Will I get a job? Will I get a job I like? Will I have a job before graduation? How do I know when I am interviewing is this is the right opportunity for me? These and so many other questions surface in the last term of students’ graduate preparation programs. The cohort that has been with us through the ups and downs of the past two years now becomes a space of – if not competition – intensified comparison. We want the best for our peers while at the same time worrying about our own futures. So, as many have asked before, how do you navigate the experience?
Each of the us as authors here have engaged in reflection on our own experiences and even moved that reflection to a conference presentation. As we approach the start of a new academic year, job search season will be here before you know it for soon-to-be graduates. We wanted to share some insights here. We wish you all well and we hope that this information is helpful as you move forward. You got this!
The timing of the job search is a complicated thing. We each had our own experiences and were looking for different positions in terms of functional area.
Chris: I wasn’t looking for the job, the job was looking for me… Initially I wanted to move closer to home in Virginia, but I had a meeting with a mentor in mid-October that changed my perspective. After this conversation, my geographical location preference expanded to SC. One week later, an opportunity presented itself before me that was in SC! This role was a fit for my functional area interest (Leadership), and it just so happened (I believe via divine intervention) to be in an area I was avoiding but recently opened my heart to staying in. My search was untraditional in that I only applied to one role and I’m currently working in that position now.
Victoria: I started working on updating my resume around October. I worked as a Career Ambassador for Clemson’s Career Center so I utilized the resources and connections there to improve my resume. Further, I sought feedback from our faculty and other mentors to get a holistic review. As for cover letter material, I started working on various versions over winter break and had them polished by mid-January. I started searching for jobs mid-January once my materials were finalized and recommendations were confirmed. I primarily looked for Residence Life / Housing positions, but also was open to college access programs and alumni relations work. As for location, I was doing a national search with a preference to the east coast. It was important in my search to be close to an airport since my family is in the Midwest. Further, I wanted to be in an area with other young professionals across various industries.
Gabby: My search was definitely unique. For context, I needed three field experiences to graduate and completed one at Furman and one at Clemson. My second year of grad school, I secured my third experience at Anderson University for the Fall 2021. Anderson essentially offered to bring me on as a part-time, paid intern. After my first semester there, they extended my contract until August 2022.
My job search began around February of my last semester in grad school because I knew that I would be able to stay at Anderson until at least August. However, it was unclear if there would be a position available after August. I started my job search in February because if I were to secure a position, Anderson was flexible with my internship contract. I also had to think about my functional area, my partner and his career, and being geographically bound to the Upstate of South Carolina. I love all aspects of Orientation, Clubs and Orgs, and Student Government, so I knew I wanted to work in Student Engagement. I also had experience in Career Services, so I had that in my toolbelt as well. I was also
In February, I applied for positions in two different functional areas. I received offers from both, but one was not a functional area fit, and the other was not a fit institutionally. From there, I paused my search and decided to wait until I was clear on what type of position I wanted and to see if there was a position at Anderson. In July, I applied to two more positions, received offers for both of those, and ultimately accepted the one that I am in currently! Because of my graduate program internship I built a connection to the institution. While I was geographically bound and knew the work I wanted to do, I kept my options open while being extremely selective in my search.
An important way to assess a potential workplace and campus is how they treat you during the job search. For most of us a key aspect of that is how they communicate with us before our campus visits. We each have a few “best exchanges” with campuses that we’d like to highlight for your consideration.
Victoria: I attended TPE (The Placement Exchange) for my job search and really enjoyed the virtual experience. One of the most valuable events TPE had was an “Institutional Showcase” where various institutions had a session over their department mission, values, and priorities. During my search, I was focused on finding a diverse, relationship-oriented team and these sessions were able to help me learn more about the institutional and department culture and values prior to interviewing.
Another exchange that was helpful for me was meeting with alumni of my graduate program who either attended or worked at an institution I was interested again. Again, I really value being in supportive, collaborative work environments, so being able to hear about people’s personal experiences helped me narrow my search. I encourage those who are able to maximize their networks during the search process. They can have so much to offer and provide support and encouragement along the way.
Gabby: One of my best pre-campus visit interactions was reaching out to someone for an informational interview. This was purely to learn about the position before the job interview. I said, ‘I just applied to the open position and would love to hear about your experience in this office.’ I was clear about boundaries with this person, but they were open to chatting before my on-campus interview and gave me great insight into their experience in that role.
