I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick...

I might, actually. Sore throat all day, and now a little bit of an earache. There's never a good time to be sick, you know? Thankfully, I don't get taken down too often, and I can't really remember the last time I was sick.

I'm off to take a vitamin and decongestant...

Zen and the Art of Job Interviews

I’ve been fortunate enough, in my short time, to have experienced a wide range of job interview scenarios. I’ve been interviewed by groups ranging from two to a dozen, and I’ve been interviewed as part of a group. I’ve been phone interviewed. I’ve walked, biked, drove, flown, and bused my way to interviews. I’ve bombed, sweated, shone, and been baffled. And my spouse has been wonderful in sharing her own experiences interviewing candidates for me to pick up from. I’m a shy guy, so my tendency is to get overwhelmed by this sort of thing, but thankfully I’ve seen enough of what goes on to sort of balance it all out, I hope.

More recently, I’ve had the opportunity to sit on the other side of the desk, as part of several search committees at work. It’s involved looking for both professors and public relations administrators. So I thought I’d share some of my recent observations with you, the reader, in the form of a few tips.

1. Be one of them

Assuming you’re qualified and competent, the biggest thing an employer is looking for, especially if you’re dealing with a hiring committee and your job is an important role at the company, is how good of a fit you are. The organization wants to know that you’re one of them – that you value the same outcomes and approaches they do, that they will be able to work well with you, and that you will bring a level of fresh perspective and dynamic energy to their team. If you are a good fit with the job and organization, emphasize that. Make it clear that you would be the best person for the job, not because you’re so damn great, but because you’d be the best fit. Don’t exaggerate your tailor-made qualities, though… there’s no room for soul mates and destiny in the working world. This is also where humor and acting natural comes into play… unless you’re being interviewed by an HR official, these people are going to have to interact with you on a daily basis. Make that as appealing as possible.

2. Keep it simple, stupid

Oh my. Please don’t ever talk about yourself for more than a few minutes straight. I was shocked and appalled at the number of candidates, on phone and in person, who would serious talk about themselves for 10, 20, or more minutes, non-stop. You don’t need to let me know that you’re a narcissist. Plus, there’s simply no need to go on that long. Whether its nerves or ego, learn to cut it off and be concise. Help yourself out and let the interviewer do more of the talking. And please don’t describe the methods and results section from your dissertation over the phone. Unless you and the interviewer are in the same narrow field of research, I can guarantee they don’t want details. Summarize, please.

3. Don’t come if you don’t want the job

I understand applying for positions if you’re just trying to feel out the market. But don’t drive down from out of town if you’re not interested. If you’re good, you’re just getting our hopes up. If you’re lousy, you’re wasting our time all around. Interviewers and search committees really hate having to second-guess whether a candidate is truly interested and would accept an offer. And don’t be that jackass that flaunts other competing offers. That’ll guarantee you won’t be getting an offer from us.

4. Curb your nervousness

Nervousness is inevitable. Obviously, interviewers expect that you’re probably a little nervous, but they also expect you to keep it under wraps. One thing I had never thought of before, though, is that nervousness can come off as something else entirely different. If you’re struggling to keep the butterflies down, you might actually end up looking too wordy and talkative, too stoic, or too shy. You may come off as a poor speaker, or even just a little unhinged. Do whatever practice or other techniques it takes to keep your nerves in line, because you might be misinterpreted. Being able to relax helps you perform better, anyway. After all, looking for a job and looking for a good candidate is such a little dance of expectations and subtle behavior – just be aware. Of course, if you’re not nervous, something else is probably wrong (see #2).

Good luck if you’re looking, and if not, clean up that CV anyway!

Living in a Glass House

I was genuinely surprised at how negative and unsubtle the coverage of China was during the Olympics, especially during the opening ceremony a week ago. (I haven’t actually watched any competitions for more than 30 seconds.) Yet even NBC’s sportscaster Costas was thoughtful enough to ask W. about “America’s own problems.” Thankfully, the mainstream media also hopped on McCain for saying, with regard to Russia v. Georgia, “In the 21^st century, nations don’t invade other nations.”

So you’re not a warmonger, megachurch pastor, corporate titan, or other type of high profile hypocrite. How do manage your own arrogance and avoid hypocrisy in your life? Sometimes it’s easy to ask others to do as you do not, yet sometimes it’s easier still to hush and not call people out on their shit, since you know you’re not perfect. “Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?”

But nobody’s perfect, and that shouldn’t keep one from pointing out bullshit. I think sometimes that I could just spend all day just calling various folks out on bullshit, but that’s probably a waste of my time. I’ve got better things to do, after all. But I do like to be called out on mistakes so I can improve (or at least I think I do… maybe that’s just arrogant delusion.) What I mean is that I realize how badly criticism is needed to keep one improving and on target. Sometimes you have to get over your own hypocrisy and be unafraid of being critical, if you want to help out others. The only difference with the neocons is that you’ve got to acknowledge your own shortcomings.