Where can I find student affairs jobs?
Where can I find student affairs jobs?
Where can I find student affairs jobs?
Finding where student affairs jobs are posted can often be as daunting as the student affairs job search itself. Nevertheless, there are many places where you can find student affairs (and student affairs adjacent work).
This article will review where to look for student affairs jobs. It includes typical places for student affairs jobs in higher education and post-secondary institutions. In addition, general job listing sites are included as well as how to find remote jobs that use student affairs professionals’ skill sets.
Career fairs hosted by NASPA and ACPA will be covered as well as specific tools that you can use to research and find growing areas for student affairs professionals. Targeted job seekers looking for work in specific geographical areas; functional areas; or institutions benefit best by referencing specific institutional websites.
Finally, networking cannot be underestimated. Therefore specific tips will be provided on how to best use your own network to fuel your student affairs job search.
Higher education and student affairs jobs
Working in higher education for colleges and universities are one of the first places that student affairs professionals turn to when searching for work in the field.
Higher Ed Jobs
One of the best places to find student affairs jobs at colleges and universities is Higher Ed Jobs.
HigherEdJobs - Jobs in Higher Education https://www.higheredjobs.com/
Higher Ed Jobs is a great resource for both postings and career information for work in academia. The site is used by administrators, staff, and faculty alike to find and apply for job opportunities.
Higher Ed Jobs was founded in 1996 by three university employees who determined that there should be an easier way to find and apply for jobs in higher education. Since then, it’s served as a central place for educational administrators and professionals to connect.
The site boasts more than 5,000 institutions who advertise more than 289,000 open positions. Positions range from small liberal arts colleges, public universities, community colleges, and other institutions in between.
Higher Ed Jobs is used specifically for finding and applying for administrative positions. These are the positions that most student affairs professionals target and emphasize in their search. Furthermore, specific areas in the administration include: student affairs and services; residence life and housing; academic advising; career development and services; conference and events administration; financial aid; international programs and services; registrars; religious and spiritual life; and tutors and learning resources.
The site also allows you to sort job openings through multiple ways. Those include positions by metro / region; state / province; international positions; as well as online and remote jobs.
Higher Ed Jobs also includes a feature for dual career search. This allows job seekers (who are looking with partners that also work in higher education) to find and apply to jobs within the same geographic area.
Once you’ve discovered what jobs you are looking for and where; make sure that you set up a job agent. The job agent will alert you for any new positions that fulfill your criteria.
Inside Higher Ed
In addition to Higher Ed Jobs; Inside Higher Ed provides a robust listing of opportunities for student affairs job seekers that largely emulates what Higher Ed Jobs has to offer.
Inside Higher Ed Careers | jobs | https://careers.insidehighered.com/
Inside Higher Ed provides news and opinion pieces on the state of higher education and the academy in addition to job listings in this industry. Such listings include opportunities for faculty members, graduate students, administrators, and senior leadership.
Inside Higher Ed provides a robust listing of administrative jobs including areas such as academic affairs; institutional & business affairs; technology; and student affairs.
Furthermore, Inside Higher Ed also provides listings for positions that may use student affairs professionals’ skill sets outside of traditional university roles. Those roles can be found in areas such as businesses; consultancy; government agencies; non-profit organizations; publishers & presses; research & development; as well as software & technology.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education serves as both a news and content outlet as well as a place to find student affairs and higher education job listings.
The Chronicle of Higher Education Jobs | jobs | https://jobs.chronicle.com/
The Chronicle of Higher Education is the nation’s largest newsroom dedicated specifically to covering colleges and universities. The Chronicle is often referenced in higher education and student affairs circles. It was originally founded in 1966 and was owned by a non-profit until 1978 when it formed The Chronicle of Higher Education Inc. Since then, The Chronicle publishes The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Arts & Letters Daily, and The Chronicle Review.
Like both Higher Ed Jobs and Inside Higher Ed; job seekers can find higher education administration positions here in a variety of different categories. Those categories include academic affairs; business & administrative affairs; deans; and student affairs.
Furthermore, The Chronicle also posts jobs for opportunities outside of higher education and includes areas such as educational service providers; for profit organizations; and non-profit & government organizations.
Job seekers can also take advantage of salary information shared out through their collection of salary data. Like other sites, student affairs professionals can also setup job alerts in order to be instantly notified when positions fitting their criteria are posted.
The Jobs Board: The Student Affairs Networking Group
In addition to these more traditional listings; there are also other postings which are community or crowd sourced together. One such community is The Jobs Board: The Student Affairs Networking Group.
