Tag Archives: job search

Community College: A Legislatorial DMV Retail Library, by Deanna Knighton, 2014 alumna

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So, what’s it like to work at a community college (CC)? I enjoy talking about work, so I am happy to answer this question. However, I never would have guessed I would answer this question so often when I started working at a CC last fall, and it is the frequency of this question that serves as the inspiration for this blog post. I hope you’ll enjoy these metaphors as I attempt to paint a picture of work at a community college.

It is like working at the DMV. Before you run away in terror at the thought of the DMV, allow me to explain. All visitors to the DMV take a number. Everyone takes a number. Socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, gender, ability, country of origin, and other identity components do not factor into the number selection. DMV patrons walk in, take a number, and are seen accordingly. And, so it is with community college. All persons are accepted, and everyone is permitted to take classes and receive the services of a community college. There are exceptions, of course, but they are rare, and community colleges truly serve all members of the community.

It is like working in retail or serving at a restaurant. Community colleges provide an education to many students, whether 18-year-old high school seniors or 65-year-old senior citizens. Just as in many service sector jobs, such as retail or restaurant wait staff, the clientele can vary widely, even more so than at other public educational institutions. No two community college students are alike. My students are studying everything from Accounting to Welding, including Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, and Medical Office Administration. Some want to transfer to a university, and some want to get a(nother or better) job with as little education as possible. Some barely know how to turn on a computer, and some are programming and building computers. The students are all so different, which is my favorite part of working at a CC, and this fact cannot be overemphasized.

It is like working for the legislature. In comparison with working at a community college, I never heard so much reference made to the regulations of the state government and legislature at the large public universities for which I worked and certainly not at the private institution where I worked. Of all the types of higher education institutions, community colleges have the strongest ties to law-making bodies of their respective states. And, with the current emphasis on job preparation as the purpose of college by state and local governments around this nation, it is prime time to be working in a community college. This also means that accountability is high as well, so CC student affairs educators may find themselves empathizing with their K-12 counterparts in regard to the record-keeping requirements of a community college.

It is like working at a library. Librarians are knowledgeable in a variety of subject areas. Similarly, community college employees can be expected to help students, who are possibly the college students shortest on time and money, by, as the overused saying goes, “wearing many hats”. As a community college student affairs educator, I’m even required to complete a series of cross-trainings dedicated specifically to this purpose. In this cross-training series, I get to learn about all of the different areas of the college, including Financial Aid and Registration and Records. So, if you’re interested in being more of a student affairs generalist, then come and learn at a community college.

There you have it. If working in a legislatorial DMV retail library-esque environment appeals to you, come join me in the wide world of community college and see for yourself what it’s like to work at a CC. You’ll be glad you did.

Deanna Knighton is a 2014 alumna of the Higher Education Administration master’s program at NC State University. She currently works as a Career Specialist at Wake Technical Community College. You can contact her at deanna.knighton@gmail.com.

After the Interview, by Samara Reynolds, 2009 alumna

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You are walking out of your interview, be it a first-round screening conversation at ACPA or NASPA or an on-campus visit for your final round interview. Ideally you feel confident and reflective and excited, but most likely you are simply relieved for it to be over. However, just because your interview is complete doesn’t mean your work is done. Here is some advice for putting your mind and candidacy in the best possible position after the interview:

Take Notes. As soon as you step away from your interview site, it is a good idea to jot down some notes for yourself. This may include interesting questions you were asked by particular interviewers, helpful answers you were given to your own questions, fun facts about the people you met, and your own observations and gut reactions. It’s best to get your thoughts out on paper while they are fresh on your mind. These timely notes will be especially helpful during the next stage of this process…

Send Notes. Writing thank you notes to your interviewers within 24 hours of your departure is my #1 most important post-interview tip. The instinct to write thank you notes has been engrained in me since childhood (thanks Mom), but you would be surprised at how few people actually take the time to send them. From your perspective, it’s a great way to follow up on your experience in a classy, professional way, and to make sure your final impression is a good one. From your interviewers’ point of view, it might sound strange, but the one thing folks on the other side of the table don’t know at the end of your interview is whether or not you still want the job. Now, you might say, I just interviewed and I’m job seeking, so of course I want the job?! But they really can never be sure (unless you tell them) if your conversation made you feel more or less interested in having them as supervisors/colleagues, or how you feel about this role compared to the others you are vying for. Thank you notes also give you the chance to reiterate key points from your interview, briefly say anything you didn’t get a chance to during your chat, and tell your interviewers directly that you are even more interested in the opportunity after your conversation (if that’s indeed the case).

