An interview
I had an interview with a book publisher I'd really like to work for this morning. I hadn't expected them to call back for a face-to-face interview because it took them forever to get back to me after the phone screen. I've already accepted a temporary position with another employer, which won't begin until November 6, but I'm willing to tell them my plans have changed if I get a positive response from the folks from this morning.
I've read that it's a good idea to record your impressions of an interview shortly after it ends. I think my interview this morning went quite well. I wasn't stumped by any of my interviewer's questions, and I think I answered them satisfactorily, if at slightly greater length than necessary. I didn't have any new questions for the HR person who works for the publisher that owns the imprint I want to work for, since I'd asked her plenty of questions the first time on the phone. But I did have questions for the head editor of the imprint, and I think they were pretty good ones.
If I could have done anything differently, I think I should have talked a bit more about my editing abilities rather than my other office management skills. Turns out the job, as I expected I guess, is roughly 70% editing (the rest being financial and collaboration stuff), but I thought I'd addressed my writing/editing experience adequately in my resume and cover letter and had neglected to mention my other abilities. Seemed the interviewer was much more interested in my editing knowledge than anything else, and I felt slightly unequipped to answer some of his questions, like what my editing procedure is. I just like to edit stuff; I don't necessarily have a procedure I follow. But I made something up, and I think it kind of worked.
Despite the fact that I was nervous all morning and couldn't sleep soundly all night, I was pretty calm in the interview. The interviewer was quite personable, as the HR person said he'd be, and he didn't ask me anything very difficult. I had a hard time gauging his opinions of my answers, but he never looked too shocked, at least. I was perhaps a little more honest than I had to be with some responses -- I freely offered what I think I'm not good at, for instance, without him even asking me -- but maybe that'll work in my favor. Some of the things I said suggested to him that I'm perhaps looking for a slightly different office environment than he could offer, and therefore I'm a little sorry I mentioned them at all, but I think I was always truthful. When he brought this up, I tried as well as I could to backpedal and say that I'm adaptable to any environment.
Overall, I think it went well, well enough at least, and I hope to hear back from them soon, regardless of their decision. I'm in the slightly awkward position of negotiating with two different parties without telling either of them about the other, and I suffered the consequences of that when I was dealing with real estate agents. This is a completely different game, however, so I don't think I'll get nipped in the ass quite so hard.
I've read that it's a good idea to record your impressions of an interview shortly after it ends. I think my interview this morning went quite well. I wasn't stumped by any of my interviewer's questions, and I think I answered them satisfactorily, if at slightly greater length than necessary. I didn't have any new questions for the HR person who works for the publisher that owns the imprint I want to work for, since I'd asked her plenty of questions the first time on the phone. But I did have questions for the head editor of the imprint, and I think they were pretty good ones.
If I could have done anything differently, I think I should have talked a bit more about my editing abilities rather than my other office management skills. Turns out the job, as I expected I guess, is roughly 70% editing (the rest being financial and collaboration stuff), but I thought I'd addressed my writing/editing experience adequately in my resume and cover letter and had neglected to mention my other abilities. Seemed the interviewer was much more interested in my editing knowledge than anything else, and I felt slightly unequipped to answer some of his questions, like what my editing procedure is. I just like to edit stuff; I don't necessarily have a procedure I follow. But I made something up, and I think it kind of worked.
Despite the fact that I was nervous all morning and couldn't sleep soundly all night, I was pretty calm in the interview. The interviewer was quite personable, as the HR person said he'd be, and he didn't ask me anything very difficult. I had a hard time gauging his opinions of my answers, but he never looked too shocked, at least. I was perhaps a little more honest than I had to be with some responses -- I freely offered what I think I'm not good at, for instance, without him even asking me -- but maybe that'll work in my favor. Some of the things I said suggested to him that I'm perhaps looking for a slightly different office environment than he could offer, and therefore I'm a little sorry I mentioned them at all, but I think I was always truthful. When he brought this up, I tried as well as I could to backpedal and say that I'm adaptable to any environment.
Overall, I think it went well, well enough at least, and I hope to hear back from them soon, regardless of their decision. I'm in the slightly awkward position of negotiating with two different parties without telling either of them about the other, and I suffered the consequences of that when I was dealing with real estate agents. This is a completely different game, however, so I don't think I'll get nipped in the ass quite so hard.
posted by Seph at 10:34 AM
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