The Jobs Board: The Student Affairs Networking Group | https://www.facebook.com/groups/321247954911620
This Facebook Group is community lead. This means that postings are offered up through student affairs professionals and higher education administrators.
Overall, the group serves as a central location for sharing job postings and discussions on the student affairs job search and career development. Furthermore, you can find conversation and discussion here about major career conferences and placement events such as those hosted by NASPA and ACPA.
Student Affairs Job & Resume Database
Student affairs professionals can also turn to the Student Affairs Job & Resume Database.
Student Affairs Job & Resume Database https://www.studentaffairs.com/jobs/
The Student Affairs Job & Resume Database serves as one of the largest student affairs specific listing sites for college and university administrators. Student affairs job seekers can even post their resumes here for free.
The Student Affairs Job & Resume Database is hosted by StudentAffairs.com which contains content and events specifically for student affairs professionals.
The Student Affairs Job & Resume Database allows student affairs professionals to find and search for jobs by selecting and specifying a specific category and functional area. Unlike other sites, the Student Affairs Job & Resume Database also provides filters for opportunities according to both candidates’ education level and work experience.
EdSurge
Student affairs professionals may not always look for jobs directly within the higher education administration framework. If that is the case, then EdSurge might be a useful resource for finding positions that are more focused on technical and training roles.
Find Jobs in Edtech, Education, Teaching | EdSurge https://www.edsurge.com/jobs
EdSurge was founded in 2011 in order to connect an emerging community of educational technology professionals; entrepreneurs; and educators. In addition to job postings, the EdSurge website also includes a newsroom; research division; and podcast.
The job categories available in EdSurge vary widely. They include curriculum design; higher education administration; faculty; and instructional roles.
In addition, you may use the EdSurge listings in order to find the type of institution you would like to work for. Those include higher education, large companies; non-profit organizations; schools; or even startups.
Like the Student Affairs Job & Resume Database; you can also find and research open positions according to experience level which includes: entry; mid level; and senior level roles.
General Jobs Listings
Student affairs professionals generally want to find work in higher education institutions; colleges; and universities. However, as your job search progresses; career develops; or opportunities arise; you may want to find roles that fall outside the traditional scope of higher education work. As such, you can turn to the following resources to find more general positions that use the skills of student affairs professionals outside of the academy.
Search for Jobs on Google
You can use the search functionality of Google to find (and create alerts for) different jobs that require or could use your skills. Finding and setting up the search alert is relatively easy and can be done following the steps here.
Google search can be a powerful tool for finding; sourcing; and applying to different jobs outside of the typical sphere of higher education. This is particularly powerful when conducting a geographic search as you can set the alert function to find specific results such as entry level positions that are in your area.
These job postings come directly from both employers; employer sites; and career sites. These new job openings and opportunities are searchable by Google as soon as they are added. As such, this serves as a powerful tool for conducting a more comprehensive search for jobs within a particular area.
However, the functionality of Google Job Alerts is limited, as all features are not yet available in all languages in all countries. Therefore, it’s best to use Google job alerts in concert with other search strategies.
LinkedIn Jobs
LinkedIn is an incredibly large and diverse professional social network that connects more than 756 million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
LinkedIn Jobs | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/
LinkedIn is a robust networking and professional development tool that allows you to find, search, and connect with higher education; student affairs; and faculty members from across the country and world. It was originally founded to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. As a result, student affairs professionals can use this site and the job search function to connect with other higher education administrators in different roles and institutions.
Like the other sites listed, LinkedIn jobs allows you to search, find, and curate job listings as they are added. This can be done through the My Jobs portal. In addition, searches and alerts can be saved so that you can be notified as soon as new jobs that fit your experience and abilities are posted.
SimplyHired
SimplyHired is another jobs site that allows you to find and apply to jobs.
Job Search Engine | SimplyHired https://www.simplyhired.com/
However, unlike LinkedIn Jobs; SimplyHired does not also include a professional network where you can find and connect with other professionals in the field. Instead, SimplyHired does include a way to compare your salary and compensation with others in the field. You can use the Salary Estimator in order to conduct research on how you are compensated compared to others.
Unlike the other job sites listed; you can use the Resume Builder on the SimplyHired website in order to create your resume online for free. Though, most student affairs professionals should already have a constructed and developed a resume in preparation for their job search. However, if you are behind in creating this (or if you want to create a completely digital one) then you can turn to the Resume Builder on SimplyHired.