I can go either way on email vs. handwritten these days, but if you know the turnaround time on their decision is going to be longer than a week or two, or you have the chance to physically drop a note in their on-site mailbox at ACPA or NASPA, a thank you card is best (can be typed and printed out on stationary, instead, if your handwriting isn’t stellar). However, if you know they are making decisions within the week, or that the person you’re talking with doesn’t often check their office mailbox, a well-worded email is preferable. Just make sure you keep the tone more formal than your average virtual communication, as you would if you were hand-writing.

Prepare for the Best. Let’s assume they decide you are the best candidate for the job (congrats!). Are you ready for an offer? That is to say, are you prepared to talk about salary, start date, your other requests and deal-breakers, and to decide if you want to say yes or no if they say yes to everything you ask for? Be sure to think about these items ahead of time, reevaluating if anything has changed since you interviewed, so that if a positive phone call or email comes your way, you are ready to handle it. Know that salary negotiation is absolutely reasonable in higher education, but that you will need to have some facts, figures, and reasoning behind your ask for greater compensation. And most offices are willing to wait for the right person in regards to start date, but be sure to think about what a delay on your part might mean for their team and students. Think about any vacations or conferences you’ve committed to that would fall within your first 90 days (when paid time off isn’t typically allowed, so you’d need to negotiate this ahead of time), professional development funding or other growth points you want to talk about, and any final questions you know you need answered about the role, the office, the institution, the location, your supervisor, etc. before you could feel confident saying yes.

Prepare for the Worst. And of course, it’s a good idea to reflect upon how you will respond and move forward if this job doesn’t turn out to be a match. I remember hanging up the phone and bawling when I didn’t get an offer from the first position I interviewed on-campus for my second year in the HEA program. Even though it wasn’t my dream job – which I later got, albeit two months after graduation! Oh the joys of 20/20 hindsight – it hurt to get a “no.” I had to figure out how to not let this emotional setback ruin my confidence for the search ahead. If you don’t already have a good self-care plan and support system, now is the time to get people and plans in place so that you can heal relatively quickly from any negative news, and project positivity as you seek out the right fit. Remember that you can only say yes to ONE job, so you don’t need every offer, and that you want to be on a team that can’t imagine not hiring you, even if it takes a bit more time to find that perfect match.

Follow-Up. Lastly, some advice for the waiting game. If you were able to get some insight into when you would hear back from your interviewers, awesome, mark that info down in your calendar or job search tracker and plan to follow up with a quick call or email if that date passes without word. Remember that no news can definitely still be good news, especially with how SLOW and strict many university HR processes are. The hiring manager may know you are THE ONE right away, but before they fill out the right paperwork in and get things squared away on the HR side, they can’t necessarily tell you that. However, even if you don’t get a clear timeline for next steps in their process, if it’s been at least two weeks since your interview, it is reasonable to reach out to check in. Just let them know that you are still interested and wanted to see if there was any new information they could share on your candidacy. Keep your message short and sweet, and ideally they will respond with useful insight, one way or the other. In both of my full-time positions, I called to follow-up on my candidacy weeks after my final round interviews. Each time my call is what spurred the hiring manager to ask for final approval from HR to provide a verbal offer – who knows how long I would have been waiting or assuming the worst otherwise? While your search is certainly at the top of YOUR mind, it might not be the #1 thing on your future boss’s to-do list, or on HR’s for that matter, so it’s critical to be proactive and polite in your follow-up efforts. You may just get the good news, or if nothing else the closure, that you need to proceed.

