By Angela Sun
I sat about two meters away from Madeleine Albright during my interview.
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| Madeleine Albright, First Female US Secretary of State (Photo: US Department of State) |
I was interviewed for a broadcast production internship with 'PRI's The World' in their WGBH radio studios. The day of my interview, Ms. Albright just happened to also be in studios for an interview as well, except she was in to promote her new book...In other words, her summer internship wasn't on the line.
So I straightened my back, shuffled my resume, and got ready for business. I had two interviewers, a senior producer and a senior editor/ host of the program. The senior producer had a pixie hair cut with streaks of purple highlights, giving her a sort of edgy look. She was casually dressed, wearing cargo shorts and sandals. The senior editor wore a pair of Santa glasses, accompanied by a warm Santa Claus-y smile. Adding to the festivities, his sweater was forest green.
I was intrigued by their attire because it contrasted so completely with the suits and pearls I sat across from during my Liberty Mutual interview. I began to appreciate the extent to which culture can differ from organization to organization.
I, on the other hand, was wearing a neutral blouse with a grey blazer, and black dress pants. I was probably the only person in the studios (besides Ms. Albright) wearing a blazer. But I would still recommend being overdressed rather than underdressed. An interview outfit should always spell 'professional'.
The interview itself was pretty basic. My interviewers explained the internship tasks in greater detail. For the broadcast production position, I was to cut interviews, chase stories, prep hosts, etc. My interviewers then asked me the standard 'why are you interested in interning with us', and did a quick resume walk-through (basically where each item on the resume is reviewed/ clarified in succession).
The reigns were then handed over to me at hardly the half way mark of the duration of our scheduled interview. I knew I had to ask enough engaging questions to fill the time so I pulled out my list of prepared questions for the interviewers and got to work. I asked some questions to get more details about the internship then moved on to program-related questions that I had come up with while browsing their website. Some examples include, ‘how are the responsibilities divided for the different beats you cover—Health, Environment, Language, etc.,’ and ‘what is the role of social media for your program.’
‘Wow, we’re getting grilled!’ joked the senior editor. I smiled shyly and apologized. ‘No, it’s fine. Keep the questions coming,’ he reassured me. I asked a couple of more similar questions, and we wrapped up the interview.
Looking back, I would gather that my interviewers were looking for a specific kind of character, in addition to having xyz (i.e. basic) qualifications. A good way to think about it is if I didn't have the basic experience/ technical qualifications necessary for the position, I wouldn't have been offered the interview in the first place. I have often read that the interview is a chance for the candidate to 'shine', and found this description awfully ambiguous. But this interview really demonstrated this point. My ability to think on the spot, efficiently gather information, push for answers, and interact with others are all traits that would become critical as I reported and produced for 'The World' throughout the summer. How else to better communicate this than fifteen minutes of reverse-interviewing?
Check out the ways I have put these skills to use with the guidance of the dedicated producers/ reporters at The World by clicking here and here for links to stories I reported.
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