Lastly, SimplyHired also has listings of local jobs that you may find in your area. This is especially helpful if conducting a local or geographically focused job search.
Remote Job Listings
Remote work; teleworking; and remote employment was previously an option only for certain industries. However, the covid-19 pandemic forced most colleges, universities, and institutions to transition to online and remote work. As a result, student affairs professionals can now also search, find, and apply for these remote positions utilizing a few specialized sites that focus on this particular modality of work.
Skip the Drive
Skip the Drive is one such website which focuses exclusively on remote work; positions; and job opportunities in which student affairs professionals may take advantage of.
Find remote jobs on SkipTheDrive - Work From Home https://www.skipthedrive.com/
Skip the Drive was originally founded by Pete Metz who wanted to help other find remote and telecommuting compatible jobs. Pete’s dedication to helping and serving others find this work was the genesis of the Skip the Drive site.
Skip the Drive is a website specifically for job seekers. It was constructed and tailored in order to help job seekers find jobs that offer remote and teleworking modality as a base expectation of the opportunity.
Like other job search websites, you can find opportunities by category and filter job results through the job filter. However, be aware that Skip the Drive specializes in the modality of remote and telecommuting compatible positions across many different industries. As such, student affairs professional may not be able to find many opportunities here that fit their skill set. Despite this, higher education job seekers may be able to find compatible opportunities in areas such as customer service; entry level positions; human resources; or sales.
We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely is a site much like Skip the Drive. It also specializes in remote and telecommuting focused work.
We Work Remotely https://weworkremotely.com/
We Work Remotely is one of the largest remote work communities in the world. The site sports over 3 million visitors and is one of the main online destinations for job seekers looking specifically for remote work.
Like Skip the Drive, We Work Remotely lists positions compatible with the remote working modality. So there will be opportunities listed across different industries that may not always be compatible with what student affairs job seekers are looking for. Despite this, those who have worked in higher education administration may find applicable work in design or customer service support in either full time or contract roles.
Career Fairs
Career fairs are excellent ways for student affairs professionals to meet as many different employers from as many different colleges, universities, and institutions as they can in one sitting. There are at least two major career fairs for student affairs administrators hosted by both Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) and the American College Personnel Association (ACPA).
NASPA’s The Placement Exchange
NASPA is one of the largest professional organizations for student affairs professionals. The organization commits itself to integrity, innovation, inclusion, and inquiry. It serves student affairs professionals through professional development, research, advocacy, and inclusion. Through this, the organization hosts an annual career event called The Placement Exchange.
NASPA’s The Placement Exchange https://www.theplacementexchange.org/
The Placement Exchange serves as a definitive resource for student affairs job seekers engaged in their search. The event includes dynamic job posting information, networking opportunities, and connections to employers from a broad swath of different institutions. The event is dedicated to helping candidates find their next opportunity.
ACPA’s Career Central
The ACPA was founded in 1924 and has nearly 7,500 members representing 1,200 private and public institutions from both the United States and around the world. Members of the ACPA encompass undergraduate, graduate, faculty, and student affairs educators. Members include entry level student affairs professionals to senior institutional officers.
Career Central serves as ACPA’s job search portal for both employers and candidates alike.
ACPA’s Career Central https://www.myacpa.org/career-central
Career Central hosts a resume bank of hundreds of qualified candidates for employers to browse. This means that you should make sure that your resume is included within the database in order to be considered for applicable listings.
Job seekers and student affairs professionals also benefit from career development webcasts and other educational presentations from experts in the field.
Job reference and research
Searching for work in student affairs can be a daunting prospect. Therefore, making sure that you are looking for the right position that also has the right growth opportunities is critical. This means that exploring and researching positions as well as different opportunities in different industries is key.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides critical advice and insight on different industries; positions; and summaries of skills needed for job seekers. This is published in the form of the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Occupational Outlook Handbook https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
This online handbook provides job seekers with information about different industries and positions in these fields. Student affairs professionals can find different opportunities in higher education outlined here. However, other postings in other fields could also be valuable.
Those postings include fields such as: arts and design; business and finance; community and social service; education, training, and library; entertainment and sports; healthcare; management; media and communication; and office and administrative support.
Furthermore, the Occupational Outlook Handbook also provides key information and insights on these job postings. That information includes: median pay; education; on the job training, number of new projects, and most importantly growth rate.
Institutional Specific Websites
Sometimes student affairs professionals will want to cast their net very wide. They’ll want to look anywhere and everywhere for student affairs work. This could be because they want to work in a specific functional area such as residential life, community standards, or career development. Otherwise they might want to work for a specific type of institution such as a R1 or a community college.
