Quick Hit: Thank You, Sir; May I Have Another?

Ugh.  I should be used to this by now, but I’m just not. Every one of these feels like a sock in the gut.

“Thank you for your interest in Local U. I’ve placed your CV in our files. Unfortunately, we did not have as many adjunct sections available for the Fall. I will keep your information on file, in case there are any changes.“

Quick Hit: Is This How They’re Doing it Now?

I was expecting a phone call.

Instead, I got a letter that reads, in part, “We experienced a very competitive field, with many qualified candidates interviewing for the position.  While the interview committees have selected another candidate for the position, your expertise was both valued and appreciated.“

Blah.

I have it on good authority that the candidate they chose is a brand-new graduate (who, it turns out, is the roommate of the intern my former mentor had in her classroom this semester.  My mentor called me to give me the news yesterday morning, when her intern told her that the roommate had been offered – and had accepted – the job).

That makes twice I’ve been passed over for someone fresh out of college.  I doubt this will be the last time, either; schools would much rather pay the scale for an inexperienced teacher than for one who’s been in the classroom.

I’m trying very hard not to take this personally.  Looked at from the big-picture angle, there’s nothing exceptional about this experience; when a single open position can consistently generate 70+ applications, landing a position becomes more a matter of luck than of qualifications.

I’m looking down the barrel of a full year’s worth of unemployment in my field, though, and trying to come to terms that, during that span (and of having sent resumes to literally every high school and college within my commuting distance), this is only the second time I’ve even been contacted (to be fair, Quaint Coastal City School District did send me a “we got your resume” postcard; beyond that, I’ve gotten literally no response from any of the schools, up to and including those to whose principals I’ve sent personal emails).  It’s really hard not to get discouraged.

Quick Hit: Waiting

Still nothing.  I was told not to expect to hear anything until “the middle of the week,” but I still hold out hope that it’ll be sooner rather than later.

As soon as I know something, you’ll know it, too; I promise.  Thank you all for the inquiries and good wishes.

 

Second Interview

My second interview for the high school teaching job is tomorrow at 12:30.

And again, inexplicably, I’m stressing about what to wear.

I’ve gotten some positive feedback about the administrative team from my source in the school, and I’m giving myself permission to feel a little hopeful about my chances of coming off favorably tomorrow.  It’s not conceit for me to say that I’m very good at what I do, I love the students and have more to offer them than just the material, and I’m invested in being the very best teacher I can possibly be

This isn’t just a job for me; it’s a calling.  I’m pretty sure I can make that clear when I meet the administrators tomorrow (in my cute linen trousers and sleeveless knit top…).

All offers of luck, confidence, and good energy are gratefully and humbly accepted.

SO?! How Did it GO?!

Apparently, it went really, REALLY well!

I got moderately dressed up (for those who care, I wore a cute blue plaid sleeveless dress with a flow-y white swing sweater and super-comfy blue suede flats) and got to the school about 20 minutes early, so I sat in my car, breathing and playing solitaire on my phone.  At about 5 minutes to 11, I walked to the building and checked in.  I was shown to a conference room and waited for a few minutes for the assistant principal to come in.

He greeted me warmly and explained that the other teachers would be joining us shortly.  The lead English teacher, who’s been a blog buddy for about 7 years (Hi, Chatty!), made an enthusiastic entrance with a huge smile, followed by the social studies teacher, who was friendly but a bit more reserved.  The science teacher was off on a field trip, “tromping around a pond” doing research with the kids about the ecology of a local body of water.  She came in just a few minutes later.

The AP did most of the talking.  He talked about the structure of the team, the incredible book purchases he’s made this year for the freshman and sophomore classes, and the philosophy and goal of the school.  He looked me in the eye and gave every indication that he’s wholly invested in seeing this experiment succeed.  I got the distinct impression that he’s a very supportive administrator.

They’re functioning as a collaborative environment where teachers actually work together (and those of you who’ve been with me for any length of time know that’s exactly what I’m looking for).  The AP emphasized the freedom that the teams have to structure not only the curriculum, but the way that time gets spent (though I’m going to have to see it in action to really understand what that means in terms of the practical application).

Everything he said sounded great, but I found myself staying quiet; I was worried about coming off as too eager.

I talked a little bit about some good lesson plans (specifically, about how much I love to teach Frankenstein, and the ways in which I combine TKaM, The Book Thief, and Letter from a Birmingham Jail).  I talked about how I always seem to fall into the role of teacher, how important social justice issues are to me both personally and professionally, and about how my entire paradigm is rooted in collaboration.  Oh, and that I’m a goddess in the kitchen.

I left feeling pretty good – not great, but pretty good – about how I did.  I felt better when Chatty sent me a message telling me that she thought it went well, too.  I felt even better when I got a call, about 20 minutes ago, asking me to come in for a second interview on Friday.

 

This might actually happen, You Guys!

 

On the Eve

For the first time in more than a year, I have my first real interview for a job tomorrow at 11.

I’m finding I’m feeling the oddest combination of wicked excited and incredibly anxious.  I started having the weird anxiety dreams a couple of nights ago (had ‘em again this morning, too), and I’m actually stressing out about what to wear.