I also appreciated having an itinerary before arriving on-campus. This helped me prepare, whether it was researching staff I was interviewing with or mentally preparing for the day. Having a schedule eased my anxieties. Out of my four on-campus interviews, only two institutions provided the itinerary beforehand. I also had Zoom interviews with some schools that allowed me to meet with the hiring committee and better understand the position before my on-campus interview.
Chris: There are a number of things that come to mind for me. The following is a list of examples and what I learned from each of the examples provided:
- I was given an interview schedule and folder – showed how organized my supervisor would be
- A Student was involved on my committee – showed me their true level of student-centered involvement
- I was able to meet with folks on all levels – AVP to other entry-level employees who would work adjacent to my position.
- Lunch was intentional about getting to know each other as people
- 1:1s with the AVP and Director to learn their vision for the office
- My name was on the office TV, a graphic was made welcoming me – Made me felt appreciated and important to the office
- I interviewed with the entire Center and was able to see first-hand group dynamic
- My supervisor interview was last, helped me to ask specific questions
Once we got to the on-campus experience, we each learned some additional things.
Gabby: One of my best on-campus experiences was when I met with the VP of the office I was interviewing with. For me, this was a game changer because I could ask intentional questions about their mission and values to see if I was the mission fit for me and if my values aligned with the institution. During the on-campus interview, I appreciated the interviewer being clear about when I had breaks. While I still remained professional at all times, I knew when to ask questions and when I could breathe for a second and review my notes.
For post-interview, what I appreciated the most was an actual offer letter via email. I was able to review the compensation and benefits when I had it in writing rather than relying on remembering what I was told on the phone. This was helpful in my decision process, though only one institution sent me an offer via email. All in all, meeting with senior leadership, having clear direction on breaks vs. interviews, and a physical offer really helped me in my decision making.
Chris: Campus tours are helpful, not in just showing the candidate where things are, but connecting the dots to how different areas collaborate with that office and the specific role I’m applying for. The Hiring Supervisor was transparent about the timeline before, during, and after the interview.
Victoria: It was an interesting experience having some on-campus interviews in person and others virtual. I appreciated the schools that had the flexibility to allow candidates to choose, as it gave us power to focus and prioritize various experiences. Personally, in person experiences helped me get a “vibe check” on a place and feel people’s energy which played an important part of my decision. Further, I was able to see the town and really ask myself if I could see myself living here.
One experience that made me feel extremely cared for as a candidate was when a department sent me a care package the week before my virtual on-campus interview. I wasn’t expecting a package in the mail and it was so sweet to receive it.
A great post-interview experience I had was talking to multiple directors while navigating multiple offers. During these conversations, the hiring managers were extremely communicative about their interest in me and their timelines. They were able to give me the time to finish my interview processes with other schools in order to make the best decision for me. I remember specifically one of the directors made sure I knew that she would love to have me in the future despite accepting another position. I was so thankful for her kindness because not all places were that understanding.
Of course, not everything goes as planned or is as ideal as we might hope. We also learned from some experiences where communication, campus visits, and other aspects of the job search were not managed so well.
Chris: I verbally committed before receiving a written offer: This was because my hiring manager was advocating for me to receive the highest pay and I was willing to wait. The payment appeared to be out of their hands and a larger institutional rule that delayed this progress.
Victoria: I think marketing materials are crucial in the job search for new professionals especially if they do not have any connections to the institution or department already. Utilizing marketing materials can begin to create a sense of belonging before a candidate even applies. These materials should also be as transparent as possible with benefits, expectations, timeline, salaries, etc. I also find value in promoting new opportunities/projects within the department to help stand out. I believe it’s important to take the time to update websites, position descriptions, FAQ sheets, whatever it may be to make sure you are the most competitive you can be.
Depending on the department and staffing, I would want to organize a candidate/employer mixer especially if the role has dozens of applicants. This can help candidates see if they would enjoy the culture of the team.
Gabby: I had a few interviews where I experienced some intimidation from faculty members. For example, I had a campus partners interview where faculty questioned my knowledge about the type of institution I was interviewing for. Some of them asked me to essentially talk negatively about other types of institutions. While I have no issue with hard and challenging questions, this felt more aggressive than challenging. At a different institution, there was someone in leadership who said I may be too young to understand the challenges between academic affairs and student affairs. Both times, I felt like some faculty members or those in senior leadership were being aggressive when trying to communicate issues in their area of expertise. This challenged my perception of the institutions and made me reflect on the environment that I would be in if I were to accept a job there.
