Episode 6: Views from My Recent Interviews

Whoa. Has it really been 6 weeks since my last article covering my reentry into and circuitous journey through the #jobmarket? If you have just joined me, the entire series appears here. This episode is the first to dive into the late-stage interviews that combined with a simultaneous household move are the primary reasons for my LinkedIn hiatus. Takeaways and free advice from all 3 distinctly different experiences follow.

Public University President

It had been over 5 years since I last saw my name in a media release of presidential finalists, and the friendly butterflies and nervous energy I remembered from back then almost immediately returned as I prepared for a visit to the Pacific Northwest.

• On the night before my flight out of Iowa, I recorded a podcast. It was exactly what I needed to relax ahead of the two stamina-testing days ahead. I highly recommend scheduling some “you time” prior to a final interview sequence. If you spend all your time researching and finding new rabbit holes to explore about your prospective employer, you will not be nearly as focused, prepared, and fresh as you may think.
• As with every consultant-supported search, I asked at the outset whether it would go public at some point. I recommend you do the same if you are considering senior leadership roles at #highereducation institutions—public and private—where your name may appear in the late stages of the search in multiple traditional and social media outlets, you may in advance of your visit receive calls and emails for comments and headshots, and portions of your campus visit may be recorded and posted.
• In my thank-you note to the board chair and search committee I mentioned that I counted my visit to Oregon among my all-time best interview experiences. Each segment built upon the previous one, ample time was allowed for reciprocal question and response, down time for reenergizing and head clearing was perfectly timed, and the hospitality, #communication, responsiveness, and professionalism were unparalleled. Search committees everywhere should take a page out of their playbook.

Private Foundation President

I have written previously in this series about the time I have taken to discern, rethink, and explore my career trajectory and whether I should consider roles outside of #highered. So, when the #leadership profile for a foundation presidency arrived in my inbox, I had to take that proverbial second look which has since turned into a 5-part interview sequence.

• Paring my 7-page curriculum vita down to a 2-page resume was something I had not done in a while. Keep that in mind as you explore careers within or outside of higher education where your publications, research, courses taught, and other voluminous bullet points are likely of lesser interest to the hiring supervisor/team than 2-3 key accomplishments from each stop in your career. I have personally been energized by discussing my career through new perspectives. As one board member shared, “We’ll be hiring you or someone like you for how you think, not where you’ve been. We need the best brain for the job.”
• If you are considering foundation work, diving into IRS Form 990s is essential practice both prior to the application process and in preparation for interviews. I have read dozens of them in both my paid work and volunteer service over the years, but if you are not yet familiar with how to read a 990, fear not. The Library of Congress site provides easy-to-understand guides to help you focus on the must-read sections, questions you will want to ask in an interview, and information that may lead you to decide (not) to apply. A foundation’s own website and mission is simply not enough to go on.
• Foundations are in the business of raising money—individual and corporate donations, grants, gifts of stock and real estate, planned giving (estate gifts)—so be ready to discuss in detail and with many examples how your real and/or related experience poises you to ensure the organization’s continued success and resiliency in today’s competitive environment where changes to the tax code, political pressures, and donors’ ability to give are daily considerations for foundation leaders.

Higher Education Association Vice President

Like the other two, this interview experience has not only been positive but also stretched my beliefs about what I could and should be doing next. In the initial interview I was asked about my Twitter profile: What do you mean by, “In the story of my life I am not the main character?” The abridged version of my answer is that nearly all the work I do now is not to advance my career but rather in service to the people with whom I get to work and those we serve and for an organization and mission greater than us all.

• Like the chief of staff role for which I was a finalist a couple of months ago, this is one that comes with zero direct reports and dozens of projects, communications, relationships, and other duties as assigned. If you are used to having and might miss a team that is “yours” to supervise, evaluate, and develop, be sure to approach positions like this one with your eyes wide open. In this instance, my exploration of the workplace culture, employee engagement, and cross-functional teamwork have been essential to my proceeding with an application and the interviews to date.
• Again, transferable skills matter. I was asked to provide samples of my professional writing to include email, speaking notes, and presentations, and signed off on a deep dive social media background check which will look at my posts across multiple platforms and how I appear in others’ social media about me. This is a VP role that often stands in for the organization and the CEO which provides a reminder of how the profiles, personal brands, and reputations we build over decades can go under the spotlight during a job search and influence the outcome.
• On a virtual call with the search advisory committee, I recognized several familiar faces, which briefly triggered a desire to be more casual and conversational, but the purpose for our meeting fortunately kept that in check. As the interview unfolded, each skipped a formal introduction and instead briefly noted our preexisting relationship before asking their questions. That approach appeared to draw in other members outside our circle more naturally than had I tried to do it. Should you find yourself in a similar situation (perhaps as an internal candidate), let the circumstances guide you and allow things to unfold from the other side of the table or computer monitor.

That’s all for now from my new desk and new locale and with the same 4 dogs sprawled around the room. I hope you are enjoying and maybe even learning a little from these occasional articles, and for those of you who have requested my insights on responding to and weighing a #joboffer, let’s just say I am selfishly saving that installment for when I have one of my own to unpack with you.

In the meantime, keep those questions, comments, and ideas for future articles coming, and I will continue to keep my DMs open for the open-minded. I’ll see you soon.