Interview suit

Well, apparently the phone interview wasn’t quite as bad as I thought: they called me for an interview! I will be meeting with the head of the department on Friday morning. I’ve decided that I am too old and experienced now to get away with a sweater/jacket and black pants for a job interview, so yesterday I spent several hours shopping for a suit to wear to said interview. My mom, who went with me to provide advice and put things back on hangers in the dressing room, observed that if you just walk into a store with nothing in mind, you can happily walk out with a bag full of stuff in no time. But if you are shopping for one specific item, it can take a whole frustrating day!

I went to several different stores and tried on at least fifty things, many of which made me look like Miss Marple (apparently I can’t pull off the skirt-suit look—regardless of what top I wore underneath, I looked like I was auditioning for the maiden aunt role in the school play and probably had knitting needles in my purse). On others, the trousers were so wide-legged that I should have been wearing a rainbow wig and a red nose. I tried on dark brown blend suits, medium brown wool suits, light brown linen suits, purple pinstripe, gray-and-pink pinstripe, navy, and more varieties of black than I can possibly recall.

At Talbot’s I found three jackets I loved—on sale!—but no pants or skirts to match. (I did, however, get a light blue sweater on sale, and a skirt with dragonflies, and one black jacket that was just too good to pass up.) Finally, I went to Nordstrom. I knew Nordstrom would not disappoint me, and they did not. I am now the proud owner of one tailored black suit, the trousers of which are currently being shortened on a rush order so that I can wear them on Friday for my interview.

The thing is, I'm conflicted about the job. I never set out to work in the field where I have been for the last three years, and which recently burned me badly, so why would I want another job in that field? It represents immediate financial stability instead of months of uncertainty, but will involve many of the same things that I didn’t like at my last job. But I am going in with an open mind because:

1) It’s good interview practice, since the last time I actually interviewed for a job was in 2003;

2) Maybe I’ll be less nervous in the interview itself if I’m not desperate to get the job;

3) I might meet my potential supervisor and decide that I really do want the job if they offer it to me;

4) If I don’t get it, I will not be (as) devastated.

I have to arrive half an hour early on Friday to complete an application. I asked if I could pick it up during the week and bring it with me (my handwriting gets shaky and inconsistent when I’m nervous), but she said I have to complete it in the office. My mom remembered that a family friend, whose son recently changed jobs, told her that the newest trend in applicant psychology is to have you arrive early for the interview and then observe you: How do you treat the receptionist? Are you friendly? Do you seem overly nervous? Do you bite your fingernails, nap, or eat a pastrami sandwich while you wait?

It’s a smart idea, actually. When I worked as the receptionist in a temp agency office, many people who came in to apply for a job were just horrible to me. They were rude and abrupt, argued with me about completing the application, and often groomed themselves or made out with a companion in my view. But when the interviewer came out to collect them, there would be a complete personality change. Suddenly, they were polite and friendly and eager. What they didn’t know was that I had the power to make them “not eligible for hire”, based only on my observations before the interview. So I think it’s a good idea to ask the receptionist what the applicants are like. I just don’t look forward to being on the observee end of things for once!

I'll let you know how it goes.

(In other news, I got my very first blog comments this week. I was kind of excited, because it means at least two people out there are actually reading what I write. I am enjoying the blog format, because it’s a lot like my journal except that I am writing for an audience, which forces me to craft everything a little more carefully. So thanks for the encouragement!)