Big Job Interview for me

[cougarfreak]

I am interviewing for the athletic director position at a local high school. The school has only been open 2 years, and has some pretty nice facilities. 2 years ago, my alma mater, the school I've been teaching at for 15 years, and coaching at for 19 years, basically split, and this school was the result. I had been mulling the opportunity, and decided to throw my hat in the ring. I've created an athletic handbook, and a coaching handbook. Looking forward to it on Tuesday.

[Eaglesfan27]

Good luck with the interview.

[terpkristin]

Good luck!

/tk

[sterlingice]

Good luck

SI

[Radii]

awesome, good luck!

[Marc Vaughan]

Good luck

[duckman]

Best of luck to you!

[JediKooter]

Good luck man! Let us know how it goes.

[cougarfreak]

I feel like I nailed the interview today, hopefully I know something in the next couple of days.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

I feel like I nailed the interview today, hopefully I know something in the next couple of days.

Awesome! Here's hoping they contact you soon with good news...

[Sun Tzu]

gl man...keep us posted for sure.

By the way, what's the mascot?

[cougarfreak]

My current school is the cougars, this one I interviewed is jaguars.......think I can get a board name change if I get it?

[Greyroofoo]

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

My current school is the cougars, this one I interviewed is jaguars.......think I can get a board name change if I get it?

how do you feel about middle-aged women?

[Sun Tzu]

HornsManiacs

[cougarfreak]

Got a call today, having lunch with the principal of the school tomorrow.

[JediKooter]

Sweet. Don't get anything with too much garlic.

[Alf]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Sweet. Don't get anything with too much garlic.

or anything with sauce <-- can lead to disaster on a shirt.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

Got a call today, having lunch with the principal of the school tomorrow.

Rock on, good luck!

[fantom1979]

Just don't do this:

[cougarfreak]

Just got home. They are making their decision final as of tomorrow morning. I'd be shocked if it wasn't me, after the discussions we had at lunch today.

[JediKooter]

Good luck!!!! Sounds like it went pretty good.

[cougarfreak]

Ok, tonight, the principal calls me and tells me it's real close between me and another candidate (who is in the building). The committee wants to meet with us both tomorrow again. I personally think the principal is afraid to tick the guy off, because I know the principal called my current AD and he told him the guy isn't even close to me in terms of ability, contacts, and rapport withe people. But now I'm worried. Hell, I'm to the point where I tell the guy to make a darn decision and get on with it.

[MizzouRah]

Good luck.. I have a feeling it will be you.

[cougarfreak]

3rd interview went ok. No problems. Supposed to find out by tomorrow (again). I'll be honest, I'm not real comfortable with the whole process anymore. It seems to me they are afraid to make decisions, which in the long run wouldn't sit well with me if I am the AD. I'm debating withdrawing my name.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

3rd interview went ok. No problems. Supposed to find out by tomorrow (again). I'll be honest, I'm not real comfortable with the whole process anymore. It seems to me they are afraid to make decisions, which in the long run wouldn't sit well with me if I am the AD. I'm debating withdrawing my name.

Definitely seems to have a political feel to it.

[Coffee Warlord]

It's a school system. It's political. Get used to it.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

It's a school system. It's political. Get used to it.

lol.
I have to agree, it sounds political or like they're trying to jerk things around, which is definitely frustrating. I hope that things work out for ya, cougarfreak.

/tk

[cougarfreak]

I did end up withdrawing my name. I felt like if I did get the job, I'd be saddled with an administration that was kind of afraid to make decisions. I don't need that if I'm AD.

[jeff061]

Balls man, got my respect.

I'm sure you'll get other opportunities, you are in a good spot if you are able to dictate like this.

[lordscarlet]

Wow, that sounds like a tough decision. It sounds like it was the right one.

[wade moore]

Gotta be honest.

I don't get this.

Your first interview was 8 days before you told them to piss-off. Have you ever been through the hiring for a significant position before? I'm not sure if this is public or private, but if it's public that throws a lot more complication into things.

