (and I don’t want any outstanding campus interviews to prevent me from taking one).
I’m not completely nuts. There are still a couple of jobs out there on the horizon if none of these interviews translate into positions. But c’mon! By next week I will have had six (!) on campuses. If somebody doesn’t make me an offer, I am obviously doing something profoundly wrong.

posted by StudentAffairs.com @ 11:03 AM