It's frustrating. The first occurred two days after my FIL's surgery, so I didn't really prepare very well for it. And it was something I knew I would have to prepare for...Company 1 (Master's Degree Dude Interviewer) doesn't really give a rat's ass about the fact that I'll have a PhD and wants to make sure I have more "boots on the ground" type skills. This was not going to be a "job talk-y" type interview.
Well, I fucked that one up, pretty bad. I was shaking while speaking on the phone, and I had lost my headset so one hand was wasted holding the phone instead of putting a pen to paper to think/write. It was bad. My hands shook, my stomach shook, and my mind was basically totally discombobulated. And it showed. I think I came off a bit like an imbecile. Oh well. I scheduled that one first to really get practice anyway, it's been a long time since I've done any interviews. I wasn't that bummed because it wasn't really the job I wanted (though I would have taken it if it were my only choice), but it still sucks to be rejected and know you didn't do well at something.
The 2nd one was better (Lady PhD Interviewer). But not a slam dunk. I don't know what that means. I haven't heard back from them yet. I don't know. I just don't know. I really suspect I'll be rejected here too, just because I do. Can't help it. The uncertainty is killing me, because I think this is the job I really want (given the economy). A year ago, I don't think I'd have considered this place but since the economy has gone down the shithole I don't really have many choices and this is definitely the best one, in several ways. So....I'd really really like to get through to the next round of interviewing. Man. I'm dying. Please please let this work out.
So I've mentioned that I feel blah, and my lovely readers have been so kind and suggested a break. I'm pleased to announce that Mr. PhizzleDizzle and I have booked a trip to the Land of Eire. I've gotten some great tips from Lab Pixie on how best to take advantage of this trip, and we are going to have a great time. This will probably be the last spontaneous couples trip we'll take for a long time, as I'll (hopefully!!!) be working by the end of this year. I am really, really looking forward to it and am using the planning of the trip as an excellent procrastination tool and a way to forget about my job worries.
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Searching for a job is hard, even when the economy is doing awesome. I also bombed a phone interview with possibly the same company (?) but by the end of it, I didn't really care. They asked me questions about how I would solve some problem, and what I really should have said was "I'd get out my humongous algorithms book and look it up" because quite honestly, that's how I would have solved the problem, rather than trying to work out some elegant answer on the spot.
Have fun on your trip!
Thanks Rebecca!!
I've been meaning to read your Supercomputing course posts ever since I saw your OpenMP post, but I have not gotten the mentality to read a technical post quite yet. But I am totally looking forward to it!
The only way to give good interviews is through practice. I also think you probably did better than you perceive. Its like when you give a talk and think everyone can hear the shakes in your voice, but really they just hear a confident you.
Oh the days of spontaneous trips. Have fun!
Ugh on the interviews - those on the spot trick questions are tough. I hope you hear from the 2nd one!
I have only done one interview for a real job, right out of undergrad, and it went well because I was already set on going to grad school and thus not worried about getting the job. If one could only recreate that worryless state!
Have a blast on your trip!
How did you pick the destination, btw?
Sorry the interviews didn't go as well as expected. At least you did them in the order you wanted and did much better on the second one! Who knows? Maybe you did much better than you think ;)
I've always found job hunting to be one of the most painful and frustrating experiences in life - perhaps that's why I went back to school for so long: press the good ol' snooze alarm on life! Hahaha!
Sounds like your trip will be a much needed break!
ScienceGirl - I get TravelZoo emails, and so every week they email me some sweet travel deals. I usually just scan them, but lately I've been looking more carefully, and somehow Ireland just resonated and I felt like going. So we are!
SM, MCH, SG - thanks for the support. I"ll just have to keep my fingers crossed.
I've been meaning to ask you how the interviews went -- sorry to hear that the news is not so great. But, you don't know for sure on the second one, and you got the interviews in the first place, so where they came from, maybe there will be more.
And, in the meantime, that sounds like a FANTASTIC trip to plan! I was originally supposed to present at a conference over there this summer but at the last minute my PI decided he no longer wanted to send me... oh, well. The least of the reasons why I loathe the lab right now!
Thanks EB. I'll try to enjoy myself on your behalf :).
I talked to a friend who works at Company 2 today and he mentioned that it sounded like I got a fair amount of questions, which he said was a good sign. I'm still feeling unhopeful, but I really don't know how to judge these things anymore.
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