Career Path: Admiring the 'View

By Amy Derbedrosian

Job hunting can be stressful, but generally there are no surprising turns: If all goes well and everybody's happy-including you-the job is yours. If not, well, that's the end of the road.

Or perhaps not. Hiring is an imperfect process; you may not have received a job offer, but you weren't necessarily rejected. If you were impressed by the interviewers, chances are they came away feeling favorably toward you as well. Under these circumstances, I discovered, what seems like an ending can actually be a beginning instead.

A new beginning

In summer 2002, I was preparing to relocate from Boston to the San Francisco Bay Area, where my husband had accepted a new position. Even as we prepared for a cross-country move, I began exploring my job options in California.

Very quickly, I spotted an opening at the University of California, Berkeley, that seemed quite promising: editor of the alumni magazine for the College of Engineering. In Boston, I'd been responsible for writing, editing, and managing the design and production of several magazines. I'd even edited one focused on engineering. I thought I'd be a good fit. I sent off my résumé and eagerly awaited an interview.

The opportunity came but quickly vanished. I received a call at my home in Boston while visiting California to find a place to live. In the whirlwind of house hunting, I failed to check my answering machine, and only when I returned to Boston did I find the message from Teresa Moore at Berkeley's College of Engineering. When we finally spoke, I learned that she was conducting interviews immediately-but I would not be in California again until I moved in another month.

Although Moore thought I was a strong candidate for the position, she couldn't fly me out for an interview. We both expressed regrets about the timing, and she promised to contact me if the search continued longer than anticipated. It was a pleasant conversation that went beyond the specifics of the position; she, too, had relocated to the Bay Area and talked about her experience in making the move. But our conversation did not result in a job for me.

Getting reacquainted

Fast forward more than a year. I'm now the managing editor of the magazine for Saint Mary's College of California, not far from Berkeley. Although I'm part of an established publications group, they haven't used professional photography in the magazine or other printed pieces. Improving the magazine would require that to change. But none of the staff was familiar with local photographers, and I was only beginning to develop a new professional network. To complicate matters further, I had high standards and a very limited budget.

I needed help. I recalled being impressed by Berkeley's engineering magazine and assumed that a public university couldn't be extravagant in its spending. Although I barely knew Teresa, perhaps she would be able to recommend some good photo­graphers I could afford. I sent an e-mail message, carefully explaining my request and hoping she remembered me from the phone interview.

Her response was prompt and warm. It was also useful. Soon, I was working with a terrific local photographer who could provide the quality I desired. I also had a new professional colleague in Teresa.

Since then, we've exchanged suggestions about designers and printers. When I shifted to a University of California campus, she provided insights about ensuring quality while navigating a public institution's vendor-selection process. Now, we're talking about Web sites; she redesigned the magazine's recently, and I'm starting a similar project. I'm looking forward to discussing this during lunch-another change in our acquaintance since I sent that first e-mail.

Second chances

If you think I've just been lucky, I would disagree. I've been able to turn an interviewer into a continuing contact not once but twice since I moved to California.

In this other instance, I was one of two finalists for the publications director position at the California College of the Arts. Again, I had felt a rapport with the hiring manager, vice president of communications Chris Bliss; our conversations during the interview had been lively and comfortable, and I could readily imagine working with her. But in the end she chose the other person, whose publications background emphasized design rather than editorial management. Although the position involved both areas, Chris' greatest need was for someone to oversee the student designers. The other candidate had done something similar elsewhere. Chris told me it was a tough call and described me as a "close second."

When I faced the dilemma of identifying designers and photographers for Saint Mary's College, I contacted Chris as well as Teresa. I would have been happy if one person had responded; instead, both did. One of Chris' recommendations proved to be a real find: a talented designer able to work within my meager budget. Even though I've moved on from Saint Mary's, this designer has remained a mainstay of my creative resources.

After my initial e-mail, Chris and I spoke by phone and subsequently met for lunch. Whenever I send an e-mail, she seems pleased to hear from me and has invited me to call her for further assistance. She has become a valuable contact.

Sharing success

So what did it take to turn two seemingly unsuccessful interview processes into sustained professional relationships? And can someone else have a similarly rewarding outcome? I'd say yes.

The interview sets the stage. If you can steer the conversation to be an exchange of ideas rather than responses to scripted questions, it will make a difference in how you are remembered. This approach will ensure that you'll have made an impression as a person, not just as a set of skills and experiences.

Later, when you're thinking about recontacting an interviewer, trust your intuition. If you feel there's a possibility the person who interviewed you would respond well, you're probably right. You just need the confidence to act on your instincts.

I was most comfortable initiating contact via e-mail. That way, neither Teresa nor Chris would feel obligated to respond. I also thought it was important to be specific in my request: Could they suggest designers and photographers who could meet the needs I described? This set the tone for our ongoing relationship as professionals whose contacts and knowledge could benefit each other.

And that's my final lesson from this experience: Be willing to reciprocate. After all, those of us in advancement reach out to others every day, whether we're posting to a CASE listserv or otherwise advising our colleagues and peers. As I discovered, these efforts can be as effective with people who didn't hire you but are nonetheless ready to help you succeed in your work.