Authors: Ellen Gordon Reeves
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #Self Help
Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?: A Crash Course in Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your First Real Job (34 page)
Some people plan a career in this industry and see this job as the first in a progression; others see it as a stepping-stone to something else. What do you hope to get out of this job?
You might also be asked: Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? Twenty years?
I wish I could tell you that honesty is always the best policy but I can’t: the only correct answer is that you’re in it for the long haul.
I’ve always loved movies and documentaries in particular—that’s the area I’m trying to make a career in, so the chance to work at PBS is really exciting to me. I hope to get a grip on the big picture: documentary funding, production, and distribution. What have people done after several years in entry-level positions here? How did you start?
MOCK INTERVIEWS
Prior to your first interview, set up a mock interview with a friend or relative. Run through the questions in this chapter, answering them as you would in a real interview. Keep practicing any answers you stumble over. Ask for honest feedback.
Make sure your body language isn’t setting you up for a fall. Have your mock interviewer watch you and alert you to any unconscious physical gestures you may have: twirling your hair, picking your ears, scratching your head, tapping or wiggling your feet, drumming your fingers or a pen on the table, averting your eyes, covering your mouth when you speak. Well in advance of your interviews, practice not doing any of those things—it’s difficult to change unconscious behavior overnight.
If it’s been a while since you dragged out your interview outfit, try it on. Make sure your clothes are clean and pressed.
Where else are you applying?
Don’t get nervous if you’re asked this question. Job-hunting is like applying to college or looking for an apartment. It only takes one, but unless you’re phenomenally lucky, you can’t just visit or apply for one, and employers know that. They’re not interviewing only one candidate for their job, either! But employers also want to know that you’re serious about their field. If theirs is the only insurance company on a list of high-profile banks, they’ll suspect you’re just not that into them.
Answer honestly, because the world is smaller than you think.
This is really my number-one choice, but I’ve also applied to similar companies, including General Mills, Kraft, and Nestlé.
Best-case scenario: The interviewer likes you and, if he can’t hire you, passes your name along to a connection at one of those other companies.
Give an example of a time you took initiative.
Define collaboration.
Do you like to work independently or in a group?
Do you work well with others?
Are you self-motivated?
Do you believe decisions should be made by consensus or by majority rule?
How do you deal with conflict?
How do you deal with people who are different from you?