Thursday, October 28, 2010

Interview

I had a job interview at a small New Hampshire College. It was the first interview I've had since April, when I got passed over for a job that I was perfectly qualified for because I don't have a Master's Degree in design, or anything else for that matter.

There were four people interviewing me. The CIO of the college, and department heads in the IT group. I felt relaxed, confident, positive that I was perfect for this job. They cracked jokes, I laughed; I made a funny, they laughed. One of the department heads seemed to really like me. The MIS director seemed unimpressed. The guy that would be my boss seemed engaged and interested in what I had to say. I felt like I owned that room. I was convinced I made a great impression.

The following day, I got a call from the placement agency that arranged the job interview. He said that they thought I was a good candidate, but that I was "too casual and relaxed" and that I didn't have enough experience with the software that I'd be teaching faculty to use. I'm still in the running, but I'm not "the" candidate.

I'm really not sure what I could have differently. They set me at ease, I felt comfortable with them. Did they expect me to be stone faced and serious when they jested about their faculty? And I'm an overtly convivial person, friendly, and open. So I was me.

Sounds to me that I don't want to work there. If the me that I am isn't the me that they want.

3 comments:

  1. Were you dressed significantly differently than they were, eg much more casually? Maybe that's what they meant (but they're not allowed to say that). Because not liking a candidate because they're relaxed and joking doesn't seem to hold water. I just heard that you're not even supposed to think of an interview as anything more than a very preliminary part of the process, because now employers are doing 3 or 4 interviews before they make decisions. Blows.

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  2. no -- i was dressed far better than all of them. blue blouse, black pants, dress shoes. the one person had on a sweatshirt and jeans. the MIS director had on a golf shirt with the school logo. the guy who would be my boss had on a tweed jacket and a dress shirt but no tie, real collegiate looking.

    the placement agency i worked with on this one said they're still interviewing, and that i'm still a top candidate. i'm having lunch with the head hunter and the placement agency head on thursday. they both want to meet me. i think they're going to interview me in person too...

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  3. I guess you were supposed to be formal and nervous.

    Be yourself -- can't go wrong.

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