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[highered7]

I could use some practical advice! I worked in higher ed for a total of 5 years--initially in development, but then promoted to the more academic side as the Director of Graduate Affairs for the College of Liberal Arts (The Dean I was working for new of my interest in this area).  Anyway,  I stayed in that job for about a year and half then left b/c the administration was drastically changing, and my staff became smaller and smaller.  I left knowing I wanted to return to higher ed (when things were more stable, if there was adequate staffing, etc), and decided to take a 6 month post as a Program Manager at a local arts non-profit (this was prearranged with the org.  i was simultaneously planning my large wedding so this job provided me w/ flexibility in my sched).

I'm now back on the market, and am having a lot of difficulty finding a job similar to the Director position.  I have an MA in the humanities.  I think my CV and cover letters are ok. But I'm just not getting my foot in the door anywhere! Not making it past HR! I am at a standstill and just dont' know what to do.  I have some contacts in higher ed, and they haven't been too helpful.  There are very few new postings at the local universities and colleges.  When I do find one that is interesting (maybe 1 job every two weeks)  I send my CV and cover letters using each school's HR procedures, usually follow-up 2-3 weeks later, but then nothing.  Any advice?

[zharkov]

I think part of the issue may be the time you spent on your last two jobs.  This is what your CV sounds like:

Program Manager -- 6 mos
Grad Director -- 1 year
Development Staff -- 4 years

I'd assume an HR person would wonder why you spent so little time on the last two jobs.  They may infer --wrongly -- that there is some problem, like you are a crook or a drunk or just plain incompetent or something like that.  I'd also say that you need to spend more than a year on a job to have it "count" as "real" experience.  That is, you need to go through at least one or two annual performance reviews. The exception would be if you were promoted.

You may want to use a functional resume/cv rather than a chronological one, but at least, make your story clear in your cover letter.

You should also see who is getting hired for the jobs you applied for. Do they have doctorates? More experience? Appear better networked and connected? Etc?

Your best strategy may be to aim lower, plan to spend at least two years at the job, and then set your sight for a higher level position.

[highered7]

Thanks for your comments.  I do agree that perhaps it my CV does look strange because I haven't spent more than 2 years in a position (Though I do have valid reasons). Anyway, How do I find out why I was not chosen?  I definitely would love to know the reasons.  For the most part, I'm dealing w/ a huge HR department.  In some cases, I know the name and e-mail of the person hiring, but is it appropriate to contact the person directly? 

I feel really misunderstood for some reason.  My former colleagues, friends, etc. tell me how "talented" I am. But I am starting to lose faith!  I guess one problem is that I obtained some high-level positions early on in my career (fresh out of graduate school).  It's been 5-6 years since I've graduated and I feel that I'm not where I thought I would be.

[zharkov]

Thanks for your comments.  I do agree that perhaps it my CV does look strange because I haven't spent more than 2 years in a position (Though I do have valid reasons). Anyway, How do I find out why I was not chosen?  I definitely would love to know the reasons.  For the most part, I'm dealing w/ a huge HR department.  In some cases, I know the name and e-mail of the person hiring, but is it appropriate to contact the person directly? 

I might suspect that the HR department is discarding your application because they think you are a "job jumper," and as I mentioned, may even think there is some nefarious reason you can't stay in a job for more than 2 years. 

It is also possible that one of your references isn't giving you a good shining recommendation.  Or that you've developed a bad reputation of some kind, even if it is not true.

It isn't usually considered appropriate to contact a hiring manager after the fact, but if you figure you have little to lose, then you can take the risk. Be advised that most hiring managers will not give you any useful feedback, but just tell you that someone more qualified was hired.  And, as I mentioned, if you can find out who was hired, and compare your qualifications against theirs, then you may be able to figure it out.

Going forward, you might want to sent your application to HR, but to also send a CC copy to the hiring manager, if you know who he or she it.




 

[cardamom]

I think zharkov has provided you with some good advice and I agree that part of the problem is your work history. Reworking your resume/CV and cover letter are a good idea. Even if you think these are in reasonable shape now, they're obviously not getting you any hits so it's worth at least revisiting them.

I also think you had a bit of good luck in getting the director slot you had. It is not all that common for development people to move into academic affairs positions, so your career trajectory may look odd to some people. If you're still trying for academic affairs positions, you probably should spend some time in your cover letter addressing this shift in your career and your qualifications for working in this area of administration.

Also, although you may well have the appropriate skills and talents to hold a director's post, I concur with zharkov that you may be aiming too high at this point in your career. Again, it sounds very much like you had some great luck in landing a position that you might not otherwise have been in the running for without your contact. This is not a criticism; it's great when things can work out that way for anyone. However, this past experience may have you setting your sights at a level for which you don't actually have the amount or type of experience that is being sought.

It sounds like some informational interviewing would be helpful for you in order to get some insights on what institutions in your area are looking for in the areas you're interested in. Since you don't mention the types of posts you're applying for, it's hard to offer more specific suggestions. Getting feedback from people who hold jobs in areas that interest you, however, is almost always helpful.

Finally, when applying for a position that you are very interested in, I think it rarely hurts to send a hard copy of your materials on nice paper to the person for whom you would be working or who is doing the hiring. Do this in addition to the usual online HR process since that is generally required and you do not want to give the impression that you can't follow instructions. In large systems that may not function well, this approach gives you at least a chance of being noticed without being obnoxious. 

[sibyl]

Zharkov and cardamom have given good advice.  You've had three jobs -- and three KINDS of jobs -- in five years in HE.  Your CV makes it difficult to think that you're interested in sticking on the academic side.  So you need to do more to demonstrate your commitment to academic affairs.  Which is difficult, and (as cardamom adds) hard to do without a very good connection.

If you can't get anywhere with the hiring manager, you can sometimes draw very good conclusions by finding out about the person who got hired.  If it turns out that the people who are getting these jobs all have Ph.D.s and years of experience at the institution, then that tells you something important about what you need to get that job.  I had a similar experience myself; after failing to get a few interviews I realized that I would have to finish my Ph.D. before I'd be taken seriously for the job I wanted.  I'm not saying that getting a doctorate is always the best option, mind you; only that you need to match up your aspirations with their expectations. 

Hang in there, and good luck.

The other factor, which is written all over these boards, is that once you restrict your job search to a specific city you limit your prospects and increase your search time, both rather dramatically.

[zharkov]

Just another brief thought....

Although you may certainly have talent, getting higher level positions means that you can provide evidence of accomplishments.