Oh snap, ya’ll! Cinderslut had herself a job interview.
I’ve now been unemployed for about three months, and I had pretty much resigned myself to being happy with my Master’s coursework and some odd tutoring jobs until the magical moment that a suitable teaching position appeared. But, at the same time, I knew that it could be years before such a teaching job actually came my way. That’s why I was intrigued when I met a woman who worked in administration here at the university where we live and she asked me to send her my resume. I figured it couldn’t hurt, so I sent it to her. Later that same day I had scored an interview.
I was excited, but the prospect of this interview brought with it an array of stressful quandaries that I haven’t had to face in quite some time. You see, last year when I got my teaching job, my “interview” consisted of a tour of the school and the principal asking me point-blank if I would accept the job. Not exactly your typical interview situation. Prior to that, the last time I had an interview was in April 2011, so you can see—I’m rusty.
First, I wondered, what do I wear to this interview? I have a variety of business casual-type stuff I used to wear to work, but I could also step it up a notch and go for the black pencil skirt and jacket combo or the new light gray suit I picked up a couple of months back. But was the suit too formal? Was the pencil skirt too sexy? These are important considerations, especially when interviewing in a conservative Muslim country. So, I decided against the pencil skirt and went with my new gray pants and a black blazer, with a bright turquoise shirt underneath for a pop of color.
But what about the interview itself—what will I be asked? It has been so long since I had to sell myself to a potential employer that I was pretty concerned about not being prepared to answer questions. So, I studied up a bit. I constructed a brief list of my strengths and weaknesses and practiced explaining why I would be good for the job (which was tricky since I didn’t know exactly what job I was interviewing for). In retrospect, I could have practiced this more, because I still think I sounded a bit lame in the actual interview.
What if the big boss didn’t like me? I hadn’t been very intimidated about meeting her until I went on a road trip this past weekend with a couple of her employees, including the woman who had originally asked me to send my resume. When people describe their boss by saying, “You know that movie—The Devil Wears Prada?” Well…it’s enough to give a girl some cold feet. I also found out that this woman is one of the most highly educated and successful women in her country, and quite possibly the second or third most powerful person in the university administration. Yikes! Luckily she seemed pretty nice in person, and she was excited to meet me because I’m from Seattle. It turns out she herself went to school in Seattle, and her daughter is a student at my alma mater right now. Yay for personal connections! I tried not to show how inexperienced and intimidated I felt—she was throwing around terms like “project management” and “strategic planning,” and I was nodding along like, yeah, totally, I do those things all the time.
So, overall I think my first real interview in more than two years went okay. Looking back, I can think of several things I wish I had mentioned or said differently, but what can I do now? Basically I think they are understaffed and were planning to hire me regardless, which is always a great kind of interview to go into. J They’re currently moving forward with the hiring process, but it is complex because I don’t have a work visa, and this country is notoriously slow and confusing when it comes to dependents like me getting “real jobs.”
I’m excited by the prospect of being back at work, but also terrified because it will be in a role I’ve never really filled before (again—I’m still vague on what exactly that might be). In the back of my mind, there’s also a pang of guilt or dissatisfaction, because this isn’t a teaching job. I know it’s good to build my resume in other areas too, and who knows what might come of this opportunity…but still. In my heart I miss teaching, and I worry that this is a step away from my dreams. Still, I’m willing to give it a try and do my best. After all, I am a smart, educated, independent woman. If anyone can do it, I can.