My job search advice:
1. Never give up, keep
applying.
2. Talk to your mentors and
references before, during, after the process. Stay in touch with them even if
it's just a random "hello" note.
3. You're going to fail, see
number one.
4. Your mileage may vary.
5. Consider options outside of
your intended goal. It may help you focus or help drive you harder in your
initial pursuit.
When you feel like no one is
going to call or respond. Apply for one more job then take a break. Even if
it's just 2 or 3 hours. I took a break for 5 days. In those 5 days, I rewrote
my cover letter, and took a personal inventory on why I wanted a new job. I
looked at some of the questions I had been asked in past interviews and saw
some excellent Men's NCAA volleyball in Long Beach. I talked to colleagues I
hadn't seen in a long time and being around the thing I loved most reaffirmed
that I was ready to make a move.
Fast forward a month later, I
have calls on top of calls, and interviews for my chosen work as a coach, and
back up work in healthcare and IT support. I put some of those IT and
healthcare jobs on the back burner and asked for their hiring timeframe. It
worked for me, so I kept chugging along and it paid off. I'm in Winston Salem,
NC working at Salem College as the Head Volleyball Coach and enjoying every
minute of it.
It happened quickly. I was
offered a job during a volleyball camp and I asked for a day or two to think on
it. I needed some time to compare salaries, cost of living, and challenges of
each program. I love solving problems and chose the most difficult (I think) of
the jobs that were offered to me. I knew I had an AD that was going to allow me
the time I needed to change the team culture and recruit the athletes I needed
to sustain those changes. I doubled down, found a place to live, sold my stuff,
packed up my compact car, and made the move over the course of 2 weeks. I had
been preparing for a move for three months prior. Now I finally had a date set.
The season began soon after my
move and today, I'm still living out of boxes although I know which box
contains toothpicks. It's been a trial by fire, and I've made some mistakes and
learned a lot about myself, my team, and my colleagues. We are now into
the homestretch of the season and I can confidently say that this is where I'm
supposed to be. Home.
