The Scoop on Interview No. 2

October 28, 2008 - Tuesday

The Scoop on Interview No. 2 Current mood: contemplative Category: Jobs, Work, Careers Sunday morning came way too early. I tried to get to bed at a decent hour on Saturday night but my plans were foiled... other people in the house stayed up late... I'm not bitter just disappointed. It seems to be a running theme on both sides of that particular fence. My intent was to be up at 3:30 am on Sunday but I allowed myself 20 minutes of snooze and hit the shower at 3:51 am. By 5:40 am I was ready to go and checked in with my "travel companions" to see if they were ready - the ETD of 6:00 am had been established by them. I did not receive good news nor did I receive it in kind words. We ended up leaving the house at 6:30 am with a stop in town to fill up the fuel tanks. Despite the delay we made very good time. I was able to snooze a little on the way up and spirits were neutral if not good. We made one stop at a McDonald's where I used the facilities and the others had a quick bite to eat. I opted out of eating for fear of getting sick from the combination of fast food and nerves. We arrived at the hotel at 10:36 am. I went in and waited in the lobby as directed by the interviewers emailed instructions while my traveling companions went to a nearby mall. Fortunately for me there was a Starbucks bar in the hotel so I treated myself to a small iced mocha and waited for the recruiter to come get me. In the mean time, being the social gal that I am, I started up a conversation with a gaggle of young Korean ladies who were visiting the states. They were waiting for the hotel shuttle... to take them to the mall... I thought that was funny for some reason. When the Korean ladies left an airplane pilot came over and sat down across from me and he struck up a conversation with me. We talked politics and economics for about 15 minutes and then his shuttle to the airport arrived. Around 11:15 am the recruiter came and got me and escorted me into the cafe' where the hiring team was seated at a table. I met the principal and the teaching consultant along with the recruiter who I'd already met in the lobby. We pretty much got right down to the business of the interview. The questions were fairly normal interview questions, which I thought was funny for some reason... things were just striking me as humorous. There were some questions that were faith based, too, and I feel like I gave good answers to all of them: normal and Christian questions alike. I sort of knew I was in good with the recruiter because of how well our first interview had gone. I also felt like the principal and I had connected on some level as well. The consultant wasn't as easy to read, however. She was the most professional acting of them all in that she sort of had a poker face on until close to the end of the interview. I think part of her closed off thing was that she was asking very specific questions about teaching issues like classroom management style. They were questions that really only a person with a teaching degree would be able to answer correctly on a verbal level. I gave her my answers but then explained that I probably didn't have the technical terms she was looking for because I don't have a teaching degree, but that in a classroom I could SHOW her the answer. I think that put her at ease a little, and she did warm up by the end of the interview. In the end I said my thank yous and it felt like the interview went well. I'd say a 7 or 8 out of 10. My scales not perfect, however. I've been hired after interviews that I thought were 5 and not hired after interviews that I thought were 9. As I said to the hiring team, "It's all up to God at this point and I'll be content with whatever decision He makes. I'd love the opportunity to work for MeySen and hope I get to, so I look forward to hearing from you." (They ate that up. LOL.) There is more to this story but I don't have time to go into it right now. I will say that I got to see the blonde kids - my older brother's kids - and that was worth the trip alone. But there is always drama with certain members of my family and that makes things downright sucky. I will never understand how people can be so loud and rude and think it's okay. I'll never understand why people treat strangers better than they treat their family members. I'll never understand and I don't want to. I sure as you-know-what wish it was different, though. It would be nice to spend time with them without someone (most of the time me or the kids) ending up in tears. It's crap like that that can take the shine out of a good interview or a good trip to see great kids. Father God, PLEASE keep me positive and help me remain like a child with hope and gentility in my heart. Don't let me go to that dark place that I see so often in some of the people around me. I don't want to be bitter or hateful. I don't want to be a shouter. I don't want to be self-serving. Protect me from the venom. Protect the kids from it, too. We don't need that stuff to be carried on into a new generation. Thanks to all of you who prayed. I felt love, I really did. Once I got to the interview I had no nerves at all, and felt so calm and peaceful. I also felt it during the not-so-great after the interview moments. Through God you carried me, and I'm SO grateful. God is good!