Career Services Spotlight – Leland Clark, MSEd-HEA ’21, Student Affairs, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

What is your new job? How did you obtain it?
Last June, I assumed the role of Executive Director of Student Affairs at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, which is one of the six health sciences schools at the University of Pittsburgh. I oversee student services, admissions, student engagement, and academic advising. I applied directly through Pitt’s job board without any connection to the university, other than the fact that I’m a native Pittsburgher.

How long were you actively job seeking?
My previous employer shuttered in December 2020 as a result of COVID, and I was actively applying to jobs for a few months, while taking 3 classes simultaneously at Baruch. I applied for this position in early April, got the offer in May, and relocated from New York in June.

What was your job search strategy during this period?
Early 2021 was not a great time to be job searching in higher ed. Many institutions had hiring freezes in place, nobody was on campus, and vaccines were only just rolling out. I hit all the usual places every morning (Higheredjobs, Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.) and tried to submit 3 or 4 applications per week. I stayed in close touch with a few mentors, including the one who was assigned to me as part of the Executives on Campus mentorship program. I emailed frequently with Suzanne in the career office, and I leaned on my HEA classmates, who were a great source of support.

What do you think were the secrets to your success?
I was persistent, and I tried to always carry lessons with me from every experience. By the time I had my Pitt interviews, I had a lengthy document that I could refer to easily, with sections like, “times I helped a difficult student,” “times I mediated a conflict,” “times I disagreed with a supervisor,” etc. I got used to certain questions and had concise answers at hand. I always figured out who the hiring manager was before sending a cover letter, and I always sent personalized thank-you notes, including to any assistant who helped with scheduling. Before my Pitt interviews, I learned as much as possible about the school, the programs, and the people I would meet. This allowed me to ask very specific questions.

What advice do you have for job seekers out there?
I have a few pieces of advice:

• No matter how well you think an interview went, keep applying to other opportunities. It’s always a good idea to have more applications out there.
• Take any interview opportunity. If you’ve been out of the job search for a long time, assume that your first couple of interviews won’t be great. I was glad to have plenty of interviews behind me before I faced my Pitt interviews, which were intense.
• Don’t ramble in interviews. It’s easy to talk for too long when you’re nervous.
• Consider smaller markets outside of NYC. You might be a more interesting candidate for a higher position in a smaller city.
• Negotiate your offer! They won’t rescind it simply because you asked for more money, more PTO, a relocation stipend, etc. Every employer assumes you’re going to negotiate, so advocate for yourself.