Though getting from Applicant to Interviewee can seem like the toughest part of the search process, there is a lot you can do to move yourself from Interviewee to New Hire in the homestretch. I encourage each of you to spend time after each interview reflecting, showing gratitude, preparing yourself for all possible outcomes, and following-up when necessary. Each of these things will give you additional perspective, ownership, and control in an often nebulous phase of the job search process. Best of luck, and wishing you one or more excellent offers in the interview season ahead!

Samara Reynolds is a 2009 graduate of the Higher Education Administration master’s program. She is a career development professional, currently working at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can reach out to Samara with any questions at samara.reynolds@gmail.com.

Conference Prep 101: Engage, Share, Learn & Enjoy! By Amanda Williams, Ph.D., 2013 alumna

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Attending professional conferences is one of my favorite things about working in the field of student affairs. It is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues across the street, state, or country on topics and issues of interest, to share similar experiences, and to build new skills to develop ourselves and our students.

My first professional position out of graduate school was as the Internship Coordinator for University Career Services at UNC Chapel Hill. While I was one of many career counselors on the team, I was the only person at the time that was specifically focused on internships. A few months after I started, my supervisor told me I was going to attend a conference called the National Society of Experiential Education… an association and conference I had never heard of before. I was a bit skeptical at first but I quickly found myself surrounded by people who ALL worked with internships! It was exciting to meet new colleagues, share experiences, and leave with a new understanding and appreciation of the work I did every day. Ten years later, those folks I met are still some of my ‘go-to’ people on issues related to internships and experiential learning.

I share that story to say that there are so many different professional association and conference options available in student affairs and higher education. Explore different opportunities and don’t be afraid to branch out and try things outside of the ordinary! Regardless of where in the field you end up, you will find an association ‘home’ that is a great fit.

With the NASPA and ACPA conference and job search season quickly approaching, I wanted to share a few pieces of advice that may help you be more prepared, more engaged, and more excited about heading to New Orleans or Tampa in a few weeks!

Step outside of your comfort zone. This obviously means different things to different people, and only you can decide how to approach it… but I highly encourage you to do it! Attend a reception, introduce yourself to someone who works at an institution you’re applying to, or simply ask a question during a session. Sure, putting yourself out there can be scary, but you’re attending the conference for a reason, right?!

Learn something… One of the most valuable aspects of conference attendance is all of the great sessions, workshops, posters, and roundtable discussions that are on the program schedule. Attend some sessions that are practical and will be helpful in your current assistantship/internship/job. Also make sure to go to a couple of sessions that are related to topics you are interested in but don’t get to explore as often, or are related to the type of work you hope to be doing in the future.

…And teach something! If you submitted a proposal and were accepted to present at a conference – congratulations! It is a wonderful opportunity to share information about your research, a new program, assessment results, etc. with others in the field. Even if you are not on the official program schedule, there are still many ways to share your knowledge with other conference participants. Ask questions, share your opinion, join conversations, start a new discussion, and engage in social media dialogue. Every single person at the conference has information and experience to share… start now!

Connect, connect, connect. Since our field is so mobile, it is nice to have an annual excuse built in to catch up with old classmates, faculty, and colleagues. Grab coffee, meet at sessions, and definitely plan ahead with some of those hard to reach people! Make sure you take time to meet some new people too. The person sitting next to you in a session might end up as a future coworker or research collaborator. You might even bump in to your future best friend.

And finally… dress the part and practice your “elevator speech”: it is possible you might actually end up in the elevator with someone new! Sign up to volunteer for a shift or two. Attend the social functions that are planned. Explore the city. And most of all, have fun!

Dr. Amanda Williams is a 2013 graduate of the Educational Research and Policy Analysis doctoral program. She currently serves as the Director of Career and Academic Advising in the College of Design at NC State University.

Financial Literacy for the Student Affairs Professional, by Jason Lynch, 2011 alumnus

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How many times have you heard a colleague say, “I’m definitely not in this field for the money”? While it’s true that being a new professional in Student Affairs may not be the most lucrative career choice, you can definitely make your paycheck last longer by paying attention to your monthly budget! For this blog, I enlisted the help of 215 colleagues across the country to give one piece of advice to new professionals about managing their finances.  (You can access the full results of the poll by following this link.)  As with all advice columns, your situation may not match up with the advice given.  Take what resonates with you, and leave the rest.

