I have a secret I’ve been keeping from you all. I recently applied for a very high-level role in academic administration. While I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go into academic admin, the job description sounded like it was written specifically for me. It was in perfect alignment with my skills, talents, and interests. I had to go for it.
I made it through multiple rounds of interviews, making it to the top 3 who interviewed in the final round for the role. And a couple of weeks ago, I got the call – they decided to go in another direction.
At first, I was disappointed, of course. I had really prepared for this interview. I’d done everything right! I’d bought a new suit (it’s not common to wear full suits in my current position, and though I own a couple of suits, one is too small and one is too large – a testament to my fluctuating waistline across the last decade – ha! So I bought a brand new one in my current size). I also paid to have my resume printed on high-quality paper so I could pass it out during face-to-face interviews. I even created and printed an Impact Report I’d made to show my accomplishments during my time in my current role. I really prepared for the interview, practicing my responses to questions I may encounter, and thinking about what I would bring to the role. I think I made a good impression, and I could tell that the committee, and later higher-ups, were impressed with my responses. I followed up after the interview with personal emails to the hiring committee and thanked them for their time and efforts.
