Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #7


Big Things Are Happening

Yesterday, I had my first phone/Skype interview with a potential employer! I was very nervous, yet excited, especially because I have never conducted a Skype interview. I thought it went very well in general, and I think extremely well on a few levels (that I will share with you…).

The camera – Position the camera to a place that says something about you personally. For me, I wasn’t comfortable speaking with a blank wall behind me, so I made sure there was some artwork behind me (a map of campus and another simple picture). It was a talking point during the interview…an added bonus!

Prep work – I wrote out my responses to each anticipated question, but made sure I could articulate my statements without help from a paper. This is where Mom, my best friend, and my hairbrush came in.

I kept post-its with words of encouragement near the camera to keep me motivated. They simply said “smile” and “you’re bigger than your body gives your credit for” (cheesy, I know, I’m slightly embarrassed).

READ THEIR WEBSITE. That is all.

Don’t be afraid to say, “That was a great question, let me think about that for a second.” If anything, it shows that you’re reflective and responsible with your language.

On another note, I’ve decided not to share with too many people in my graduate cohort because of the level of competition, but decided to share with a colleague of mine because he/she had expressed interest in interviewing. This solidified my decision NEVER to share outside of my close circle again, because this person decided to ask me in a group how the interview went (in front of peers who I did not want to share with). I haven’t decided how I will address this exactly, other than to keep my mouth shut. Do others experience this fear of competition in their graduate programs?


By the way, this is a non-Res Life job in a big city. :D Big things are happening!

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