Notes from a job interview

You know you're a goner when song lyrics really seem to be describing your recent experiences, and life in general. You know the feeling: a song comes on the playlist, whether it's the one on your phone or the one on a streaming site like Pandora or Spotify, and you immediately start looking around for the camera which has obviously been following you and recording your day-to-day life. You think, holy crap, whoever wrote this song knows what has been happening to me...I am the MUSE for these lyrics. I used to feel that way about the comic strip "Zits" when my daughter was a teenager, then I realized the universality of the parenting experience. The same is true about life events such as moving, job hunting, falling in love, etc... 

Last week, I sat in a chair, twice, while four people I had never met took turns asking me questions about my training and experience and experience training others. They actually used the term "round robin" to describe their questioning technique, which immediately brought to mind one of my favorite children's picture books, Round Robin. Give me the chance and I can link almost any experience or circumstance to a children's or young adult book. (I wonder if that would be considered a marketable skill...) They asked probing questions about how I would build rapport and relationships which would lead to providing excellent services for students. I knew the answers because I have done this many times over the course of my 24-year career in education. I have experienced success in this area, and I will do that again, but first I have to convince these small groups representing a community such as a school or a large department, that I am the person who can provide this and so much more, given the opportunity.

Their questions made me pause and re-examine my abilities, closely. The one which really stumped me was what I could bring to the position, not knowing who else was in the running (which they acknowledged), that no one else could bring. No.one.else. Wow, that's a really tall order, so I definitely needed think time on that one. How could I prove I am truly one of a kind, a proposition which would make my family and friends howl with delight because, well, I'm definitely different, or so I've been told. I'm pretty sure the answer they were looking for wasn't snappy professional outfits, but I do have that attribute in the bag. Now mentally making a list and ticking the boxes: professional dress...check. Well, I thought, I have 22 years in a variety of classrooms and two as a specialist coordinating two separate district-wide programs, so that's something fairly significant, in my opinion. Classroom experience...check. Coordinator experience...check. I heard myself begin talking about my passion for my work. Passion and commitment...check. Experience building relationships with administrators and heads of departments...check. Perseverance in solving problems and finishing tasks...check. Professional development experience...check. Hey, I thought, I'm sounding pretty dang strong as a candidate for this position.

Before I became too big-headed to fit out of the door, they asked me a question I honestly had to answer "I'm sorry, but I don't know" to. Oh, well, I thought, if I knew everything, what would be left to learn? Now, to convince them that is actually a positive attribute...

Call Me

2016 

Goal #1: 

To NOT be stuck in the same place, literally and figuratively, this time next year. check 

Goal #2:

Live somewhere, almost anywhere, other than 20 miles south of the Oklahoma border. check

Goal #3:

Meet interesting and inspiring new people. check

Halfway through the year, I think my goal realization and acquisition is going pretty well, which is NOT to say life is totally awesome and on point (quite the opposite, actually), but, still, it is certainly no longer stagnant. I have a few pressing new goals, chief of which is FIND A JOB, then find a place to live fairly close to said job since I am now in a city of 2 million plus. Those two goals feel like the ever-present driving force in my life right now, but as long as I'm moving forward, I can keep my head up. Interesting side note: looking for a job is truly a full-time job. I think I knew that somewhere in the back of my mind, but I have very fortunately never actually experienced this form of survival anxiety...until now. Quite honestly, finding jobs always came pretty easy for me, and that was due in large part to several forms of privilege I acquired through the luck of my birth and genes. Thirty years later, the view is a little bit different, and at least one of those forms of privilege is gone. But still, I reek of privilege, and I know it.

I imagine searching for a job is a bit like making a living as a writer: get up, drink coffee, eat yogurt, get on the computer, search, select, write. Make yourself start writing and keep writing for at least several hours a day...it's a discipline. My writing these days consists of filling out job applications, composing letters of interest and drafting essays designed to catch someone's attention and convince him or her I at least merit an interview. EVERY.DAMN.DAY. That interview may be virtual or in person, but face-to-face is the objective. I know I am the solution to someone's workplace problem, but how do I find that particular workplace? That is the question which haunts me while I check multiple emails, online messages and job sites.

At this point, I'd like to give a shout out and BIG thank you to my wonderful friends and colleagues who agreed to be references for me. Until I agreed to provide references for homebound teachers I supervised as the program coordinator, I really had no idea how relentlessly a reference will be inundated with email requests to complete online surveys for the job seekers, especially if that job seeker is literally completing two to three job applications every day. Seriously, that's an astounding number of surveys, so I am in awe of my references' commitment to helping me navigate my way to a new post.

While maintaining connections with former colleagues and long-time friends in the north corridor of Texas, I have discovered that meeting new people in Austin has taken on an honestly double purpose. Yes, meeting new people is interesting and can be fun, and I always welcome it, regardless of where I am living. And, I am fortunate because I've already met some fascinating people I hope I get to hang out with on a regular basis (you know who you are, save that tree swing for me.) God knows, it's essential to make new connections when you move to a big, new city, but now I am meeting new people and networking/picking each brain for possible job leads. Sometimes it feels as creepy as it sounds. But, it's just a fact of introducing yourself into an extremely competitive job market: it really is who you know. And, let's face it - it's ALWAYS who you know. 

So, hello, perspective employers, I'm Lisa G., and I'm a problem solver. Yes, I have a not-so-hidden agenda, but I will be the best hiring decision you'll make this month, possibly this year, and I have a winning record to back that up. Just ask my references, please, they are very patient people, and call me.