I honestly don't get it. I'd say if you're that full of yourself that you think you should breeze through a school hiring process for a significant position in just over a week, then maybe the School is the one that came out on top here.

[Toddzilla]

Serious cojones on you, my firend. Good for you to stick to your convictions. It will work out better in the end, I'm sure.

[Marc Vaughan]

I'd personally have been more patient - after all this is a senior position you were applying for, as such I'd have found it reassuring they were taking their time and trying to ensure they didn't make a mistake.

Better a place are 100% certain when they hire someone and back them once they're in than they hire on a whim and let them go quickly imho ....

That being said only you were there and know why you made that decision - could well have been the right one, I wish you all the best and hope you find your dream job in due course.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Gotta be honest.

I don't get this.

Your first interview was 8 days before you told them to piss-off. Have you ever been through the hiring for a significant position before? I'm not sure if this is public or private, but if it's public that throws a lot more complication into things.

I've gotta concur here. School districts do NOTHING quickly. First off they'd need board approval for a position like this in the first place. Odds are they haven't even MET yet, which means nobody has talked with/submitted a name to the board, which means no approval to hire anyone at the moment.

School districts are political as all hell, and bound by a good chunk of red tape. They have to interview certain numbers of people, they have to conduct interviews in various steps.

Maybe you just didn't feel right with that particular job, but, to be blunt, if you think it shouldn't take more than a week to get hired by a school, especially for a high profile position, you're out of your mind. Again, if that's not an environment you're comfortable with, good to know now. But don't expect that to be different in any other district.

[cougarfreak]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Gotta be honest.

I don't get this.

Your first interview was 8 days before you told them to piss-off. Have you ever been through the hiring for a significant position before? I'm not sure if this is public or private, but if it's public that throws a lot more complication into things.

I honestly don't get it. I'd say if you're that full of yourself that you think you should breeze through a school hiring process for a significant position in just over a week, then maybe the School is the one that came out on top here.

Gotta be honest right back. When I'm told there is a deadline of last friday, then Tuesday night, then yesterday, and no decision is made, it looks like a lot of indecisiveness to me. Sorry, I don't come of as full of myself to anyone, I just like people to be honest, and stick to what they tell me. I was in on the hiring of our school's high profile basketball coach 3 weeks ago, and the hiring process was supposed to be the same. I was told there was a rubric, each candidate would be asked the same questions, and the top score would get the job. It was to be cut and dried. When I had lunch with the principal, he actually got into personnel decisions with me, and used names. If he's going to do that, and then take more time to make a decision on who he hires...........I want no part of that. Three things happened yesterday that made me real leery of the job:

A. One of the questions in the interview was, "How would your respond to rumors that the head principal is not interested in the athletic program?". What the hell kind of question is that?

B. I spoke with the AD who just left the position for another AD job at a smaller school in the next county. He and I go way back about 12 years from coaching against each other and are colleagues, and he told me things that made me leery about taking the position (he had no say in hiring decisions for coaching positions, and was left with no help at athletic events on lots of occasions).

C. I was reading a book about being a better father and it talked about how too many people chase the almighty dollar, and don't give their children enough attention.

Those three things were enough for me to decide this wasn't the place for me. And I didn't tell them to piss off, I was professional in my dealings with them.

[JediKooter]

The first rule in the book of life is: Look out for number 1 and that's what cougar did.

There's plenty of other schools out there and who knows, an even better opportunity may come your way.

[Draft Dodger]

personally, I think you made the right decision

[cougarfreak]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I've gotta concur here. School districts do NOTHING quickly. First off they'd need board approval for a position like this in the first place. Odds are they haven't even MET yet, which means nobody has talked with/submitted a name to the board, which means no approval to hire anyone at the moment.

School districts are political as all hell, and bound by a good chunk of red tape. They have to interview certain numbers of people, they have to conduct interviews in various steps.

