After a few phone interviews with recruiters, I finally received an invitation to have an in-person interview. Immediately, I went from excitement to shock. Well, my thoughts were, “How am I going to convince the interview panel that my previous teaching experience is transferable? How do I NOT talk about my teaching experience? Will my instructional design experience in the school district even matter? I placed my fears aside and sent Dr. Robin Sargent an email, informing her that I had an upcoming interview. She reminded me to use the resources in the IDOL Academy and provided me with a few interview questions to ask.
During the interview, I was able to speak confidently about how my teaching experience, graduate and specialist degrees in Instructional Design, and previous Instructional Design experience in the school district, and as a freelancer can and will benefit the organization.
The next day, I was informed that I was one of their top candidates. I was asked to return two days later for a second interview. By the end of the week, I was provided with an offer letter. WOW! Everything happened so very quickly.
Fast forward two weeks, and I was in my new role as an Instructional Designer. So many thoughts ran through my mind as I began my duties. Most days, I was excited and motivated to complete my work. Some days, I was defeated especially, when I had to work with an unfamiliar tool, such as some Adobe products.
Within my first month, I started thinking of an escape plan. I thought, “Maybe I should return to Education. Maybe I should just be a stay at home wife and mother. A few weeks later, my children became sick with colds and fevers. I began to wonder if that was a sign of bad timing. Maybe I wasn’t ready to start this new job.” I just knew that I would be fired for missing days of work to care for my sick children. Fortunately, my boss was understanding of the fact that my husband and I relocated to the city without any family and that my children are my top priorities. With the wonderful support of my husband, he agreed that he would be the one to stay home from work with the children if they become ill again.
Since I have a great boss who is empathetic, I created a plan to help me transition into my new role. These tips could help you.
Continue to learn as much as you can and create samples to add to your portfolio. When you are ready to start marketing yourself, update your portfolio to showcase your work. If you are unhappy, you have every right to explore other job opportunities. There are several companies seeking new talent.
Written By: Tandi Vaughn, Ed.S.
Connect with Tandi on LinkedIn.
Tandi Vaughn has over 15 years of experience in Education as an Elementary Teacher, Education Consultant, and Instructional Designer. On October 7, 2019, she transitioned to her role as a Corporate Instructional Designer. Recently, Tandi relocated to Texas with her wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters. In her spare time, she loves writing, dancing, exploring educational technology, mentoring new teachers, eating at new restaurants, traveling, and spending time with her family.
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