In the last 5 weeks, I stayed in San Francisco with my grandparents in search for jobs. The month really flew and it was incredible in a sense how productive I was. I mean I was so productive that I actually was hard on myself for coming away from San Francisco without a job in hand. In a sense, I felt that I had failed even though deep down I knew that this was the reality- the job market sucks.
In the beginning, Zev made use of his contacts to set up informational meetings with some of the top people in the Jewish community. So I got to sit in front of Very Important People, including a museum director, a highly influential former museum director, and an executive director at one of the JCCs. I also got to speak with more people on the telephone in order for them to put in a good word for me and find other people to speak with. I had an opportunity to visit Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) downtown to ask questions about interviewing and find out about how to search for a job. As it turned out, I was already pretty much ahead (I already have Idealist.org, JewishJobs.com, AAM.org, and Hillel.org job pages on my bookmark toolbar that I click on everyday for new job postings).
As soon I started meeting people, I discovered a pattern. I am not going to say that they weren't too happy to have to give up some of their valuable time to meet with me only because Zev called them. Rather, I had to convince them that I was truly looking for a job with a very strong resume in my hand. Meeting with my thesis advisor clearly taught me to be prepared with thoughts and questions in order to make use of these people's valuable time so that they would be willing to help me out.
Zev often says the following speech: "I am calling to ask for a special favor. I have a granddaughter who just graduated from the University of Michigan with her masters in Judaic Studies/Jewish Studies. She is looking to go on for a doctorate in Jewish history. Right now she is looking for a job, so I am wondering if you could possibly meet with her?" Then he'll usually hand me the phone to speak to a complete stranger. I was forced to think on my feet! And avoid talking about getting a PhD in history because, really, I do want to take time off to get some field experience, especially that I am very interested in American Jewish History.
So... over the telephone, it usually meant I had to think up questions fast associated with THEIR organizations (Might it be JCC Association or something else) and create a sales pitch of my own. I am still refining it.
But in meetings, it's a different story. I immediately set myself apart from Zev and demonstrated that I had a very different attitude towards American Jewish community. It helped a lot that I was a very lovely and charming person as well. I tried to protray myself as a successful idealist who just wanted to help the community or public learn all about contemporary Judaism.
I often walked away with mixed emotions of hope, elation, and despair. Their positive impression of me gave me hope that there might be something for me down the road. I felt elated in making connections with these people who had terrific contacts in the Bay Area and elsewhere. Despair came to me when they told me that they didn't know of any job openings at the moment or near future.
I did improve my game each time because I wanted to strive for better, to be the best person possible. Type A personalities like me just never stop. I can't relax. I can't sit around and do nothing. I just have to be productive... if I'm not on a beach somewhere!
I have been working on my talks for why I want to work in a JCC or another Jewish organization. It was amazing to realize that in a way I didn't even need my degrees. I mean, what I learned in the classroom wouldn't necessarily translate to my job. All the skills and knowledge I attained for these jobs came from working in student organizations. No wonder why professors and college administrators admit that a lot of learning really takes places outside of the classroom. I could not have applied for any of these jobs had it not been for my decision to begin my Jewish journey, position on Colgate Jewish Union's executive board, times spent in Israel, and job at Michigan Hillel. I will have to re-strategize a bit for these new Hillel openings after realizing a few things while speaking with a regional director at Hillel Foundation.
The other thing I am learning from this process is not to underestimate my capabilities as a leader. I must take pride in what I have accomplished even though I always thought I should have done better. But those where the tasks I was assigned to and completed.
Lastly I want to say that I feel that my deafness or cochlear implant had no bearing on my ability to get a job or impress people. I was extremely surprised by how many people I was able to understand right away even though I have never heard their voices before. I used to have to meet people a few times in order to read their lips so that I could then understand their voices before going voice-only on the phone. I just think it's incredibly stunning because I still remember the time when I refused to talk on the phone or believed that I could only talk to my family members. I was deluded into thinking that as a deaf I should only rely on the TTY/Relay Service in order to communicate with the Hearing World. Clearly, I have proved myself wrong. Clearly I should have no fear in applying for jobs that will demand phone usage in which I had avoided in the past. Only one employer asked me directly about my position as a "deaf Jewish woman." I let it go only because A) I don't mind talking about my deafness and B) She actually knew my family and therefore already knew that I was doing well.
Onward to Week 8 of job-hunting.
Job Hunt Goals:
-Apply to 3 more Hillels
-Polish cover letter for a Museum... pretty long shot position
-Continue waiting on results of two job interviews
Productive Time Goals:
-Finish reading Princess: True Story of Life Behind a Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson (it's quite.. chilling!)
-Pick out materials for scrapbooking for photos from my trip with Mom back in 2007 when we went to Espana (how embarrassing how we still haven't done anything!)
-Start GRE prep- take a verbal exam and focus on prefixes and suffixes
Didn't I already say that I'm not a fan of idle time?
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