Creating a Budget

The first, and perhaps most important, thing you can do towards better financial security is to create a personal budget.  How much do you normally spend per month?  Be real with yourself.  An easy way to obtain this information is to look at your last debit and/or credit card statement.  Adding up categories such as food, gas, clothes, etc. will help you see where you are spending the most money.  From there you can decide what is essential to get by every month, as well as what can be reduced or modified.

Follow this link to view the budget excel I use every month.

Student Loans

Many new professionals don’t realize that working at a college or university qualifies as a public service job, and therefore qualify to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLFP).  Through this program, qualifying individuals would make 120 of their lowest possible monthly payments.  This is roughly 10 years of payments.  After this period of time, the remaining balance will be forgiven.  So let’s say I have $50,000 in student loans, and my payments are $250 through the income contingent payment plan.  I would end up paying $30,000, with $20,000 forgiven.

Here are some tips if you feel like this may be an option for you:

  • Make sure to fill out a verification form found on the PSLFP website.  This form will need to be submitted to the HR department at your institution.  You have to fill out a new one every time you change institutions.
  • Save a copy of each of your monthly pay stubs.
  • You can defer payments and still remain eligible for the program.  (It will just take longer for you to qualify for forgiveness.)
  • Only government loans qualify
  • Use this website to contact someone regarding PSLFP or find answers to Frequently Asked Questions  

Credit Cards

Many peers will tell you to avoid credit cards, but, this is one area in which I would have to disagree, particularly if you accept a “live-on” position.  Often, new professionals are in a position where they are starting to build credit.  One way to do this is to appropriately manage a credit card.  Other ways to build credit include car payments, rent/mortgage payments, etc.   If you choose to open a line of credit, make sure that you that you are able to pay the credit card off every month.  I would also advise that you get a credit card with a rewards system, such as cash back or flight credits.  For example, I use an Amazon.com Rewards card through Visa.  For every dollar I spent, I receive one point, or more depending on certain purchases, which equates to a penny per point.  At the end of the month, I can use my points to pay towards my credit balance, or redeem them on Amazon.com.  If I spend $1,000 per month, I would receive $120 per year on rewards!  Remember, the trick is to pay off most of  the card each month so that you are not paying interest.

On the other hand, if you have found yourself already in debt via credit cards, it is highly important that you get these cards paid off as soon as possible.  Carrying large balances on your credit cards can hurt your credit, and you end up paying unnecessarily large amounts of interest.  If you’re in this situation, consider calling your credit company to negotiate a lower interest rate.  You can also obtain a free copy of your credit report once per year.

Resources and Tips

Below, I have bullet pointed some resources and tips that may be useful in finding your own way of managing your finances:

  • Consult a Financial Counselor.  Many institutions offer free consultations with a financial counselor.  They are particularly helpful in obtaining advice about retirement, savings, and investments.
  • Are a techie?  Use an app such as ‘Mint’ to help you budget.
  • Reach out to your Human Resources department.  Often, HR will have special employee programs meant to educate about topics such as personal budgeting and retirement
  • Work with your students to put on a program about personal finance.  I learned a great deal of information when one of the RA’s I supervised collaborated with the business department to put on a personal finance workshop.
  • Your employee ID will often grant you the same student discounts at local businesses such as movie theaters, or just hang on to your current student ID!  Institutions also tend to have a list of local venues that offer student discounts.
  • Keep a jar to put spare change, and don’t touch it!  Use it to contribute to your retirement savings or help pay down any debt you owe.  You’d be surprised how much change you accumulate in a year!
  • Because we all love listacles:  http://www.lifehack.org/articles/money/50-quick-easy-ways-save-money.html

Jason Lynch is a first year doctoral student at Old Dominion University focusing on higher education policy and first generation student access and support.  He is an alumnus of the NCSU program, graduating in 2011 and has worked in Residence Life, Fraternity & Sorority Life, and Multicultural Student Affairs.  You can contact him by email at rjl5883@gmail.com. 

