Dr. Emily Williams has 30 years of expertise with 10 in government as a grants director/program coordinator and 20 in academia. An exemplary performer with extensive experience as a grants director, vice president/academic affairs, vice provost/assessment and curriculum, academic dean, department chair, and conference director. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Williams holds a Ph.D./D.A.H from Clark Atlanta University and Harvard University certification in Higher Education Management and Leadership.
In a recent interview with Higher Education Digest, Dr. Emily Williams discussed her experience with educational consulting, leadership development, and career coaching. She shared her views on job market demands, modernizing higher education management, advancements in technology and remote learning, and many more.
What inspired you to pursue a career in educational consulting, leadership development, and career coaching?
I have always been interested in the foundational stages of education from as far back as kindergarten. I remember my kindergarten classroom in South Bronx (NY) being divided into what I thought were strange sections or separations of students, if you will. Even then, I wanted to know why we were divided. I remember asking the teacher why I could not be on the ‘other side’ of the classroom. I also vividly remember that I was told to be quiet and that my mother would be called if I continued to ask questions about things that did not concern me.
So, where I have landed now as an educational thought leader and consultant is a natural evolution of questioning the reasons for certain movements, policies, guidelines, and initiatives in higher education. I am happily pursuing a career pathway of delving deeper into the aforementioned areas to assist those in leadership and management positions to understand their work.
And, how? Through active questioning and exploration of existent data and the collection of new data in making informed decisions and changes toward doing the bold thing spoken about so much in education – innovation.
I am, therefore, dedicated to continuing to consume information, to question ways of doing and pathways of knowing so I can do my best work in consulting, leadership development, and career coaching.
How has your experience in interview preparation and career development evolved with changing job market demands?
The contemporary job market whether it be local, regional, national, or international is more competitive than ever. As I assist persons with interview preparation, I ask a range of questions to determine why they have entered the competition for a certain position. Most responses are usual and expected – “I need a job.” While that is clearly an impetus for applying for a position, there is so much ‘homework’ to do before considering if applying for a position is in a person’s best interest. For example, what do you know about the place that is requesting applicants? How does this place fit into your current career trajectory and/or how is it a complete departure from your career pathway to date? Having a person like me work with applicants can assist them in understanding how they will/may be viewed by a screening committee and the ultimate hiring committee/person. In short, persons need to consider how they fit within three categories of applicant review: 1) qualified, 2) competitive, and 3) a solid fit.
My work is to stay focused and aware of the trends in education to not only keep applicants aware but also to enable them to continually engage in professional development to be at the high end of the hiring curve.
What are the biggest challenges professionals and students face today in career advancement, and how can coaching help overcome them?
Competition! This is the biggest challenge in today’s job market.
As I just said about the three categories of applicant review – qualified, competitive, solid fit – professionals and students need to make honest self-assessments and engage in high-level critical analyses from professionals such as myself to see where they land in terms of their current and evolving knowledge, experience, and educational credentials. Coaching moves persons into arenas of understanding how the hiring decision-makers view them. Additionally, coaching assists applicants in understanding how they can stand out from the competition by highlighting their strengths in the areas of knowledge, experience, and educational credentials. All those areas may not be equally strong, so knowing how to negotiate the narrative of your ‘fit’ for a position is what coaching can do in setting persons at the high end of the hiring curve.
What role does digital transformation play in modernizing higher education management, and how can institutions adapt effectively?
The digital transformation possibilities in modernizing higher education management are almost endless at present; however, more training toward understanding and implementing change must happen within the current higher education workforce.
This is a space where new hires with expertise in digital technologies can be a major win for higher education institutions. For example, by leveraging technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics, institutions can streamline a wide range of administrative processes.
Carefully developed automated systems can manage student admissions, course registrations, and grading which can free administrative staff for less tedious work toward enabling them to work on creative and innovative ways of moving students into higher levels of expertise when they exit with degrees in hand. And, of course, employment of digital technologies will allow for more efficient allocation of resources to enable administrators to focus on strategic planning and student engagement.
Leadership development is a key aspect of your work—what are the top skills emerging leaders need to succeed in today’s workplace?
This is a very detailed discussion which could take up all of our time; however, I will just list some of the top skills that emerging leaders must not only cultivate but also continue to develop and evolve upon during their career span: communication skills, emotional intelligence, adaptability, strategic thinking, collaboration, decision-making, conflict resolution, innovation, and time management.
The workplace of today demands leaders who are fearless in their diversity of skills and their ability to navigate the complexities of leadership.
How do you see the role of educational consulting evolving with advancements in technology and remote learning?
Those of us in educational consulting must be constantly learning about the latest technologies, educational policies, government regulations, accreditation, and financial footprints to do the most good for our clients. Educational consultants must be multi-focused and knowledgeable about the complexities facing educational spaces.
Also, what is [your] niche expertise as an educational consultant? K12? Higher education?
And, getting even more specific, it is essential to know [your] subcategory niche(s) within a category such as higher education – community colleges, four-year institutions, charter schools, etc. And, of course, consultants can drill down to even deeper levels of expertise such as curriculum development, accreditation, assessment, enrolment management, retention, et.al.
Honesty about the expertise of the educational consultant and/or firm must always rise to the top of discussions of providing the sought support for educational institutions. Remembering that one size does not fit all is important for educational consultants to focus on when developing support platforms.
What trends do you foresee in interview preparation and job search strategies in the next five years?
Excellent question!
Please allow me to address some areas that are undoubtedly going to emerge as essential ‘not to miss’ in trending elements of interview preparation and job search strategies in the next five years:
1) Increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the job search and interview processes;
2) Emphasis on candidates with digital literacy;
3) Increase in video interviews versus in-person interviews;
4) Spotlight on applicants’ soft skills (i.e., communication, emotional intelligence, problem solving, and adaptability);
5) More personalized/targeted job searches via the plethora of job search platforms;
6) Heightened employer branding toward attracting the top 5% qualified applicants;
7) Synthesis of Virtual Reality in interview preparation; and
8) Focus on applicants who engage in continuous learning beyond their degree(s) acquisition
How can organizations and institutions better integrate leadership development into their culture to drive long-term success?
Again, this is not only an excellent question but an essential one for all organizations and institutions to not only think about but also to do something about in very strategic and timely manners.
Allow me to offer some of my thoughts [in the form of questions] on a few areas that are going to be tantamount in the integration of leadership development in a culture of long-term success: 1) What is the organization’s/institution’s vision for its leadership?; 2) Is there a culture of continuous learning and improvement?; 3) Are there high level and meaningful professional development programs?; 4) Is there an embrace of collaborative leadership and do models of such currently exist within the organization/institution?; 5) Are there rewards for effective leadership?; 6) Are there current leadership succession planning and/or strategies in place?; 7) Is technology and data being used effectively to enhance leadership’s innovative possibilities?; 8) What is the organization’s/institution’s authentic environment of support of leadership?
The answers to these questions will lead organizations/institutions into careful consideration toward implementation of initiatives that effectively synthesize high level leadership development into the professional cultural life of the space.
What advice would you give to someone looking to transition into a leadership role but struggling with self-doubt?
Lean into your current knowledge, experience, and educational credentials. Be fearless while being realistic about where your career path is at present.
Where are the voids that may be prohibiting [you] to move to the next step?
Work with an educational consultant to assist in sorting out those voids toward creating a high-level and achievable plan for steps in securing [your] next leadership role.