We are looking to hire a full-time teacher in the ELA program at work. It’s a committee decision, the qualifications are pretty clearly laid out for the job, and the process is pretty easy to find out about if you read up on the job at HR. We have a pool of adjuncts who work for us, some of whom are applying for the job. Many are hungry for full-time work, and I can certainly appreciate that. I’ve been a part-timer myself. The question becomes this: How do you exude confidence without overwhelming your perspective employer in the wrong direction? Here are some potential mistakes that folks can make.
You can see the obvious cross-over for artists submitting their work, right?
Some suggestions of things for me to remember in their writerly variants for the future:
1. Be professional. Submit through proper channels. Follow the guidelines, which are easy to get to in HR. Don’t apply for the job if you really don’t meet the requirements. Don’t apply for the job you think exists–apply for the job we’ve described to you.
2. Don’t ask to be the exception. The college requires an MA. If you don’t have it, this is probably not your time to apply, regardless of your overseas experience. If you have never taught ELA, you might think twice about applying.
3. Don’t assume you are the best teacher I’ve ever seen. There are a lot of good teachers, and no doubt, many of them have applied for this job. If you’re a good teacher and you’re working for me, assume I know it. I’m a fairly perceptive administrator. I know who’s up and coming.
4. Don’t be too aggressive. Drawing my attention to your accomplishments can get annoying if it is constant.
5. Please don’t assume that I make the decision alone. This is a committee decision made by 4 people, mostly so it is fair and balanced.
6. Don’t tell me gossip you’ve heard about other positions. Don’t ask me to give you insider knowledge. Be dignified and classy. Otherwise often boomerangs.
7. Be confident, but also be realistic and be modest. Be sincere. Or, maybe, seem sincere.
8. Make the application about more than just yourself. Make it center on the job, and how you can succeed in it. What can you do for us? (This one is tricky with books. I’d say focus on the book rather than what you can do for the agent or publisher.)
Making a decision where you only get to choose one out of the many is difficult, and it’s not personal. Good candidates, like good stories, will be turned away. We do our best to get someone who is a good fit, but we can’t get everyone who would be a good fit. Trying to ingratiate yourself, or being too oily can backfire as much as under-confidence.
I know it isn’t easy being an editor, an agent, or even a publisher. For the next month, you’ll all be getting my sympathy for the difficult work you do, because even though we get to hire one person, we have to reject around 29. That ain’t easy in terms of the human condition. It is, however, unavoidable when you can afford one.
I’m out of here so I can go write.
Catherine
