Editor Notes: I recently saw on Facebook a post from a long-time colleague and friend of mine that she recently did a job search while expecting her first child. I thought this would be a neat topic to share with my readers and Kara graciously agreed. She wrote about her professional development journey below and here is her story.
While I was six months pregnant, my husband was relocated for his job which meant I had to start looking for a new job upon arriving in our new city. Did I start looking while I was still in my current city; well yes, and I did have an interview; two actually with the same university, but neither was the right fit.
I had a phone interview prior to leaving my current city for a job in higher education and 10 days after arriving I had an in person interview with two people. I was confident going into the meeting but was later told they were looking for someone with more experience. It was a bummer to hear, however, I kept my chin high and continued to look for the right fit.
Also prior to leaving my current city, I had a phone interview with a non-profit was told they were waiting to hire until the third quarter and they would follow up with me in a few months. Upon arriving to our new city; I reached out to the non-profit and expressed my interest in the position. I was told they would like to bring me in, in the next few weeks. A couple weeks went by so I followed up with a phone call with the HR rep and left a message. I also received an email from the HR rep thanking me for applying for the position, indicating that they had restarted their recruiting efforts and was writing to see if I was still interested in pursuing this opportunity and thanking me for my interest and flexibility. With that I had called; expressed my interest and never heard back until a month later, via email, stating in light of our current organizational requirements; they reopened the search to find a candidate best suited to their needs and wished me the best in my search and transition to a new city. Not too much of a bummer at this point since I had been interviewing…
Upon arriving to our new city; I had first round phone interviews with six different employers, five follow up phone interviews, three in person interviews, two follow up in person interviews and two offers of employment. Both offers were great opportunities and I chose the opportunity that best fit me personally, professionally and for the first time, what was best for me and my family. It was also evident that upon showing up to my first interview where I ultimately accepted the position; being greeted and spoken to while I waited was not only genuine but how everyone took pride in providing the best experience to those who walked through the doors and I wanted to be somewhere where I was part of helping to create the best possible experience for everyone involved.
Kara Fiala (Smith) recently accepted the Director of Stewardship and Advancement Services at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA. Prior to joining Episcopal, Kara spent time with the YMCA of San Diego County, the University of San Diego Department of Athletics, DePaul University and the Chicago Bears Football Club. Hobbies- Kara finished the Ironman Lake Tahoe in 2013, Boston Marathon in 2012, finished Ironman Arizona in 2011 and competed D-I gymnastics back in the day.
The Two-Minute Mom 