55 and Searching: Job Hunting at a Later Age - school administrators

School Administrator, June, 1997 by Richard F. Flynn

You want or need a new job. You are seasoned in school system leadership, over 55, good at what you do, and have friends and enemies to prove it. Yet you have reached an age and experience level where you know a job change will be difficult.

If you have done things right as a superintendent, you've probably made people mad at you in at least three states. That was my situation in 1995 when I found myself in the search for a new job at age 58. More about that later.

If you are a seasoned district administrator and find yourself out of a job or looking for a new position, do not panic. Remember, you can be successful again. But be sure of what you want because you likely to obtain it. After all, being over 55 and wanting to stay in the superintendency rather than retire is somewhat unique. Most of our aging colleagues cannot wait to retire from their increasingly demanding jobs, so they say.

These practical considerations, based on my own recent experiences, are meant for those who retain a passion for serving children, a commitment to public education, and the confidence a superintendent. The odds of landing the job at this age are a little higher, but the credentials are simple: You must be persistent, lucky, and a little crazy.

A Unique Juncture

Not long ago, a candidate for a largecity superintendency in Missouri was billed as one of America's premier superintendents by school board members and the community. He was and is premier because of accomplishment, reputation, and years of successful experiences. However, at 59, he chose to retire and reportedly is living happily ever after.

While I consider myself good at what I do, I don't put myself in the same league as the premier superintendent. (I did have a board once that agreed I was the best superintendent in the school district, but only after a motion to nominate me for the state superintendent of the year award failed due to the lack of a second.)

Because I certainly didn't want to retire, the board's decision not to renew my contract left me at a unique juncture. I possessed (1) a passion to continue working at what I do best, even if I'm not recognized as premier; (2) a mindset to call home wherever the driveway is; and (3) the chance to start my third job search in 20 years.

Not all of us in school leadership are premier quality, but most of us know the right thing to do in most situations and have much to contribute. So it remains a professional mystery to me why many boards fail to grant full consideration to those of us who are seasoned professionals. Administrative leadership and management of schools are our second-nature behaviors. We know what is coming over the horizon. We know where the snakes are and how to beat the grass to get them on the run. Plus, we have been long-time searchers for educational equity and improved student performance.

I found my search for a new position to be a game not unlike the state lottery. If you play long enough, you will win something. Perhaps you won't win the $10 million reserved for the premiers, but your award can be a great job.

The optimum open season lasts from around the winter holidays to the end of April. This is the time to get in the job hunt, when the market is full of job opportunities. It is a time when you have more freedom to select a school community by size and location. Getting what you want outside this window will be more restrictive but not impossible. You must be confident about your competence and persevere during the search, even though you may think at times all those people in the last three states were right about you.

Preliminary Steps

The prerequisites for a successful search at a later stage in life are not minor. First, you have to want to work. This commitment takes precedence over a home mortgage, car payments, or your family roots.

Second, your retirement plan (whatever that is) must leave you clear-headed, foot loose, and right with the world.

Third, you must sincerely believe you are the best thing going in school leadership and are not tired of behaving as such.

Lastly, you must believe your years of experience have produced a resume second to none. Your past experiences truly have made a difference in the lives of students, teachers, and administrators. The resume shows that entire communities were better off because of your work.

Once you satisfy those prerequisites, begin sending out your professional packets at a rate of five per day. Before long, a pattern of responses will form, consisting of short-range cutoff dates, "Dear John" and "Dear Jane" responses, and requests for more material.

The process will annoy and amaze you. For example, after submitting a comprehensive, 10-page resume, you will receive a three-page official application designed by a search consultant. This application will be accompanied by a request to copy your extensive resume onto the consultant's form, which probably will not fit your typewriter or computer printer.

Be prepared to go through 200 sets of hoops (for as many jobs) as they are placed in your search path. Some hoops will astound you. Expect to write some essays. I was both amused and bewildered when a small Colorado district asked me, a candidate from a district of 20,000 students in the Southeast, to "discuss the academic needs of its community." Failure to respond to this and four other essay topics would invalidate the application.