questions by Camille Perlman
Everyone knows the job search process can be a long, drawn-out affair. Even after the amount of time and effort that is needed to first gain the attention of a potential employer, there is still the interview process. For many, this portion is even more stress-filled, since the finish line or golden ring is in sight. In the previous issue this column explored advice for job searchers on how they can use their résumé and cover letter to stand out from the crowd. Now, those same professionals are back to share the ways in which they steel themselves for the interview process and put their best foot forward.
Participants in this conversation are Shaun Crisler, the State University of New York at Oswego’s vice president for residence life and housing; Karess Gillespie, interim director of apartment and off-campus living for the office of student living at Syracuse University in New York; Dave Eng, adjunct instructor at New York University and student affairs job coach; and Kirby Gibson, assistant director of residence education for the East Neighborhood at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
Dave Eng: Student affairs professionals often treat networking as a check mark or a one-and-done activity. But this is an incredibly shortsighted way to treat such a valuable resource as your network. Reaching out to personal contacts, colleagues, and professionals at other institutions and in other functional areas is key. Networking is perhaps the most important but fundamentally overlooked area of the student affairs job search. I recommend that all student affairs professionals dedicate significant time and resources during their search to developing, curating, and maintaining their network.
Kirby Gibson: Networking is about building genuine connection. It shouldn’t be forced, and it shouldn’t be solely transactional. It is important to maintain intentional and mutual relationships beyond when you are in need of assistance. I’ve leveraged my relationships with former and current supervisors, mentors, peers, etc. for informational interviewing, reviewing materials, sharing job opportunities, and helping me reflect on my motivations and goals.
Karess Gillespie: I use my network to learn about the job beyond the posting. I try to get information on the institution, the department, and the current culture to understand why the role is open and what I can expect. I also think it is helpful to use your network for validation in the process. After applying to what seems like an endless list of jobs without response, it’s easy to think you are doing something wrong. It is your professional network that can remind you why you are in the search and what you are selling to folks.
Shaun Crisler: I look to colleagues, supervisors, and friends to help me in the job search process. It can be a long process, and you want to make sure that you have people around you who can help you situate your experiences. They can also remind you of experiences that you may have overlooked. This group can put you in contact with those who can offer feedback or insight into an institution. Make sure that you keep them in the loop of your plans. Sometimes, they know when opportunities are brewing behind the scenes that could be a fit for you.
Crisler: I think cover letters have always helped me to share micro-stories and areas within my experiences and responsibilities that my résumé could not convey. I use my cover letters to highlight my leadership style, my values, and my approach to my work to help articulate how the employer may experience me as a professional. Your cover letter should be as unique as your signature – it is a professional fingerprint. I see it as my first opportunity to meet you, and I want you to read it and walk away feeling as if you have not just met an applicant, but that you have found a colleague.
Gillespie: As a new professional, I focused my résumé and cover letter on highlighting how to sell my experiences to fit the job I was applying to. As I have participated in job searches as both an internal and external candidate over the years, my résumé and cover letter have evolved to reflect the values that are important to me and how I have embodied those values in my professional experiences that relate to the job that I am applying to. This gives me a way to share my identities and expectations and how I use them in my work environment to support the institution.
Eng: Your cover letter and your résumé are bridge documents that help you get to the next steps in the job search process. As such, your cover letter needs to be interesting enough for someone to read your résumé. Your résumé also needs to be interesting enough for someone to invite you to the first-round interview. That means that the best way to approach this with your application documents is to make them both targeted and curated for the individual position you’re applying for.
Gibson: This process is two-fold for me. The first part is spending time on the “look” of my materials. I am not a fan of my materials getting lost in other candidates’ applications or looking like overused templates. Thus, I use my creative skills to create documents that are reflective of my style while bringing attention to my experiences through bold fonts, engaging titles, balancing white space, and strategic placement. This does not mean you should turn your résumé into a canvas, because at the end of the day, search committees only spend a few moments reviewing it. It is about creating an intentional map that will guide them along the way of your journey. The second part of this process is tailoring each of my materials to the position that I am applying for. This includes reviewing the position description, departmental/institutional mission and values and reflecting on the experiences/skills that I have that are in alignment with them. And if there is something that I don’t have direct experience with, I focus on amplifying transferable skills that can demonstrate my capacity to get the task done.
Crisler: I make sure that I make time in the days and weeks before the interview to practice. I typically take three approaches. First, I write down the areas of my job where my experiences have a clear link to the new role. Second, I write out the examples and stories that I might share to demonstrate my approach to that area. And third, once I have this information on paper, I practice forming it into a story that I can say in the mirror. After practicing in this way, I make an audio recording to listen to how I sound. It is here that I can see if there is a difference between what I said and what I thought I said – and the gap that lies between. Once I have become comfortable in what I will say, I make a short set of notes that I can review during breaks between questions, so that I have my ideas ready. I do not want to search for my ideas with every question.