Most of the time student affairs professionals conduct geographically focused job searches. Those are searches that target all available schools and functional areas in a given geographical area. If this is your focus, then it might be beneficial to check and monitor specific institutions for new job postings.
This list will be helpful in finding all institutions listed in a given geographical area:
Lists of American universities and colleges: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_American_universities_and_colleges
Checking institutional specific human resources websites for these particular colleges and universities is helpful because it ensures that these are institutions that are located specifically where you want to relocate and live.
In addition, checking these sites regularly also ensures that you’ll be notified of new job opportunities as soon as they are published. Doing so doesn’t rely on other websites such as Higher Ed Jobs and The Chronicle of Higher Ed to post these open positions. In fact, these sites often charge the employer for these job postings. This means that sometimes positions are only listed on the institution’s specific hiring website and won’t make it to other websites which aggregate available job postings.
Networking and the job search
Looking for student affairs jobs and employment opportunities as a higher education administrator can often be very daunting. This is especially true when engaging in the search when other student affairs professionals are looking as well.
This means that you’ll often need to engage in other practices in order to find, apply, and interview for all student affairs positions as they become available. There is often no better way of doing this than relying on your personal and professional network for finding and sourcing these opportunities.
Informal job searching is one of these tactics that you can use. During an informal job search you can continue to peruse job websites for new opportunities as they come up. In addition, you can also ask contacts in the field for any new positions or opportunities that have become available in their offices or institutions. Doing so ensures that you’ll have ready access to new positions as they are posted, as well as some positions to refer to when networking with others.
This strategy is compared to formal job search networking. In formal job search networking you share with your colleagues and contacts that you are looking for a new position now. This can be challenging (especially if you are already employed). However, other student affairs professionals might find this liberating. Especially if you are an intern or a graduate assistant whose position is ending in the near future. Formal job search networking makes it abundantly clear to all of your contacts that you are on the market and are looking for your next position.
Some of the best ways to convince your colleagues and other student affairs professionals to aid in your search is to offer some help. That help can come in the form of other job referrals for positions that you’ve discovered during your informal job search networking. It can be mutual introductions between two colleagues you know who could benefit from meeting one another. It could even include referrals to articles; journal papers; or conference presentations that you feel your colleagues may benefit from. It often doesn’t take much to offer help to someone else. Sometimes it just takes asking the question “What do you need?”
Perhaps, one of the lost aspects of networking is focusing on the outcomes of the relationship. Outcomes are important, but not as important as developing the relationship with your colleagues for the long term. This could mean simply finding time on a regular basis to connect via phone or email. Otherwise it could be as simple as asking them to meet up during the next conference or symposium they are attending. In either case, the focus is the development of the relationship (and not the outcome).
This development can come from the simple aspect of following up with people after you’ve met them. One of the best ways to forge new networking contacts is to connect with other student affairs professionals in the days following a major conference or event. Doing so ensures that your new contact remembers who you are and how you connected in the first place.
Lastly, student affairs job seekers must also remember that patience is a virtue. Not all positions come through referrals; networking; or formalized job search channels. Sometimes candidates only wait a few days before landing their next position. For others it could take weeks or months.
Nothing is guaranteed in the student affairs job search. That’s why it’s important to focus on the process of the activity; job searching; and networking. That’s because these are aspects that you can control. Focus on the process in order to achieve the outcome.
Takeaways
This article focused on where and how to find student affairs jobs and student affairs related professional opportunities. Sections were spent on finding traditional student affairs roles working for colleges and universities. Other resources were shared for finding jobs through some more generalized search channels. Remote and telecommuting focused work has come to the forefront of the industry: therefore, areas where remote based jobs are listed were also shared.
Career fairs through major student affairs professional organizations were also discussed, in addition to how to research industry and position specific growth in the future. Finally, insights, strategies, and tips were shared on focusing on institution specific sites for a targeted job search. Networking is an important aspect for both career development as well as job searching. Don’t ignore this critical aspect to career growth.
I hope that you found this article useful! If you need some additional help on your student affairs job search, then check out the eBook The Student Affairs Job Search: A Comprehensive Guide available here.
Happy searching,
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Cite this Article
Eng, D. (2021, August 2). What is a search committee? Retrieved MONTH DATE, YEAR, from www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2021/8/2/where-can-i-find-student-affairs-jobs
Internal Reference: JHKROPPHIJYL0