The RGBP Friday Five: Interviews

Bishop Laura over at Junia's Daughter provides this [personally very timely for me] F5:

Songbird just had an interview for a "vague and interesting" possibility, and More Cows than People is doing campus visits for doctoral programs. There always seem to be a few RevGals applying for new positions, and I just got my first call for this year's preliminary interviews for college teaching jobs at the American Academy of Religion meeting in San Diego coming up in a few weeks. It's for my dream job among this year's offerings, and I am flipflopping between excitement and nervousness. So please keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer for everyone facing such conversations, and share your thoughts on the wonderful world of interviews:

1. What was the most memorable interview you ever had?
Probably my interview for my ordination as Deacon in the UMC. I was gathered in a big room at a youth retreat center north of Dallas with about 20 people interviewing me. The only other women there [in 1988] were my reader and presenter. Despite the uneven odds, I remember it being an overwhelmingly positive experience. When I exited the room, I of course headed for the bathroom --and they sent my presenter in after me to give me the good news.

2. Have you ever been the interviewer rather than the interviewee? If so, are you a tiger, a creampuff, or somewhere in between?

Depends what kind of interview it is and for what purpose. The context implies job interviews, but what about press interviews, and the interviews those of us who lobby do with our elected officials? It also depends on who the interviewee is ... but most times I probably tend to the cream puff side of things.

3. Do phone interviews make you more or less nervous than in-person ones?

More nervous, because there's fewer non-verbal cues.

4. What was the best advice you ever got to prepare for an interview? How about the worst?

I don't think I have ever received advice [as such] that is memorable as being either bad or good, although I have had scads of ordination interviews in two different denominations. Of course, there was lots of preparation for those things. I have had some pretty good media training, which I would recommend for anyone in a leadership role, regardless whether you regularly talk with the press or not.

5. Do you have any pre-interview rituals that give you confidence?

I play out a worst-case scenario or two in my head, get to a place where I'm comfortable with what happens, and tell myself if I can handle that, I can handle anything. I also breathe a lot.