Waiting for tomorrow
Tomorrow’s going to be a big day. In the evening I’m going to hear Katarina Karnéus give a recital at Old Cabell Hall. I’ve never heard her sing, but the program looks marvelous (Mahler, Strauss, Grieg, a few bits from my favorite Baroque guys here, a dash of Weill there). And for once I lucked out and got a seat where the view of the stage isn’t half blocked by a pillar.
In the morning — and this is the bigger part of the day — I have a phone interview with a search committee for one of the jobs I’m applying for, which I’m hoping will lead to an interview of the in-person kind. I’m nervous about it, but excited as well: it’s a job I’d very much like to have, it’s a bit of a long shot but in many respects a good fit, and if they call me back I’ll be happily gobsmacked. However tomorrow morning’s interview goes, I suspect I’ll be heading off to the concert in a celebratory mood just for having gotten this far.
Now back to laundry, dinner, and nail-biting interview-preparation.
Yay recital, that sounds fantastic.
Phone interviews, contrary to popular opinion, are good. You can have your notes in front of you, anticipating expected questions. You can wear comfortable clothes. You’re in a familiar surrounding, and not so nervous. I suggest sitting at a desk or table, so you’re in a businessy frame of mind. With your notes.
I agree with everything B says. If you have a headset phone, that also helps. Of course, I’m a person who (a) managed to keep a long-distance relationship alive via the phone for 2 years, and (b) did dorky things like download pictures of the search committee to stare at while talking to them.
You downloaded the committee’s head shots? Now that’s dedication!
I did dress professionally and spread out my materials on the table in front of me. That helped. The familiar surroundings were a little odd in a job interview context, but reassuring.