My Experience With the Job Hunt: The Interview

This is the second in a series of posts about my quest to find post-graduate employment.  For the first post in the series, please go here.

Begin the interview scene: as I rode up the elevator and entered the spacious office—a large, open space of cubicles, glass-windowed conference rooms, and hard-wood floors---I felt slightly more at ease. The office assistant with whom I’d been communicating quickly jumped to her feet, warmly introduced herself, and led me to the firm’s conference room. Glancing over my resume, she asked me a few general questions about my interest in the firm and my past work experiences. We spent the last half of the interview catching up about Tufts, senior pub nights, and NYC-life. I’d almost forgotten the conversation was part of an interview until she said that she would fetch the Managing Director—the main player in the interview process.

This more-formal interview tensed me up a little. At the start, The Managing Director temporarily confirmed my fear of being a young, inexperienced student by just ever-so-slightly flipping the way she asked questions. With my resume in hand, she commented on what she didn’t see on the list, asking me to explain why I wanted this industry—and firm in particular—versus other types of work experiences. I tried to swerve this round-about-approach by highlighting the important skills I took away from each work experience. I reinforced the fact that these diverse opportunities were critical to pinpointing what it is I want to do full-time. By the end of our 20-minute interview, I felt her confidence in me start to grow.

The last two interviews (more like laid-back, friendly discussions) only pumped me up more, each shedding light on the incredible potential to grow and thrive within the company. The second two employees I talked to were purposefully selected based on the skills and interests I highlighted in my resume, cover letter, and initial conversations.

I spoke to a Senior Associate who heads the majority of the firm’s writing projects, including Op-ed articles, shareholder letters, speeches, and pitch letters to clients, journalists and media outlets. He said that he loved the idea of having another writer on staff. Overwhelmed as he was, I could assist him with his teeming amounts of writing projects and be a go-to editorial eye. My profuse number of head-nods and embarrassingly large grin revealed my excitement, perhaps a little too intensely.

Next, I spoke to another employee about her specific area of expertise: educational reform, an issue that has always deeply interested me. Having just returned from a national educational conference in Seattle, she had loads to say, and she feverishly spoke about her current projects, educational clients, and day-to-day routine.

From these two interviews, I realized that the assistant’s job is largely fluid, reflecting the relaxed, team-oriented culture of the entire firm. As all employers reinforced, they want to play into my personal skills and interests, to accommodate and comfort me. They treated me like more than a generic application but a unique candidate who could fit into the fabric of their firm. I left the interview feeling confident and self-assured, but even more so, I felt exhilarated. Every day at that firm would be diverse and challenging in a new way. I could really picture myself working there.

I had a mix of emotions when I received a follow-up email from the assistant; she invited me to move onto the next round (phew) by completing a 24-hour assignment that would test my ability to write and synthesize information (ah!). The test soared into my mailbox two days later, when I’d asked to complete the assignment. I prayed for the best.

I was dumbstruck at first. I anxiously scrolled through the pages upon pages of information and statistics, wondering how on earth I was going to send back a coherent press release by this time tomorrow. But then I realized how do-able it all was. The assignment presented a hypothetical announcement about a new mental health parity law. It required that I draft a media advisory and a follow-up press-release, offering only bare instructions for each, apart that they be compelling, catchy, and have a tangible hook. The test said we could incorporate “additional research,” which of course meant DO additional research. I was in Career Services when I received the test, and luckily I had Donna, a veteran PR-pro herself, to offer me some sound advice before I headed off to the confines of Tisch.

Aside from our writing skills, the point of the test was to gauge our ability to sift through large quantities of information and pinpoint what’s really important---what would seal the deal in a quick press release. I was used to writing concise news articles and conveying fact-based information; the hardest part would be determining what to write. And so, I spent the largest portion of that night simply researching. I read through the information the firm provided, highlighting what I discerned to be the most critical pieces. I also heavily researched mental health parity online, sifting through various news articles about mental health parity reforms in recent years—and issues that still need resolving. Bleary-eyed after hours of reading and research, I did the best I could to then draft the two separate documents, hoping that I conveyed the topic’s urgency and news-value. Exactly 24 hours later, I submitted the test, confident and overwhelmingly relieved that the stress was (temporarily) over.

So, that’s when the waiting game began. We all know it so well. If we’re lucky, employers will let us know when to expect a decision or response. If not, we’re left frantically checking computers and phones day-in-and-out, always convinced that the faint buzz from our cell-phones is the make-it-or-break-it news we’re waiting for. In my case, I was relatively lucky. A few days after receiving my test, the current assistant told me that she would contact me with a decision within two weeks. Relieved to have some sense of a timeline, I was able to enjoy the weeks that followed (including my spring break) without that lingering anxiety.

Check back next week for the third and final installment in this job hunt saga.