Middle of the Search

Hi and welcome to the Student Affairs Job Search by the Job Hakr

I’m your host Dave Eng from the Student Affairs Job Search by the Job Hakr.

On the student affairs job search we dive deeply into the steps needed to move forward in our careers.

Find out more at www.jobhakr.com

On today’s show we’ll talk about the middle of your student affairs job search.

The student affairs job search is a long one.

On average it takes 119 days.

That length can be very challenging; especially if you’ve never participated in a higher education job search before.

That’s why it’s helpful to breakdown the specific stages of the job search.

This makes each part more manageable.

Breaking it down also makes it easier to focus.

Examining the search in stages also allows you to dedicate your time and energy to the right areas.

After completing applications, sending in cover letters and resumes, as well as participating in the NASPA (Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education) Placement Exchange or ACPA (American College Personnel Association) Career Central, you’ll proceed to the middle stages of the job search.

That means participating in first round phone and/or video conference interviews.

This transition represents the middle stages of your search where you’ve already progressed past the initial field of candidates and have gained the attention of the search committee.

At this point, you’ll find yourself competing against a smaller pool of applicants.

This is because search committees begin to narrow their search in the larger sea of student affairs professionals.

Here, you’llbe offered a phone interview with a campus recruiter, screener, or hiring manager trying to determine if you should progress further in their search.

Many institutions now also host video interviews where the interviewers and the candidate engage with one another in real time online.

These types of video interviews are more intense than the phone interviews of the past.

This is because the interviewer can gain more information about the candidate based on their facial expressions, candor, and demeanor.

The major difference here is that you’ll also be on camera: so make sure to smile, wear something professional, are well lit, and have a clear and uncluttered background.

Practice looking at the camera on your computer so that you appear to be making eye contact, rather than looking at the image of the person on the screen.

A strong WiFi signal and a working microphone go a long way towards interviewing successfully in this format.

If you’re as paranoid about a technical setup as I am you can always turn to a friend or family member to give you feedback on your video, sound, background, and quality of lighting.

Regardless of the differences, the video interview results in the same outcomes as the phone interview: it’ll determine whether or not you’ll progress further in the organization’s search.

The next stage after the phone and video interview is the on-campus interview.

At this point, finalists are invited to the institution.

These are often for full- or multi-day interviews.

This process usually involves meeting with the hiring manager, search committee, and the students who you would work with.

The on-campus interview is the most critical stage of the job search process.

At this time, you’ll only be competing against one to three other candidates who have also progressed this far.

The questions that the institution is considering now is no longer “if” you can do this job.

Rather, they are trying to determine if this would be a good “fit”between you and the institution.

I realize that this is a very nebulous question to ask.

Trying to determine the difference between competency and fit can be very subjective.

However, this is the question on the search committee’s minds when they interview you in person.

Let’s review the Middle stages of the search:

1. First Round Phone Interview: This is offered when you make it past the first round of cuts after reviewing application documents (resumes and cover letters).

2. First Round Video Interview: This is a more visceral form of interviewing where both audio and video are shared with the committee in real time.

It’s a prime opportunity for both sides to learn more about each other but also includes some additional technical considerations.

3. On-Campus Interview: This is the final stage for institutions when considering candidates.

This is the intensive part of the process for both institutions and candidates as they evaluate the finalists for the position.

Competition is high as both attempt to determine alignment, personality, and “fit” for the role.

I hope you found this episode useful.

If you’d like some additional tips on your search then a great place to start is myeBook “Getting Started in your Student Affairs Job Search.”

You can download it for free at www.jobhakr.com/gettingstarted

You can also get a full transcript of this episode including links to references in the description or show notes.

Thanks for joining me!

Again, I’m your host Dave Eng from the Student Affairs Job Search by the Job Hakr. 

On the student affairs job search we dive deeply into the steps needed to move forward in our careers.

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Also, feel free to email me anytime at dave@jobhakr.com

Happy searching!

References

Block, M. S. (2015, May 15). The Student Affairs Job Search. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://www.higheredjobs.com/articles/articleDisplay.cfm?ID=669

Career Central. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.myacpa.org/career-central

Eng, D. (2019, August 19). Targeted Cover Letters - Job Hakr: Student Affairs Job Search. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2019/8/16/targeted-cover-letters

Eng, D. (2019, July 1). 4 steps to navigating the on-campus student affairs interview - Job Hakr: Student Affairs Job Search. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2019/6/26/4-steps-to-navigating-the-on-campus-student-affairs-interview

Eng, D. (2019, July 8). "Does this institution fit me?" The Student Affairs Job Search Question - Job Hakr: Student Affairs Job Search. Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2019/7/3/does-this-institution-fit-me-the-student-affairs-job-search-question.

Eng, D. (2019, October 7). First Round Interview - Job Hakr: Student Affairs Job Search. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2019/10/7/first-round-interview

The Placement Exchange: Student Affairs Career Placement. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theplacementexchange.org/