Maybe you just didn't feel right with that particular job, but, to be blunt, if you think it shouldn't take more than a week to get hired by a school, especially for a high profile position, you're out of your mind. Again, if that's not an environment you're comfortable with, good to know now. But don't expect that to be different in any other district.

Sorry, didn't see this part of the quote, so I didn't address it. In KY, you need Site Base Approval. Each school has a site base council. You can call special meetings for hiring approval/consultation. They had such a meeting on Friday (or I was told they were going to, and told so they were meeting again on Tuesday night). That was kinda weird too. I'm not sure if the principal cancelled the meetings, or had them, or what have you. I am on the current council at my school, and I can tell you most of the time there is a member in on the interviews (and there were actually 2 members on their interview committee), and those members will take the recommendation to the council, along with the principal.

[Marc Vaughan]

A. One of the questions in the interview was, "How would your respond to rumors that the head principal is not interested in the athletic program?". What the hell kind of question is that?

B. I spoke with the AD who just left the position for another AD job at a smaller school in the next county. He and I go way back about 12 years from coaching against each other and are colleagues, and he told me things that made me leery about taking the position (he had no say in hiring decisions for coaching positions, and was left with no help at athletic events on lots of occasions).

C. I was reading a book about being a better father and it talked about how too many people chase the almighty dollar, and don't give their children enough attention.

Fair enough in that case - I especially respect 'C' personally, being a good parent should be one of the most important things for anyone with kids.

[MizzouRah]

I say, good for you.

[muns]

As someone who is in the athletic field, ill just say this. There are what how many AD jobs across america??? I honestly have no idea as im in the college field who has struggled to get a college head coaching gig for a while now so ill just look it up and hope that number is right. It seems in 2001 there were 26,407 public secondary schools and 10,693 private secondary schools (Digest of America)

As of June 9 2010 there was 309,457,000 people In America (List of countries by population: Information from Answers.com)

You were a finalist of one of those 30,000 selective jobs and no matter what anyone says yes they are VERY selective.......

As someone who was on the UNLV coaching staff in the early 90's who coached me in high school and has a ncaa ring..... (sack you know who im talking about) He said you dont just throw away a job in athletics that could have been yours because its too political or for whatever reason.......... You take it because well it is selective and they dont get handed out like candy.......

I mean who honestly gets to run with a school that has been open for 2 years that ALREADY has good facilities (those 30,000 AD jobs gets cut in half at least). You get to mold (small input or not due to the politics) a school from the ground floor up or at least say you helped and grew that vision that was already in place.

You suck that shit up, make your resume look pretty, and deal with it for a year or 2 and move on to a bigger and better job that fits what you want because your foot is now in the door.

If nothing comes in for you the next few years because of your principals im afraid your going to wonder for a very long time and regret what could have been.

You dont not take one of these jobs because lets face it if everyone could have a job in sports, high school or not, they would......

As someone thats already in the field im shocked you went the route you did. I honestly wish you all the luck in the world Cougar following your dream.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by muns

As of June 9 2010 there was 309,457,000 people In America (List of countries by population: Information from Answers.com)

You were a finalist of one of those 30,000 selective jobs and no matter what anyone says yes they are VERY selective.......

I understand what your getting at, but, that's not an accurate comparison. It only works if every single person in the US is trying to get a coaching job.

The main point is, why take a job that you will not be comfortable with and be miserable? That just makes zero sense. So what if cougar isn't coaching the next NCAA school to win 5 championships in a row, in two less years than it would have taken had he taken this job?

If he didn't have a family, then something tells me he probably wouldn't have withdrawn his name from consideration. For some people, their family and happiness comes before work and that is a quality that should commended, not ridiculed.

[muns]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

I understand what your getting at, but, that's not an accurate comparison. It only works if every single person in the US is trying to get a coaching job.

The main point is, why take a job that you will not be comfortable with and be miserable? That just makes zero sense. So what if cougar isn't coaching the next NCAA school to win 5 championships in a row, in two less years than it would have taken had he taken this job?