Guide to the Local Job Search, by Staci Thornton, 2012 alumna

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Hello second years!!  I wanted to take a second to write about the local job search because I found it to be a lot different than those doing national job searches.  I would like to preface with the fact that I’m no expert but these are some things I did that I think can help you out:

  1. I basically started my job search right when I started my final year. A dream job might open up that may work around your school schedule or not start until much later.  There was a job opening at UNC in October that I REALLY wanted and I assumed they wanted someone to start soon so I didn’t apply.  It turned out those positions were not filled until March so I may have had a chance if I had just applied.
  2. Apply for jobs that may not perfectly fit into what you want to do. Everyone has his or her filters and if yours is you want to stay local, you may have to sacrifice what you really want to do.  I applied for jobs all over the field!  Don’t choose something you will hate but just don’t be uber picky.
  3. When you start looking at job websites, most of them split jobs into EPA or SPA. Most of us will get EPA jobs but I applied for some SPA jobs and again, they may not have been ideal but the salary wasn’t that different and they were still in the realm of what I wanted to do.  Also, I found that private institutions, like Duke, do not always require a Masters Degree for some of their positions but that does not mean you shouldn’t apply.  They are able to be a bit more lenient when it comes to hiring so read the job description and see if it’s something you want to do; don’t just read the job qualifications.
  4. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “it’s all about who you know,” and that’s SO true, especially in student affairs. Everyone knows each other, it’s random and you can use this to your advantage!  I had weekly informational meetings with people from UNC, NC State, and Duke in fields I wanted to work in or with people who knew people I had worked with.  Talk to your supervisor about who they know and then shoot them an e-mail just asking to speak to them about their experiences.  Then wow them and bring a resume so they want to hire you if they have a position open. 🙂 One caveat to this was that sometimes I got some random advice or people telling me how hard it is to get a job in the area so you need to just brush it off and learn from them but not completely rely on them.  The point is to get your name out there.
  5. Reach out to AJ and ask what alumni are in the area and talk with them as well. I currently work with two alumni who knew me and one current student who met me at Recruitment Weekend so they both vouched me after the interview and voila, got the job. 🙂
  6. Go to local conferences. A lot of national organizations have local affiliates with conferences (usually in the fall).  It will be more helpful for you to network at those than the national conferences.  You can also go to functional area local conferences.  I went to NCAIE, the local affiliate of NAFSA, for two years and made some awesome local connections.
  7. Another important thing to realize is that your job search is going to look A LOT different than those with national searches. You may not have as many jobs to apply for so you may not get as many interviews.  Don’t get bogged down by that!  Also, for people doing a functional job search, their cover letters for different jobs might look pretty similar but it may take you a lot longer to tailor each cover letter to a specific job since you are probably applying for a wider array of types of jobs.  So it might seem like you are doing a lot more work but remember that you won’t ever have to get on a plane or sleep in a hotel or wonder if your suit got all wrinkled in the travel because your interviews will be close by.  Also, since you are close by, I found the interviews to be a little less intense, maybe a half-day as opposed to a day and half.  Or they might have you come in for coffee or something more casual.

Also, one thing that I had a hard time with was people telling me that I needed to expand my job search (not people in my cohort or my professors, just other professionals).   This caused me to lose some confidence in my choices but if you really want to stay in the area (which is totally reasonable because the Triangle is rock solid awesome), then do it and trust your choices!  I think the local job search can be a bit more time consuming but stick with it and it’ll all work out!

On one of my informational interviews, someone once told me that they wished someone had told them that there is more than one hiring period for student affairs.  Just because you don’t have a job in March, doesn’t mean you won’t ever have one!  A lot of people hire in July and August so keep truckin’ along!

If y’all have any questions or want to talk about the local job search process more, please let me know!  Again, I’m no expert but these things worked for me and I’m glad I had people to tell me these things. 🙂 Enjoy your last year, it goes by fast!!!

Staci Thornton is a 2012 graduate of the Higher Education Administration master’s program. She currently serves as an Academic Coordinator for Professional Masters Programs with the Master of Engineering Management Program at Duke University.