I've Hit a Snag...What Do I Do Now?
Hi Gents,
Some time ago I wrote a post about wanting to go back into teacher training, and while I still have my eye on that, I'm putting in applications elsewhere, especially in the local community college. Now in the past I have turned in my application and résumé in person, and that has gotten me more interviews than just mailing them in. Brett has a great post on taking the initiative. This past Tuesday I took my lunch break to dive into the truck, change into a shirt and sportcoat and arrive at the HR office with my application packet in hand only to find that nobody was available to take it. This is the first time I've had this happen, even in the summer semester. One lady in an adjacent office took the app and promised that she'd get it to the HR director the next day. So the next day I called the HR office during lunch, and still nobody was available to answer. Campus is closed on Friday, my only day off, so I've resorted to sending an email requesting confirmation that my app has been received and showing that I am serious about this new job opportunity. Any advice on further action would be much appreciated.
The position I'm applying for is a purchasing/receiving agent, but I'm more interested in moving around the community college to develop my professional skills and possibly working toward my Master's degree so I can move further up the ladder. If I don't get into the public school system, my other choice I want to achieve is to be a college professor of mathematics.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael D. Denny on -
um. Go back with another application package when the appropriate person is in the office.
Is there something I am not understanding?
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Permalink Reply by Paul Sappington on -
I guess I left out some details while trying to be too concise. The problem I'm having is that the HR faculty is not there during the hours that they're supposed to be, even during the summer semester. My lunch break is scheduled at 1:00 p.m. at my current workplace in the grocery store, and Human Resources for the college is normally closed at 4:00 p.m. Except for lunch, I'm at work the entire time that the HR office is open, so 1-2 p.m. is the only window I have. I've applied to two other positions in the past, one of them being last summer, and this is the first time I've run into this problem. And I haven't been willing to risk violating my store's strict cell-phone policy quite yet, but I may if I have to hide behind the building pretending to throw out the trash.
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Permalink Reply by Rebekah on -
Options:
1. Forget the in-person application thing and just mail your application.
2. Take my advice below and have someone you know in the organization delivery your application.
3. Take a vacation day to deliver the application in person whenever the right person is available.
And thank you for your window into how people who work full time manage errands. Even as a professional, for my first 3 years at my job, I was terrified to take 2 minutes to schedule a doctor's appointment or handle a personal banking error.
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Permalink Reply by Michael D. Denny on
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Understood. I guess I just did not see what the dilemma was. I would say the best thing to do is find out when the person you need to see will be in, and catch them at their desk.
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Permalink Reply by David F. on -
If you want the job you may simply need to take a day off to ask for it.
As the saying goes it takes money to make money. In this case you may need to take a slight pay cut / leave hours to try to get a better job.
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Permalink Reply by Rebekah on
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A follow-up e-mail was the right step.
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General recommendation for entry-level jobs: Better even than delivering your application in person is having it delivered by someone already in the organization. You do this by networking. It's a long and complicated process, but it's how most people get jobs.
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This stuff with the community college: "up the ladder" from purchasing/receiving agent with a Master's is with a MBA. Purchasing/receiving agent is an administrative job, unrelated to teaching. You seem to be contemplating very different careers. One is desk jobs. The other is teaching.
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What it takes to teach high school and below in your area, I don't know. Sometimes high school requires a master's in the subject or in education. Usually grade school teachers just need bachelor's. College professors need at least master's in the fields they teach, and usually need doctorates.
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I note there are master's in college administration now, if you want a degree possibly directly related to being a purchasing agent for a community college.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Sappington on
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Thanks for your input. I understand that the purchasing agent is an administrative position, and honestly, I'm hoping just to get my foot in the door and move around within the college structure. The college I'm applying to has administrators who also teach (one of my psychology classes comes to mind). I wouldn't mind working two jobs in the community college. I attended this college and served as a tutor in introductory chemistry. Positions that I had applied to in the past were biology/chemistry lab assistant (full-time, got two interviews before one person beat me out at the final step) and mathematics tutor (part-time, eliminated after the first interview). My skill set can cut across several departments at the entry level. I have a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics, and right now, moving out of my rural Southeast Missouri area is not a feasable option.
Now as far as high school teaching goes, I have another post in this category already, and I'm still exploring that option if this college job doesn't play out well. I originally was a secondary education major who dropped out and finished my degree in applied math without certification. I deeply regret that mistake. If I can land a job in one of the school districts in my area, I can qualify for an alternative certificate in Missouri that allows me to teach and take classes at the same time.
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