Opinion

What I Learned on My Summer Vacation:

A Writergrrl's Look at Interviewing

Interviews. Ever notice how easy all the books and job sites make them sound? Well, maybe they are if you have a well-defined, ten-year career plan. Or years of unquestionable experience doing exactly what the job description details.

But if you're like me, you're constantly playing out multiple options and pushing the limits of your experience. Contract or full-time. Technical or creative. High tech or something a little more stable these days.

I was recently chatting with my mom about my exhaustive—and exhausting—preparations for an upcoming interview. When I asked her what she thought, she replied,

"I think you must be a pro at interviewing by now."

Despite what my mom might think, I am not a pro. I prefer practiced. It sounds nicer.

So, rather than write up the same list of interviewing tips that you've probably already read somewhere else, I thought I'd share my summer of first-hand interview experiences. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Interview #1: It’s a Two-Way Street

I was fresh off my most recent contract experience and enjoying a nice vacation in Utah when my recruiter called about another contract from my previous client. This time with the job title I had been coveting: content editor.

Having already received a glowing recommendation from someone in my previous group, the hiring manager told my recruiter that the interview was just a "formality" and that they'd like me to start the following day if everything "went as expected."

Everyone—except me—seemed to think this was a done deal.

And after an interview that lasted barely an hour, in the lobby no less, even the temptation of a coveted job title and hefty hourly rate couldn't convince me that I wanted the job. The consistent impression that I got was that they were in a jam and looking for either a miracle worker or a scapegoat.

They were three weeks from their deadline. They'd hired no editorial staff because the group manager had thought he could handle the content—in addition to his other full-time job. They had no third-party content because a vendor still hadn't completed the viewing tool. And they wanted me to start the next day.When they made the offer, I kindly declined and decided to focus my job-seeking efforts on full-time stability. And sanity.

Interview #2: It’s About Current and Future Opportunities

I had often idealized what it must be like working at an ad agency. Open spaces. Crazy wall colors. Inspiring projects. People who ooze creativity.

So preparing for my second interview of the summer—even though it was only for a part-time, freelance content coordinator position—sent me into a slight panic.

Was my portfolio creative enough? Did I know enough agency jargon to sound like I knew what I was talking about? Was my interview attire sufficiently hip? Essentially, would I fit my idealized picture of someone who works for an ad agency?

The first mistake I made in this interview was talking about how much I liked to write and edit. What they really wanted was an organizational nut. Someone who knew the inner workings of Excel spreadsheets and filing systems like I only hope I never do.

But I really wanted to work for an ad agency, so I gave it my best shot.

In the end, I didn't get the job. I did, however, send a nice thank-you note to my interviewer and asked her to keep me in mind for any future writing or editing positions. Two months later, she offered me a freelance editing gig. And I finally got to work for an ad agency.

Interview #3: It’s About Testing Your Limits

Dusting off my non-profit experience from college and adding it to my resume soon led to my third interview of the summer—for a program manager position at the UW. My first at the university.

In spite of the thorough research I did for this interview, I was not prepared for it. At least not for the panel of six interviewers.

It was a tough room to negotiate. Although they took turns (at first) asking questions, I couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed trying to follow all the interview "rules":

Answer each interviewer directly.
But remember to make eye contact with everyone.
That one is giving weird vibes.
Remember to make eye contact with everyone.
Did I really even answer that question?

And somehow I ended up sandwiched between the two coolest cucumbers in the room. I'd never felt like my enthusiasm counted so much against me in an interview.

The format of the interview also threw me. While I'm used to having a dialogue with interviewers, this one was more like a firing squad. I managed to sneak in a question here and there to clarify something, but it definitely felt like I was breaking protocol.

Ultimately, I think the position was just a stretch for me. They wanted someone with a Masters degree, and I didn't have it. And this time my enthusiasm wasn't enough to compensate.

Interview #4: It’s About Volunteer Experience

My second UW interview of the summer. I braced myself for another firing squad, but was pleasantly surprised with a totally different type of interview and only two interviewers. A little more my style.

Like the last UW position, this one—a full-time facilitator/recruiter for a teen intervention study—was also a bit out of my element, at least in terms of my recent professional experience. But when I pulled in my non-profit experience from college and my volunteer experience as facilitator for the Writergrrls Steering Committee, it began to make more sense.

At the end of the interview, when I asked for feedback, they told me it was almost a perfect fit. I had the facilitator piece nailed, but didn't have as much outreach or recruiting experience as they needed.

While they didn't offer me the full-time position, they did ask me to become one of their hourly facilitators.

Interview #5: It’s All About the Shoes

With the final days of September reminding me how long I had been "enjoying" my summer of job hunting , I entered my third-and final-UW interview ready to dazzle. The position seemed like a perfect fit: communications coordinator in the University Relations office.

I prepared an attractive folder with extra copies of my resume and four writing samples. I requested copies of the department's publications before the interview. I devoured a couple of books on printing and desktop publishing since most of my experience has been in Web content.

And I bought my first pair of grown-up, conservative dress shoes.

The first interview included a pleasant exchange of information with two interviewers, some friendly bantering, and one of the most creative and difficult question I've ever been asked in an interview: describe the "brand" of Heather.

I followed up immediately with handwritten thank-you notes, laboring over the wording for more hours than I care to admit.

I knew only three candidates would be called back for final interviews, but I had no idea how many were in the initial pool. I sweated bullets for more than a week before I got the news that I was a finalist.

Three days before the final interviews, I received a packet in the mail describing the writing project I had to complete for the interviews and kissed my weekend plans good-bye. It was by far the most involved interview exercise that I've ever prepared and probably warrants its own article.

Three interviews were lined up for the final round. I focused on remaining relaxed and confident and on weaving my key selling points into my answers.

The last interview with the hiring manager was an opportunity to review my writing project—part of which involved repositioning the design of a publication and illustrating my concept in a two-page spread.

This time it took me two days to write the thank-you notes. What do you say when you've already knocked yourself out trying to make your best impression and it's down to the final hoorah? Keep it simple, even if it takes two days.

Four long, agonizing days after that final round of interviews—while on my way to yet another interview—the hiring manager called me on my cell phone and asked, "How would you like to become a Husky?"

With a summer of interviewing finally behind me, it seems that finding the right position was well worth the wait.

Heather Perry served as the facilitator for the Seattle Writergrrls Steering Committee from June 2000 to September 2001. She can be reached at heperry@hotmail.com.