Cafe Hitch-hike

2004-11-19

How was that interview?

Answer:

THEY
LOVED
ME!

Thank you, Tuff and G, and others who wished me well on the interview.

I didn't meet a mystic like for one interview. However, so many unusual (but mostly positive) things happened at this interview that it's almost dreamy. Of all the interviews I've had, this was one where I put in the least amount of effort.

We had our business-casual dinner the night before the interview where the topic of the evening was how the wave of hurricanes disrupted their lives. I could see this was a casual, fun-loving group of people who knew each other well. I was able to make a joke that more babies are born approximately 9 months after natural disasters; they laughed and had their own responses:

"Hey, they figure, 'if I'm gonna die, I might as well with a smile on my face!'"

"It's like, 'honey, there's no TV, so what do we do now?'"

"Uh-oh. That means Dougie (one of the search committee members) will be on the prowl to get in on that action! 'Excuse me, Miss, but I have some drinking water; excuse me, but would you like that tree removed from your driveway?' He'll pull that to get his 'in'!"

I laughed so hard because I was able to get away with such a remark, and also because they completely took off with it!

The next day was the long, long interview. My presentation was not even as finely prepared as they normally are; however, it went very well. I had to make a second impromptu one because the dean of the library wanted to see my personal webpage.

The other unusualy thing was they loved me so much that the head of the search committee said I was great, and so did a couple others. I had a session with the support staff where they asked me questions, and we talked about their library concerns. As they left, they were in smiles and each shook my hand. It felt more like I was meeting for tea on somebody's porch than a job interview!

What the hell happened? Was this a dream? No. I just did what I felt like doing. I wasn't trying to be someone else, trying to act cute, and I wasn't fluffing my abilities. The other weird thing was that people were so receptive. Maybe it's just the Southern way, I dunno, but I'm used to being largely ignored by a lot of my peers.

55 people applied for this job, and I was one of the 3 finalists. At least that soothes my worries that all other applicants bailed because of Florida's recent weather troubles. They interview the last one on Monday. They will make their decision just after (American) Thanksgiving.

I never, ever had such a welcoming reception before! Is this real???

My impression of the place is that it's certainly do-able. The size of the area is about the size of my hometown: not too big, and not too small; a tad on the isolated side but a few folks are interested in keeping the arts & entertainment going.

The other unusual thing was on the way back to Detroit, I sat next to a guy who had been in the farming and poultry business for a long time. I got to learn a lot about farming and animals. Laugh, it's kinda funny, but it was kinda cool. He told me a lot about cows, which will affirm my boyfriend's love for steak, and said some things about chicken I never would had guessed.

Time for my late lunch. More later.

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