Road Trip

Yesterday, I went on a little road trip to visit another college campus to personally deliver an application. I’d never been to this town in a neighboring county about forty minutes away–and the campus is tiny! In fact, I almost missed the turn. There was no welcome center here and no guard who mistook me for a solicitor. I parked my car underneath tall trees and took one of the walking paths to the building that houses HR. While most of the buildings have the architectural charm of institutional sixties, there is so much green on this campus that this short visit was nonetheless enjoyable. The HR specialist was not in, but the very friendly receptionist took my envelope. I immediately liked this campus because of its size and the way the buildings are nestled into all those trees–as if they were an afterthought or as if nature has grown at a much faster rate than the college.

I’ve been thinking about the pros and cons of personally delivering applications to HR departments. If the colleges or companies are within driving distance, “showing face” always seems like a good move. I suppose that I’m secretly hoping they remember my awesome personality, and I imagine the HR employee or the receptionist who took my paperwork later telling the hiring manager that I made a really great first impression…then again, by the same token, this could backfire. What if somebody doesn’t like my nose or the shirt I’m wearing? Ultimately, of course, I hope that turning in my application paperwork demonstrates that I took the trouble, the time, and the extra thirty-five miles to make sure that my resume reached its destination and that this attention to detail will be recognized as such and added to my “pro” side. Plus, optimistically speaking, if I get asked for an interview, I’m already somewhat familiar with the area.

This weekend, I will have to tweak my resume for a non-teaching position at yet another private university. The job description sounded fairly complex and quite interesting as it requires a whole range of activities. I’m sure tons of people will apply, so I’m going to give it my usual best. If I manage my time well, I might even be able to add a document to my Visual CV.

Three down, two to go.