If he didn't have a family, then something tells me he probably wouldn't have withdrawn his name from consideration. For some people, their family and happiness comes before work and that is a quality that should commended, not ridiculed.

I wasnt trying to ridicule him or anyone for that matter. If thats the way I came off, I appologize. I honestly do hope and wish him the best.

I was trying to combat your point where you said a few posts up that

There's plenty of other schools out there and who knows, an even better opportunity may come your way.

Sure there are 30,000 schools, but 1 AD. There isnt plenty at all. This isnt corporate america where there are 20 techs in a department working the same job.

30,000 jobs is the grand total......... and your right not everyone applies for these positions but depending on how lagre the school district is, im willing to bet it was between 50-200 people applying for that job, and it was between him and 1 other person....

The main point is, why take a job that you will not be comfortable with and be miserable? That just makes zero sense. So what if cougar isn't coaching the next NCAA school to win 5 championships in a row, in two less years than it would have taken had he taken this job?

It makes perfect sense. You get your foot in the door get that experience and then move to the job that you really really want. It doesnt seem like this was a job where there wasnt some nice pieces that would stand out when looking for another AD job here. Its only been open for 2 years from what he said earlier. Thats ground floor material. Its tough to find someone applying for an AD job that gets to say that they helped start an Athletic Porgram from scratch.....

If Cougar did it for his kids and wants to spend more time with them thats great for both him and his family, but I wasnt addressing that aspect of it. I was addressing the other "issues" he had with the job.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by muns

I wasnt trying to ridicule him or anyone for that matter. If thats the way I came off, I appologize. I honestly do hope and wish him the best.

Actually, I must apologize. The ridicule comment of mine was just in general and not addressed to anyone specific or to you.

I was trying to combat your point where you said a few posts up that

Sure there are 30,000 schools, but 1 AD. This isnt corporate america where there are 20 techs in a department working the same job.

30,000 jobs is the grand total......... and your right not everyone applies for these positions but depending on how lagre the school district is, im willing to bet it was between 50-200 people applying for that job, and it was between him and 1 other person....

This I totally understand as well. Teaching jobs and coaching jobs, let alone, AD jobs are not a dime a dozen for sure. Being in the career field that you are in, you very well know that, sometimes you have to go with your gut and not call the expected or obvious play.

It makes perfect sense. You get your foot in the door get that experience and then move to the job that you really really want. It doesnt seem like this was a job where there wasnt some nice pieces that would stand out when looking for another AD job here. Its only been open for 2 years from what he said earlier. Thats ground floor material. Its tough to find someone applying for an AD job that gets to say that they helped start an Athletic Porgram from scratch.....

I understand this too, but, at the expense of what? Why be miserable and potentially take it out on his family or because he's miserable, he withdraws from his family and the next thing we know, he's posting here about how his wife left him. I know that's a big 'what if?' guessing game, but, it's not a far fetched possibility. If I was single and I didn't have to worry about being home with my family, then by all means, take the job and stick it out. I just think when there's more than just you involved, there's more factors to consider than just, how quickly can I make it to the top or what bullet points I can put on my resume.

If Cougar did it for his kids and wants to spend more time with them thats great for both him and his family, but I wasnt addressing that aspect of it. I was addressing the other "issues" he had with the job.

From what it sounds like from you and others, the consensus is the same, wherever you go in the athletics career field, it's going to be political. In a way, it's the same in mine, there's always going to be some prima dona asshole and you just have to deal with them. Maybe it's just because we can't hear HOW someone is saying it on here, to me it sounds like people are making it seem like he's stupid for withdrawing his name. Which I don't think he is, given the details that he has provided. But, I also don't want sound like I'm speaking for cougar and I'm not.