Gillespie: I am someone who does research about the role, the institution, and those who are connected with the position to have an idea of what to expect from questions. I actively look at what and who a department is on their website to see if there are others who look like me. I enjoy the process of deciding what to wear, but also dread the critical internal questioning process that follows because of the multiple marginal identities I hold. In the decision-making process, I ask myself, “Will the clothing I wear or the way I style my hair make me look ‘too Black, queer, fat, etc.?’” I know that those are the things that can stand out in some interview settings.
Eng: Preparing for interviews includes creating a briefing book and study documents aimed at helping you prepare to answer questions during the interview. You also have to prepare to explain how your past experiences align with what the job requires of you. Making sure that you take institutional culture and structure into your responses will also help you stand out against other applicants. It’s also important to realize that you’re going to be interviewing with people. As such, you have to prepare to answer questions from your future coworkers. Lastly, I always recommend that you have questions prepared at the end of your interview as a final attempt to provide the interviewer with insight on your outlook for the job and the role. I call these strategic questions for setting yourself apart from other applicants.
Gibson: When I prepare for an interview, it is about mind, body, and spirit. For my mind, I do my research. I take diligent notes about the institution, the role, strategic goals, signature initiatives, and campus news to serve as reference or as talking points during the interview. I also role-play responses to questions by myself or with peers and generate my own list of questions to ask the search committee. For my body, I make sure I am well rested, well fed, and dressed in what makes me feel and look good. As for spirit, it is about ambience and good energy. Sometimes this includes listening to my favorite motivational music, positioning myself in an environment with great natural lighting and minimal distractions, making sure technology works, or taking the time to center myself 15 to 30 minutes before the interview through meditation.
Gillespie: For me, it is important to show up fully present and engaged in any setting, so I like to take notes about the position and my experiences and practice talking out my responses. I record some of my responses, so I can replay them and listen to how I may sound or show up in that space. It is easy to get distracted in a phone or Zoom interview, so I also work to create an interview space where I feel comfortable and don’t have options to be distracted by work or other things.
Eng: Preparing for a virtual or phone interview is the same process as the one used to prepare for any other interview.
Crisler: I do not spend a lot of time trying to figure out what I could be asked in an interview. Most of my time is spent on writing my micro-stories which allow me to provide concise examples of my work. This helps to articulate my knowledge, value, experiences, and results in relation to what I like to call the “x” factor, which is where or with whom I have made an impact. It could be an area like assessment, diversity and inclusion, budget, supervision, or program management. Or it can be with a group of people such as students, colleagues, supervisors, department, institution, or campus partner. It is this formula that allows me to go into every interview with confidence. I do not need to know what you are going to ask me. I just need to know that I am ready to respond to whatever you ask me.
Eng: No one likes getting rejected from a student affairs interview. But it is something that will happen to ALL applicants at one time or another. The first thing that I recommend student affairs professionals do is to spend some time getting over it by treating themselves to some me-time doing something that they enjoy. The next steps involve examining yourself as a candidate and what you could have done differently to change the outcome. The last step involves what I like to call keeping the drive alive by continuing to apply and seek out new opportunities. You are never really done with a job search until you have a signed and confirmed offer letter in hand.
Gillespie: It is a challenge because it often does not come in the form of feedback or direct communication. It took a lot of time and courage for me to begin to engage interviewers post rejection for feedback on the process or an answer to why. I found that many interviewers would not return my request, and, of the few who did, many were unable to provide specific feedback about my candidacy, just their process. But I have found that it’s a cycle of questions about your experiences: Did you have enough? Did I do too much around my identities? Was I extra? And then, ultimately you compare yourself a few months later to the person listed as hired in that role. All of those feelings and processes are okay, but I also started to ask “How does this make me better? Will this help me get to the next job?” And then I reflect on my goals and reassess what I am doing to reach them and what role aligns with that.
Crisler: When you have spent time preparing for the interview process, rejection can be hard. I try to look back and take an honest inventory of how I showed up. I do not beat myself up on how I answered this question or that question. I do look over my materials and work to figure out where I can improve. For example, if I am applying to jobs but institutions are not inviting me to a first round then I go to my materials to see if I am articulating my value correctly. If I am not moving past the first rounds, then I am reviewing my interview responses and approach. Sometimes, you do a great job and there is a better candidate fit for the position, so I make sure that I consider this piece too.
Gibson: I regularly recite the mantra by Imam Al-Shafi’i: “My heart is at ease knowing that what was meant for me will never miss me, and what misses me was never meant for me.” The concept of rejection is understanding that some doors will open and some doors close, but you did the best in the moment. It is about being affirmed in who you are as a person and your experiences. It is knowing that when someone shines brighter, your shine isn’t dulled. If the opportunity is presented for me to get feedback on how I did in the process, I will humbly accept the opportunity to receive it and consider incorporating what I learned for future search processes.
Camille Perlman is the managing editor of the Talking Stick.
