Searching, Interviewing, and Negotiating

It is job search season in student affairs in higher education. Candidates are eagerly imagining the possibilities and employers are preparing to attract the best candidates. There are lots of great resources our there on this process, but I wanted to pull together in one place some of my favorite’s. Here are three great resources to help you navigate searching, interviewing, and negotiating.

1. Searching

Vice President for Student Affairs, former faculty member, and innovative thinker Patrick Love has put together a great whiteboard talk on how to manage many competing priorities when starting a student affairs job search.

2. Interviewing

Grant Anderson has screened, interviewed, and hired new student affairs professionals for the past 15 years. His blog post from over a year ago is still the best advice on how to strategically interview for a job that I’ve ever read – in or beyond higher education. Check out Giving Yourself the Best Chance at Getting the Job

The goal of an interview is to let the employer know what you would bring to that organization and the position.  Your stories of past accomplishments and successes are the best proof of your knowledge, skills, and talents.  Your interview answers should stay focused on what you can do for them in the position.  If there are things that you are not great at, do not lie, but keep the focus on where you are great.  So many candidates defeat themselves by over mentioning or showing insecurity about what they cannot do instead of always doubling back to what they do bring.

3. Negotiating

9 Tips for Negotiating a Job Offer  is a recent blog post that Grant and I wrote based on great advice from a mentor of our’s, Mark Denke. It has quickly made its way near the top of most visited blogs on this blog. If you are not sure if you should negotiate or how to negotiate, it’s a must read.

Candidates who are coached by mentors to not negotiate are receiving some very poor advice in our minds.

What resources have you turned to or have you recommended to others?