#CPD23 Thing 21: Pick Me! Pick Me!

As part of this Thing, we are to write about how we promote ourselves on job applications and in interviews. I've been putting this one off just because I continue to find it strange to talk about myself. I don't like doing it .... so cover letters and job interviews are awkward for me. I almost wish that potential employers could walk a week with me in my current job. That would give them a better indication of my personality, my work ethic, my devotion to seeing students succeed, and my cool project ideas I'm involved in. But ... unfortunately that just isn't possible, and I'm forced to find ways to make all of those above points come out in my writing. D.I.F.F.I.C.U.L.T!

I want to first preface that I'm not actively searching for a job. My thoughts here are strictly from past experiences. I will say though, that my husband is actively seeking something better (I'm afraid he'll never be fully satisfied ... but I knew this when I married him). Recently, we had a situation where we were fairly confident that he would be offered a job in Arkansas. Because of this, I started actively seeking something for myself. I won't go through the whole story here, but in the end, I provided the best cover letter and application packet that I've ever done - I interviewed extremely well - and I was offered the job. My husband wasn't offered his. To say that we were confused, frustrated, angry, [enter more words here] would be an understatement.

The good that came from that experience though, is that it helped to boost my confidence a bit. I'm good at what I do - I'm passionate about what I do - and I love collaborating with people to get things done (I can't believe I just typed all of that...).

Identifying You Strengths and Capitalizing on Your Interests
One statement from the cpd blog has stuck with me: "It is important to remember that we are changing all the time: our interests change, our skills develop, we discover new things we like which we didn't even know existed." This is so true! If we aren't developing and rethinking processes, then we're not embracing the profession and eventually, our work will suffer. Part of the change happens with the progression of technology. Other change happens as turn over occurs and new ideas are introduced. The moral of the story is to embrace the change and continually assess what's working and not working. I also feel that life is too short to be doing something you're not enjoying. I'm fortunate enough to be in a profession that I love - but if frustrations of current environments out weigh the positive effect on the academic side of things, perhaps at that point it will be time to move on (I realize I'm being a tad cryptic... just take my word for it). 


So, if I am to be identifying my strengths and capitalizing my interests, I need a good system of keeping everything together and easily edited. I just recently went through my yearly performance evaluation, which was a humbling experience. It's nice to know that my efforts are being seen and appreciated (which has been a constant struggle since coming on board). Good things are happening as a part of our library presence on the campus. The trick now is to find a cohesive and interesting way to showcase some of the projects I'm involved in for resume purposes. My blog has a section for presentations/projects which I'm considering adding to my resume somehow. I'm also extremely thankful for my current job opportunity because it has truly given me the chance to boost my resume by doing a little bit of everything.


Job Application Process
The Thing 21 post recommends that we keep a running list of accomplishments so it's easy to add to CV's and resumes later. I like that idea and am considering doing this with Google Docs. I constantly use Gdocs  throughout my day, so it would be super easy to type a little bit here and there - making resume writing a cinch. I do think the hardest part of the application process is the darn cover letter! Kudos to my husband who has proofed numerous letters, even when he has no clue what I'm talking about (thanks honey)!


The Interview
I've always said, if you get this far... they like you! Now, you just have to be yourself and show them that they were right. My recent Arkansas interview was the most calm I have ever felt in an interview setting. I actually enjoyed the process. It helped that the people were super duper nice and I felt like I instantly fit in and had known them for years. At the airport when leaving to come back home, one of the committee members actually hugged me goodbye. I was so sad that I had to turn them down. But, I'm happy to still be where I am for the moment, and I'm excited to see my many projects completed and come to fruition. 


Only 2 more Things to go!!