All that aside, when the heck are you going to be coaching the next 5 consecutive NCAA championship team???? You could be the first FOFC Hall of Fame entry

[cougarfreak]

Hey.......no need bickering over it, I'm at peace with my choice. I kinda figure, if it was meant to be, I'd have decided it was worth some of the garbage I heard, etc. If I'm meant to be an AD, my current AD will retire in the next 5 years for sure, and my body of work will speak for itself. Not sure if I'll throw my hat in the ring or not at that point, my kids are 2 and 4 now, they'll be a bit older and it'll be a different time in our family's life for sure. I know there is a whole different world at my current school than what I was hearing, and experienced about the other one. In a good way.

[cougarfreak]

Originally Posted by muns

As someone who is in the athletic field, ill just say this. There are what how many AD jobs across america??? I honestly have no idea as im in the college field who has struggled to get a college head coaching gig for a while now so ill just look it up and hope that number is right. It seems in 2001 there were 26,407 public secondary schools and 10,693 private secondary schools (Digest of America)

As of June 9 2010 there was 309,457,000 people In America (List of countries by population: Information from Answers.com)

You were a finalist of one of those 30,000 selective jobs and no matter what anyone says yes they are VERY selective.......

As someone who was on the UNLV coaching staff in the early 90's who coached me in high school and has a ncaa ring..... (sack you know who im talking about) He said you dont just throw away a job in athletics that could have been yours because its too political or for whatever reason.......... You take it because well it is selective and they dont get handed out like candy.......

I mean who honestly gets to run with a school that has been open for 2 years that ALREADY has good facilities (those 30,000 AD jobs gets cut in half at least). You get to mold (small input or not due to the politics) a school from the ground floor up or at least say you helped and grew that vision that was already in place.

You suck that shit up, make your resume look pretty, and deal with it for a year or 2 and move on to a bigger and better job that fits what you want because your foot is now in the door.

If nothing comes in for you the next few years because of your principals im afraid your going to wonder for a very long time and regret what could have been.

You dont not take one of these jobs because lets face it if everyone could have a job in sports, high school or not, they would......

As someone thats already in the field im shocked you went the route you did. I honestly wish you all the luck in the world Cougar following your dream.

And man, when a head of an institution uses names and discusses personnel decisions with me, and then decides he needs to interview me and one other person AGAIN before making his choice, that's enough to tell me he's a sack of poo and I want nothing to do with him.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

And man, when a head of an institution uses names and discusses personnel decisions with me, and then decides he needs to interview me and one other person AGAIN before making his choice, that's enough to tell me he's a sack of poo and I want nothing to do with him.

Or that you had earned his trust, I man really in every office in corporate America and every school, political office, hell every position that is hired the interviewer talks to someone about the process....to me thats just part of life. Sure there is the total confidence ideal, but I dont think it exists in the real world.

All that said, I hope you made the right decision. I spent a few years chasing the coaching dream and thought it was all I ever wanted, I learned things about myself I didn't like and learned that I need to get away from it. (I want to win AT ANY COST, at ANY TIME and my judgment gets blurred in the heat of the moment not good life lesson to be teaching.) But I do not know you, if I did I might be inclined to challenge you to ask if there was a fear of failure that drove you to pull your name so you couldn't lose. Better to walk off the field and never know than play til the end and fail...

That's just the impression I get from here, with little to no details.

[lynchjm24]

Originally Posted by muns

You dont not take one of these jobs because lets face it if everyone could have a job in sports, high school or not, they would......

This could not be further from the truth. Listening to the parents of high school kids bitch about high school coaches is about the shittiest thing I could dream of doing with my time.

My first job out of college was with ESPN. I don't know if that is considered 'sports' in this equation but I was at sporting events dealing with dipshit athletes. Nothing will make you hate sports faster then working in them.

[lynchjm24]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

That's just the impression I get from here, with little to no details.

Same impression because it's not as though if you decided you didn't want to be there you couldn't turn the job down. If they had made an offer you could have addressed the concerns that had been brought to you in the process, if you didn't get the answers you want then you walk away.