{"id":30899,"date":"2015-08-03T13:05:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-03T18:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=30899"},"modified":"2015-08-03T13:04:19","modified_gmt":"2015-08-03T18:04:19","slug":"moving-on-into-disappointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=30899","title":{"rendered":"How I Found My Job: Moving On From Disappointment (and finding success!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Karly Szczepkowski
\npreviously published 7\/17\/13 & 7\/29\/14
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

How I Found My Job: Moving On From Disappointment (and finding success!)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"karlys2\"<\/a>After some time working as a Business Researcher I realized I was ready to move on. One of my LinkedIn connections recently posted a job to her newsfeed so I applied. My connection was the hiring manager, but we weren\u2019t really friends. We connected because we both graduated from Wayne State University around the same time and we were both familiar with each other through our work with student associations, but we didn\u2019t have any classes together. We were acquaintances. We were \u201cconnections.\u201d<\/p>\n

The position was at Wayne State. I didn\u2019t meet all of the qualifications. This was a few years ago so I can\u2019t recall all of them, but I think the job ad called for two years\u2019 experience in the field or equivalent. I didn\u2019t have any experience in the field, but I did have almost seven years\u2019 experience in advertising plus my experience as a business researcher, so when I created my cover letter I emphasized that, as I thought it was equivalent based on the job posting.<\/p>\n

Since this was for a University, I submitted a more detailed resume than I would for a corporate job posting. I always customize my resume for every job posting. I once read, and I believe, that a resume is a marketing document. It is not a legally binding document requiring you to include your entire job history and to use the same document for every single job application. The resume\u2019s purpose is to get you an interview. It needs to speak the language your intended audience understands and be the length the audience expects.<\/p>\n

I start with a master resume. This is a resume that has everything I\u2019ve ever done in excruciating detail. It\u2019s similar to a CV and is several pages long. Whenever I apply for a job, I open the master resume and then edit it to best address the job posting. I know from experience that companies usually prefer a shorter resume than universities. I also use the job posting to guide me, especially for language. For example, if the job ad uses the word customer, I would use the word customer in my resume and not patron. Likewise, if the ad uses the phrase \u201corganize information\u201d I would use that instead of \u201ccatalog information.\u201d My hope is that these simple changes demonstrate I speak the language of the institution; that I\u2019m a good fit.<\/p>\n

So I submitted my cover letter and resume and was granted an interview. This was a \u201cconnection,\u201d but I still knew I\u2019d have to interview along with all the other candidates, so I researched the group, the position and the trends in the field. Then I did all the things I do before every interview: I sat down and wrote out my answers to commonly asked questions. I wrote down my strengths and weaknesses and where I thought I\u2019d be in five or ten years. I wrote down why I was interested in the position and why I was looking to leave my current position. I practiced saying these things out loud a few times and then I tucked them away. I wouldn\u2019t be bringing that list to the interview with me.<\/p>\n

Next I created a list of questions \u2013 and I would be bringing that list with me. These were questions I would ask at the end of the interview. I always bring a list of questions with me. I\u2019ve been doing that for years, since I worked at the ad agency. And it paid off, because at one interview the hiring manager actually opened with, \u201clet\u2019s do things a little differently. Instead of starting with me asking you questions, why don\u2019t we start with you asking me questions.\u201d Yes, I\u2019m serious, that\u2019s happened. So I whipped out my list and started grilling him.<\/p>\n

My list of questions is customized for each position, but it also includes some that I ask at every interview. I always ask about overtime, weekends and evenings. An acquaintance once told me that was a stupid question and I should never ask that as those requirements would be clearly stated in the job ad. But after I was burned at the ad agency, I always ask. I also ask about career path or career development. Specifically, what are the opportunities for advancement? How can the person in this position grow career-wise?<\/p>\n

Finally, when it appears the interview is over, I always ask about next steps. Never, ever, ever, ever leave an interview without asking about the next steps and the timeline for those steps. And while I\u2019m at it, I ask who I should follow up with if I have any questions. Having a timetable and contact information relieves a lot of stress and anxiety over when I think I should be hearing back from an employer vs. when I will actually hear back.<\/p>\n

The interview with Wayne State went very well and I left feeling very optimistic. Within a few days the hiring manager e-mailed me: I didn\u2019t get the job. I was crushed. I wanted the job, but it wasn\u2019t meant to be, so I replied with a thank you e-mail and then focused on other things.<\/p>\n

Two weeks later she called me. The position was open again. Was I still interested? I was. And that\u2019s how I got the job I have now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Karly Szczepkowski is a Research Analyst for the Division of Development and Alumni Affairs at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.\u00a0 She has moved on to a new job as of the republishing of this article (ed note 7\/2014)
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

formerly entitled Moving On From Disappointment <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Karly Szczepkowski previously published 7\/17\/13 & 7\/29\/14 How I Found My Job: Moving On From Disappointment (and finding success!) After some time working as a Business Researcher I realized I was ready to move on. One of my LinkedIn connections recently posted a job to her newsfeed so I applied. My connection was the…<\/p>\n

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