I think 2021 taught me one of the greatest lessons… to dare to just be ME and to take up a space. For this blog, I am going to tell you all about my journey to landing my first “REAL” big mujer job. I hope this enlightens those out there trying to figure out what to do with their lives or simply on the job market and feeling overwhelmed. Let’s dive in! So, in August 2021 I began to really reflect on what I had learned in the 1st year of Society for Research on Child Development Federal Policy Postdoctoral Fellowship. And this reflection led me to realize how adaptable I am as a person and researcher. For all of those that do not know, my research interests actually focus on the academic experiences of Latinx adolescents and young adults, and yet here I was doing a 360 and diving into the early childhood world! When I interviewed for the fellowship, I honestly doubted that I would even get the fellowship given my interests, but I was committed to a non-academic career and really want to learn about policy spaces especially in terms of advocating for Latinx populations by leveraging research, policy, and practice. And I knew that the fellowship would be PERFECT despite the developmental stage of focus not being exactly what I was doing. Being placed at the Office of Head Start made this experience even more perfect because I was working for a federal program office that once benefitted me (you know being a Head Start alum) and that supports many Latinx children. This reflection made me realize how much of asset I could be for many agencies or organizations given my ability to pivot my researcher hat and apply my skills in diverse ways and then to top that off the fellowship has helped me translate research to policy and practice, which I feel pushes me to whole another level. As I had been reflecting, I had also begun to look up job openings to get an idea what was out there and where I could envision myself going in Fall 2022 when my fellowship would end. At the time, I was committed and believed that I would stay in the federal government because I had been dreaming of being a civil servant. I knew federal jobs took a while to get hired so I started applying for job openings that I saw a fit with my skills, interests, and my reflection. If you know anything about federal jobs, you have to make sure your resume matches the key words in job announcement and that the qualifications that you note in the questionnaire, also align with your resume in order to be deemed qualified. I had been applying and for many jobs, but I was not “qualified” based on the automatic ratings. So, I kept trying because I knew I would eventually be “qualified” for one of these jobs, but at the same I had not completely shut down the idea of working outside of the government. Because I think I learned working for the feds full time that there was still a world of research with the think tanks that I had not delved into yet and could learn a lot from. This is when I came across a job at a research firm with a focus on education, K-12 and higher education precisely. And I forgot to mention that as part of my reflection I realized I wanted to go back to research with adolescents and higher ed. So, when I saw the job opening, I was like why not, there’s nothing to lose, right? Your girl applied. Fast forward a few weeks, the organization hit up your girl for the screener interview. At this point, I was like this is just the first step so nothing to be too excited about. I did the screener interview and I answered all the questions to the best of my ability. I will admit that some of the questions stumped me because screener interviews tend to be very formulaic. After the interview was complete, I had no idea what would happen given that I felt neutral about how it went. Another few weeks went by; I made the second interview. I was stunned because I had no idea how I did on the initial interview! At this time, I was like well I need to start thinking about how I envisioned Lorena at this organization because all my mentors kept reminding me that these interviews were as much about them seeing if I was fit as, it was for me to learn if the organization was a good fit for me. I interviewed… the experience was amazing. I felt like all I had to was be myself. I felt comfortable taking up space (even in this virtual room) and bringing my full self in. I was completely honest about all my responses to the questions. Even when I didn’t have experience doing certain things, I was able to be honest and talk about how I have the skills and experiences to learn! The interview felt like bi-directional conversation and the only other time I felt this way was when I interviewed for the SRCD Postdoctoral Fellowship and that’s when it hit me, I really needed to consider this organization. I was SO SHOCKED because I was convinced, I was staying in the federal government, but I could not ignore my gut and the good feeling I had about this position. PLOT TWIST!! Right after I interviewed with job #1 at the research firm, I got hit up by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for two different jobs. I was like WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE UNIVERSE. I interviewed two days later for job #2 and a week later for job #3 at ED. Job #2 was clearly not a good fit and I think both the interviewers and I felt that in the interview, which was okay. That is another important lessoned I learned during this process, you could be qualified for a job and even then, it may not be a good fit and you will know when that happens, it’s a gut feeling. Job #3 interview went better! It wasn’t an exact fit, but there was better alignment and I could potentially see myself doing the job. After I completed the all the interviews, I heard from the research firm, I made it to the job talk!! I was like woahhh. Let’s do this!! I did my job talk and it went amazing. I knew as I presented my job talk that my passion really does lie in doing work at the intersection of research, policy, and practice and how this organization may actually be the best place for me to continue to blossom into a poderosa Latina scientist. Meanwhile, ANOTHER PLOT TWIST! I mentioned to a mentor of mine that I was moving forward with these job prospects and my mentor wanted me to interview for the organization they work for, and so I did. I interviewed and presented a job talk for them too. In the interim of all this, I land job #1 with the first research firm AND I land job #3 with ED!! I was like SO SURPRISED because never in million years did, I imagine this, especially with all the crap I went through in grad school and all the crap that people would say and project onto me during that journey. But now I know that anytime anyone says or does anything negative around me it’s really a reflection of their own internal state and says nothing about me. Remember that, it will save you a lot of pain and heartache. Ultimately, I was wheeling and dealing with 3 job offers because my mentor’s organization also wanted to hire me. And this when I entered a space I had never experienced, the negotiations. ED was the highest paying and had 12 weeks paid parental leave which is something to consider given my personal goals, but I was not excited about the job itself and I knew that in my gut. Job #1 with the research firm was my top choice because about how the whole process went, competitive pay, and some parental leave as well. I mean this organization even during the negotiation stage answered all my questions, gave me ample time to make a decision, and even offered to talk through my options to make sure I made an informed decision. I think that in itself speaks volumes about the organization on top of all the great things I heard from all my contacts there. The final option was with my mentor, which was also awesome given the projects I could lead there. What DO I DO? I was asking myself… I went back to Job #1 and asked if they could match the salary for Job #3 at ED. At first, they didn’t want to, given pay equity, which I totally get, but I also wanted to make more than I am making now. And the first offer was pretty much the same amount I make now. I was advised to ask for more and advocate given the unique experiences I have. I asked and I received. I will admit it was very uncomfortable especially as a first-generation woman of color, but I know what I deserve. SO now the job offers were pretty comparable except for the parental leave, but even when I talked to folks at the research firm, they have had very amazing experiences with it so I felt comfortable even it was less. And with my mentor it came down to that they couldn’t match my two other pay offers and well I was shooting for more. After stressing myself out for DAYS, I already knew what my decision had come down to; I would be accepting job #1 with the research firm. And you know what’s funny my gut from the moment all the options showed up was telling me to choose Job #1. Like I already knew that when I tuned out the noise of the world around me. And that is the power of intuitions mis amigis, escucha more often! In the end, I ended where I least expect and even then, I am 100% sure that I made the right choice. I will start my new position in May 2022. I am excited for this new chapter because I know it will grow me in challenging, beautiful, and exciting ways. I am also excited to join an organization full of amazing researchers and all-around human beings. The lesson from this blog son estas:
Eso es todo everyone! I hope sharing these experiences enlightens you to chase after your dreams and apply for that job! Trust that the ideal position or career path will come along for you. And for those not in the job stage of the PhD journey I hope this reminds you that you don’t have to have it all figured out. It is okay to change your mind and keep figuring it out as you go. Just be you and a trust in yourself. Only you know yourself best! Paz y Poder, Lorena |
AuthorDr. Lorena Aceves unapologetically telling you the real deal about being brown in an academic world, but deciding she is going to be her authentic self and make her wildest dreams come true en esta vida! Archives
November 2022
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