Career Advancement

Mentoring

Mentoring is a valuable tool which can be used to focus and cultivate future leaders. It provides professionals with a safe-zone to explore concepts, questions strategies, and explore career possibilities.   The Alliance matches accomplished professionals with rising leaders; mentors are faculty and staff of the doctorate in community college leadership program, members of the program advisory board, and advisors the Alliance. To discuss options for mentorship, please contact [email protected].

Preparing for a Job Search

To prepare for your job search, you must first begin by asking yourself key questions such as: Am I confident of my educational and leadership philosophies, or should I prepare more for the search? What position best uses my skills and experiences? What college environment is best suited for my style and approach? Am I willing to relocate and broaden my geographic options? And, what type of position will enable me to reach my ultimate career goal?

Continue to assess your abilities, options, and goals during this search. Also, start identifying a network of colleagues who may be helpful to you—either as door-openers or as references. Keep these trusted individuals aware of your goals…and at the same time, use your professional judgment about broadcasting your job search.   If you are currently employed, you may choose to be more discrete.

Identify the colleges that fit the description of your ideal employer…continue to monitor their websites for openings.   Remember that successful searches take time and require a great deal of patience, commitment, and positivity.

Dr. Dana M. Zimbleman wrote a series of articles entitled The Community College Job Search. One article can be found at The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The following links are provided as they provide current and a wide array of position postings.

• American Association of Community Colleges Career Center
• Association of Community College Trustees
• Community College Week
• Inside Higher Education
• Higher Ed Jobs
• Pauly Group
• Goldhill Associates

 

During your job search, making a first impression begins with an effective cover letter and resume. A cover letter should be a professionally written letter that states your interest in the position and identifies, in broad terms, the skills and attributes you would bring to the position. The communication style, tone, and language used in these materials should reflect who you are as a professional. Write with clarity, succinctly, and in terms that evoke interest in who you are and what you have to offer. Avoid trendy terms.

HigherEdJobs offers many career tips, sample cover letters, and resume writing strategies.

• Most frequently asked job interview questions.
• Broad overview to interview questions, listen to this link for helpful techniques.
• Additional information offered by School of Education - University of Wisconsin-Madison.