Hi all! I am SO excited that I have an in person interview for a job that could be a fantastic fit for me. I had a phone interview today and did well enough that she wants to meet me, yay! Of course, after I hung up I thought of all the things I could have/should have said, lol. At least I'll get a chance, which is a nice benefit of the multi-interview process.
Anyway, I got my BS in Public Admin in 2008 and starting wohm full time in 2009. My jobs have been with the government and fairly short term, a bit over a year with the State Workforce Services, then I went to Federal employment and have worked at two different agencies, again, a bit over a year each. There was a chunk of time, 2000-2009, where I was mainly a sahm but did have a part time job as a Literacy Program Coodrinator and I also did professional foster parenting.
So, this job is a program coordinator for a non profit that provides counseling to children who have lost a parent. They also provide support groups for the families of the children. I was able to write a good enough cover letter to show that I've had the needed experience in working with children, the outreach/public affairs (did a ton while working for the State), I created and taught workshops, did lots of public speaking and presentations, etc. I've had course work in Child Development/Psychology as well as all the hands on experience with fostering. I think I relayed that fairly well in the phone interview.
Anyway, one of the questions she had was why my jobs were short, and I was honest (I'm just starting my career, there were stability issues with the State, etc). I told her that the real reason I am looking for a job, when I have a good job and great benefits, is that I want to be in my local community, and that I have absolutely no passion for my job (healthcare admin). I want a job where I am making more of a "hands on" difference in my own backyard, and one that is multi-faceted and will grow and change, which this job will do.
I am SO darn nervous because this job would be such a good fit, and I could finally stop commuting (one hour each way). It's exactly what I want to be doing; helping children and families, community outreach, fundraising, etc. I love all of that and I'm good at it! I am not so good at interviews. In fact, it has take a lot of bad interviews to get me competent, lol. And I'm used to government interviews, which for me have been totally different than this interview today. So advice, tips, energy?
Anyway, I got my BS in Public Admin in 2008 and starting wohm full time in 2009. My jobs have been with the government and fairly short term, a bit over a year with the State Workforce Services, then I went to Federal employment and have worked at two different agencies, again, a bit over a year each. There was a chunk of time, 2000-2009, where I was mainly a sahm but did have a part time job as a Literacy Program Coodrinator and I also did professional foster parenting.
So, this job is a program coordinator for a non profit that provides counseling to children who have lost a parent. They also provide support groups for the families of the children. I was able to write a good enough cover letter to show that I've had the needed experience in working with children, the outreach/public affairs (did a ton while working for the State), I created and taught workshops, did lots of public speaking and presentations, etc. I've had course work in Child Development/Psychology as well as all the hands on experience with fostering. I think I relayed that fairly well in the phone interview.
Anyway, one of the questions she had was why my jobs were short, and I was honest (I'm just starting my career, there were stability issues with the State, etc). I told her that the real reason I am looking for a job, when I have a good job and great benefits, is that I want to be in my local community, and that I have absolutely no passion for my job (healthcare admin). I want a job where I am making more of a "hands on" difference in my own backyard, and one that is multi-faceted and will grow and change, which this job will do.
I am SO darn nervous because this job would be such a good fit, and I could finally stop commuting (one hour each way). It's exactly what I want to be doing; helping children and families, community outreach, fundraising, etc. I love all of that and I'm good at it! I am not so good at interviews. In fact, it has take a lot of bad interviews to get me competent, lol. And I'm used to government interviews, which for me have been totally different than this interview today. So advice, tips, energy?