Friday, March 30, 2012

The Interview

I am wearing my brand new well fitting suit (I splurged...worth it if I got the job..and if not then I'd wear it on every interview I hoped to have), I spend a little extra time on my hair, had my eyebrow waxed a few days before, I know about me and why I want to work for the company...I am more or less ready.

I get to the interview about 10 minutes early - it is important not to be late! Or too early for that matter.

The interview last summer was very informal. She barely asked me any questions and she said she liked me a few times...I knew at that point, I had the job. But then she threw the ringer at me - there was no job. It was decided the day before that it would not be filled. She didn't want to cancel on me, because she knew I had the skills and wanted to meet me, so if things should change she'd keep me in mind. I was very disappointed.

However I left that interview with more confidence. I realized that my current position has in fact given me some skills that could be beneficial to other organizations. I didn't jump back on looking for jobs for a few months because I was hoping that job would have panned out in a month or two, then it was soon the end of the year.
The New Year came and so did my new list of goals, which included the new job...but this time I needed to really work on it. No more of this occasionally looking and reading but no applying. Sure enough, I found another fantastic job, and I applied for it the same day I found it. I got a call for the interview just two working days later. I went through the same motions...I re-read through my index cards, I started to try on clothes and I bought a new skirt suit.

This interview was much more formal, and I can even say I was not as prepared for it as I should have been. First I met with the Human Resource department and discussed my overall work experience as related to the position and her take on the role. Right after that I met with the person I would be reporting to. He asked some similar questions and of course more from his point of view of the job. I thought the interviews were going well, I knew MY work history well, I knew how what I did on a regular basis correlated with this position, but what I did not do well was the questions to them and my career goals. I wasn't sure if I conveyed to them just as qualified I really was. Before I left they told me they were interviewing someone else the following week and then there would be phase two.

I went home to work on my thank you.

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