Another aspect of an on-campus interview that was not handled well was group interviews where those interviewing me were unprepared. I walked into one on-campus interview with campus partners, and they had no context for who I was or what they were supposed to ask me. This led to me asking the majority of the questions, because they were not organized. Overall, I think the hardest part of an interview is when you interact with someone who is voicing concerns or their frustrations and asking you to speak on it and/or is not prepared for you at the time of the interview.
Something we reflected on after our searches and during our presentation on the topic, is how we can take our own experiences to create better search experiences for others. Eventually we will be on search committees and potentially chair searches and be hiring decision-makers. In order to attract the best candidates to our positions, we want to do right by them through the search process. We have each given some thought to what we hope to do in the future to create an optimal search experience for future job-seekers. We thought specifically about how we would manage a search for a new professional right out of graduate school.
Victoria: In terms of communication there were a few places that I never heard from after I submitted my application, and another that didn’t reach out to schedule an interview until five months after submitting the application.
I would advise those organizing virtual on-campuses to focus on condensing it to ½ day interviews. The interviews that were 8-5pm on Zoom were very tiring especially while interviewing with 10+ schools around the same time.
Gabby: As chair, I would do three things: grab an informal meal with the candidate, give them encouragement after presentations, and show them their workspace. When these things happened (or did not happen) during my interviews, they affected my experience. An informal meal with the search team where there were no questions about the position helped me relax, but also I got to know the team. During one of my presentations, I received no reaction after one of my presentations as I finished and sat down which really threw me off as we transitioned into the interview questions. (After the interview, I was told my presentation was the best one they had seen– so I knew it wasn’t just me!). As a chair of a search committee, I would consistently seek to ease the nerves of candidates by providing encouragement and informal times to get to know them. Also, something I did not know I needed until I received it was getting to see the space I would be working in. It gave me a feel for what the office culture would be like and made me critically think about productivity, collaboration, and fit for the team.
Chris: The Campus Partners interview was helpful in getting a broader perspective on the institutional, divisional, and departmental work culture. Offer the candidate School Branded merchandise to thank them for their time. Offer a lunch with the people they’d work closely with or those within the department who fall on their same level (i.e., eating with all ADs for an AD role, or eating with Coordinators for a Coordinator role: Assuming that there is more than one position within your department).
Finally, we came up with a few recommendations for job-seekers. We hope that these are helpful.
Gabby: I would recommend always looking at the institution website on their HR/job posting portal because a lot of jobs (especially private institutions) are not posted on sites like Indeed, Higher Ed Jobs, etc. I also did not use any sort of paycheck calculator, but I did compare the salary offered with other salaries in similar job postings. This allowed to me take into consideration my experience and what other institutions are offering to ensure my offer was in the range considering my qualifications.
Chris: My job search was unique in that I only applied to one job and I’m loving it! It took my graduate experiential learning opportunities (internships / practicum) and prayer to know exactly what I wanted in a new job: functional area, work environment, supervisor, and geographical location. Also, I’m working at the same institution as my graduate program, so I didn’t need any of the resources (like the ones listed).
I will say, the resources listed helped me to select the job I applied for during graduate school.
Victoria: I have several suggestions that I found to be helpful in my search.
- Having a “buddy” of some sort throughout the interview process to ask questions to
- Having materials/handouts about popular things to do in the area, things about the community, information for moving a family planning, etc.
- For sure salary and paycheck calculator and/or cost of living calculator if possible
- A timeline! Share the timeline even if it is a rough outline!
- Once someone accepts, having robust onboarding materials (parking/bus system, navigating campus, recommendations for where to go to switch medical things too, links to important sites/documents)
We wish each of you well in your role as candidates, search committee members, search chairs, and hiring decision-makers.
Chris Spellman (he/him). Chris is the Assistant Director of Student Leader Development at Clemson University. Chris earned his M.Ed. in Student Affairs from Clemson and his B.S. in Leadership from Old Dominion University. He is beginning his doctoral work in the Educational Leadership program at Clemson this fall.
Victoria Goetzinger (she/her). Victoria is a Community Director at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She completed her M.Ed. in Student Affairs at Clemson University in 2022.
Gabby Morgan (she/her). Gabby is from Nashville, TN. She is currently serving as the Director of Student Involvement and New Student Programs at Anderson University (SC). She graduated with her Masters of Counselor Education-Student Affairs in 2022 from Clemson University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Union University. Gabby is passionate about all things new student orientation, student organizations, and leadership development.