Me, stressing out about what to wear.  If you knew me in real life, you’d know that this was a sign that all is not entirely well.  Chili almost never stresses about what to wear; it’s just not what I do.  Here I am, though, worrying about finding the balance between professional and casual, classic and fun, pretty and comfortable.  Trousers or a skirt?  Capri pants or a dress?  Sleeveless and a jacket, or a button-down blouse?  Plain or patterned; colors or black and white?  And, oh, GOD, which shoes?!

It’s utterly ridiculous, and I need to stop.

For all that, though, I’m going in with no small amount of confidence.  The person who’s lead English teacher on the team has known me online for going on 7 years now, and in that time has had full access to all my blogs and my facebook page, so she knows exactly who I am and what’s important to me.  I also know – in a way that is not at all arrogant or conceited – that I am damned good at what I do.  I know it’s cliche to say that someone would be an asset to whichever outfit is smart enough to hire them, but I really feel like I have something valuable and important to offer.  Knowing these things is helping to buoy me.

So, should I wear the diamond earrings, or the pearls?

Quick Hit: I Got a Hit!

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!

I got a response to an application, You Guys!

I’ve got an appointment for an initial interview at a high school on the 28th!!

As of right now, I’m feeling the strangest combination of exhilaration, reticence, and naked panic.  I want, so badly, to be excited about this possibility, but I’m afraid to let myself go too crazy because I know what the odds are like of my actually getting this position.  I’m also worried about the interview; I’ve only had one (for a job I didn’t get) and when I asked the department head for feedback about that interview, I never heard back.  I have no idea if I did or said something that put them off, and I’m terrified of doing it again.

It’s going to be a LONG two weeks.

Quick Hit: Don’t Hold Your Breath

“Thanks so much for applying! Due to a high volume of applicants, we may not be able to respond personally. We appreciate your enthusiasm for our company and the time you’ve taken to reach out to us.”

Translation?

“Your resume and application have been shot into the ether, never to be seen by human eyes again. Have a nice day.”

How’s the Job Search?

I have a very dear friend who teaches at a local-ish school.  I sent in a resume packet a few weeks ago in answer to a position that was posted on the website for an English teacher.  Given that I have connections in the school (my friend, and I graduated from there), I thought my chances for an interview were at least fairly decent.

I emailed my friend this morning to ask if I should reach out to the department head in an email.  I’m never sure if sending personal notes comes off as self-assured and professional or harassing and needy, and I wanted to get a feel for what she thought I should do.  She emailed me back with this news:

Dan started interviews yesterday and I asked him if you were given a interview and he said no.  I’m appalled by the way it’s happening.  One young intern from last year who has been teaching all year as permanent sub in a 9th grade classroom was mortified by the way he was interviewed last night by the English teachers.  He was quite upset about it.

I’ll find out more when my friend and I meet for dinner – I’m sure she’ll have a lot to say about this – but in the meantime I’m left with a couple of conflicting feelings.   I’m upset, naturally; what is it about my packet that was so deficient I didn’t even merit a call back?  Going back to my last post about professional courtesy (or, rather, the obscene lack of it), I wonder at the same time whether I want to work for a place that can’t even be minimally decent to job seekers (and I suspect that this feeling will be reinforced by my friend’s retelling of the intern’s experience).

This whole process sucks hard.

What Ever Happened to Professional Courtesy?

A few months ago, I applied to be a long-term sub at a local school.  I didn’t get the gig (it went to the intern working under the teacher who was leaving, which makes perfect sense to me), but after I got word that I’d been passed over, I sent a polite, professional email to the department head asking for feedback about my interview.  When I didn’t hear anything back from her (which seemed incongruous, given the impression she gave me when we met), I re-sent the email (with a preface saying I wasn’t sure it sent correctly the first time, to let her save face).  I have yet to hear a peep back.

Then, a few weeks ago, I caught wind of a job opening at a different nearby school district.  I put together a packet of all the things the posting asked for, crafted a solid cover letter, put everything in a professional folder, put that in a nice envelope, put on some nice clothes, and drove the packet to the district office.  That afternoon, I followed up on the delivery with a short, polite note to the principal of the school in question, introducing myself, directing him to my website, and making myself available at his convenience to meet or talk on the phone.

Here’s what I want to know; just how fucking hard is it to hit “reply” and send back a quick “thank you for your interest in our school; I look forward to reading your resume” note?  Not that hard, one would think, but I’ve gotten precisely bupkis from this guy.  Nothing.  Are you old enough to remember getting post card confirmations that your resume had been received by personnel offices?  Yeah; that doesn’t happen anymore, either.

Flapping in the breeze is a very uncomfortable feeling.  I get that the market is flooded, and I get that employers can afford to be dismissive and impolite to job seekers, but that doesn’t make it right.  At the very least, let us know that our resumes got to someone’s desk and please, if someone sends you a personal email, do them the basic courtesy of a brief reply.  So many of us are putting our hearts out on the block for impossibly long stretches of time; don’t further demoralize us by ignoring our communications and pretending we don’t exist.