ECTMSRHOPHM Volume 11

East Coast Transplant in the Midwest Seeks Repatriation to the Homeland; or, Please Hire Me!

The post wherein Epix does his best to remember what ACPA was like…

Hi all!

So, the last week has been…stressful, to say the least.  After getting rid of my caffeine addiction, it’s now back in full force.  Headaches, mood swings, you name it, I’ve got it…  *sigh*

Anywho, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will most likely not have a job offer by graduation.  Very few (I think only one?) folks in my program have job offers, or anything near equivalent to that.  I know that when I walk across that stage, I do it walking into…nothing, probably not a job, probably not anything.  Just a summer off…which, actually, is okay by me! :P

I feel like this is going to be the reality.  As professionals take longer to decide on whether or not to leave their current jobs/institutions, due to there being so few jobs available, the potential for new professionals to have multiple offers dwindles and dwindles….ah well.

So, in thinking about ACPA and other conferences, here are some things you, as a future job searcher, should keep in mind:

1.  You are overheard everywhere you go. 

I thought this was just some bs concocted by the overly happy people that were volunteering.  It’s really not.  Do not, under any circumstances, badmouth your school, your colleagues, an interviewer, or any institution in any place that is not your hotel room with the door bolted (thin walls may also be an issue-check this out).  Everywhere you go, there are other Student Affairs professionals…at the bars, at the restaurants, at Baltimore’s aquarium…everywhere.  And they dress down.  So, what look like townies, are actually your potential colleagues.  Watch out for this.

2. Get some sleep.

Seriously folks, I cannot emphasize this enough.  I went to bed almost every night by 10 or 11pm.  I rarely went to bars, rarely socialized, rarely did anything.  It sucked, but when you’ve got 9:00am interviews, you quickly realize what’s most important, and where your energies should be spent.  Sure, some folks will proudly say that they got sh*t-faced, or majorly bombed before an interview…good for them.  I wasn’t going to risk a job offer just for one night of partying, no matter how socially deprived I’ve become.  Get some sleep, eat breakfast, take breaks, etc etc etc…

3. Schedule interviews in advance.

Almost all of my interviews, save the second round ones, were scheduled in advance.  It made things a hell of a lot less stressful, knowing where I’d be and when.  Also, keep your later days open for possible 2^nd or 3^rd round interviews…those are important!  Give yourself a half hour to hour break between interviews.  Yes, this will limit the amount of interviews you can get, BUT you’ll have more time for last minute reviews and research!  Do it, people!

4. Leave the convention center as often as possible.

Go walk around the city/immediate area!  Go to different places to eat, enjoy the sun, get outside!  The convent center basement was nice and all, but you NEED fresh air!  Walking around will help wake you up as well!

5. Go on the pre-tour they offer.

Seriously, it helps give you a good rundown of what to expect.  The interview area was GINORMOUS and intimidating.  The lights themselves looked like stars…it’d almost be a wonderful sight, if your job future weren’t hanging in the balance.

6.  Have a sense of humour.

It’ll impress interviewers that you are taking the day in stride.  You might use the same joke again and again.  So what?  They haven’t heard it before…just pretend like it came to you on the spot.  This is where your background in theatre will come in handy!  What, you don’t have any?  Get on that, asap!

7.  Meet new people.

It’s nice that you have friends here.  If you see them in classes all week, you don’t need to see them at a conference.  Yes, you would probably love to de-stress and hang out with them…but don’t do it.  Meet new people, talk to those at schools you’re interested in, get out there!   I don’t recommend too much volunteering if you have a heavy interview schedule, but still, meet people!  Go to the socials at night, both school-related and the ones for specific identity groups.  I met a lot of great people there that I hope to see again next year (when I’ve got more time to socialize and say hello).  Use your classmates as a resource, yes, but don’t rely on them to be your one and only source of interaction.  It shows others watching that you can’t meet new people that easily, and that you are probably too deeply attached (Just my two cents!).

8. Find downtime where you don’t need to smile and be “on.”

The volunteers advise everyone to smile and be “on” as often as possible.  I’m going to have to disagree…

You are human, you have limited supplies of energy, don’t waste them when you don’t need them.  Get away from the convention center and cool it down a bit.  Sure, always look approachable, but know that you can turn it down a notch or two…or five.  While waiting for an interview, it’s okay to slump back and take a breather.  Just be conscious of the interviewers that are coming to pick you up.  Get ready to snap back when you need to! 

Honestly, if you take anything away from what I’m saying, realize that you need to take care of yourself.  You can’t be on 24/7 and live to tell the tale.

And, now, the days are getting longer and longer…and graduation and the end of my contract are getting closer and closer.  As I said, I probably won’t have a job by graduation, but I will have freedom…or at least the ability to sleep, undisturbed for 19 hours if I need to. 

Here’s to future rounds of amazingly restful sleep!

-Epix