GEOG/ES&P 330

California Ecosystems

Seeing Job Applications from the Other Side of the Desk

You "submitted applications" for two of six jobs (environmental, planning, GIS) consisting of a cover letter and a résumé. In this phase of the lab, you are now on agency or company search committees reviewing these fake job applications. I have placed all 52 job applications in the BeachBoard Content area in seven content folders, one for each of the jobs (plus I had to break up the enormously popular Environmental Analyst A files into separate letter and résumé folders because BeachBoard couldn't handle all of them in one folder).

Each application is identified by a job code (Env A, Env B; Plnr A, Plnr B; GIS A, GIS B) plus a letter or résumé number. In a few cases, some of you submitted résumés and letters in one file OR, worse, two applications and two résumés in one file. To keep it all orderly, I had to copy each file with separate file names so I could put them in the correct BeachBoard folder. Be sure not to do that in the real world and be REALLY sure you clean up boiler-plate for one job before putting it in another job application...

In e-mail, I've given each of you a list of four files that you, as a member of the search committee, will review and rank. As in the real world, spend no more than about five minutes on each file and then rank them from one (best candidate) to four (worst of your batch of files). Then, comment briefly on why you thought #1 was the best candidate and the person you want on the "interview list." Comment also on #4, explaining why you don't think this person should be called in for an interview. Just comment on those two files.

Please fill out this ranking form and submit it to BeachBoard under the Dropbox for Lab 8: Job search committee rankings:
https://home.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/geog330/labs/resume/SearchCommRankings.ods
Please leave it in the .ods format (use OpenOffice Calc or, if you use Excel, make sure to Save As and pick Open Document Foundation/ods in the drop down menu (BeachBoard likes to convert Excel files into PDFs and just mangles their formatting).

There are some "plot complications": Because soooo many of you went for the first job on the list, I couldn't allocate everyone to search committees optimally. I had wanted to put you on the one category you didn't apply for or at least not in some job you did apply for. For some of you, I put applicants from two jobs in your search committee files: Treat them as though they were for one large job pool, where you're tasked with finding the best applicants no matter the position. In a few cases, I wound up having to put you on the search committee for the same job you applied for, so that's going to be a little surreal. Just figure you got that job years ago and the company or agency is hiring you a junior assistant in a new search!

Before settling in with your four files, be sure to reread the one or two job descriptions you're screening candidates for
(https://home.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/geog330/labs/resume/joblistings.html).
Then, read the applications and do your ranking and commentary. Please turn your rankings in by Tuesday, 8 December.

Well, I hope it's kind of fun and eye-opening to see what it's like on the other side of the desk! I hope it gives you the edge in the job market after graduation (and, for those of you going on into ES&P 400, a head start on the applications process in there to get onto one of the research projects!).

first placed on the web: 11/29/20
last revised: 11/29/20
© Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue