How I Learned to Love the Interview

By nature, I'm an introvert. When I was very young, I refused to speak to most strangers (unlike my little sister who has never met a stranger). Even as a young adult, I still struggle with the more social side of things like networking and interviewing.

As of about five years ago, my interviewing skills were horrible. I didn't know what professional dress was, nor was I particularly good at expressing myself verbally. After all, at heart I am a reader and writer. 

As part of the application process for RA's, we are required to re-interview for our jobs every year. For me,  this has always been a torturous process. I frequently felt as if I was a fraud during my interviews, and my interviewers were just trying to prove that I was. 

For the record, I was an amazing RA. I'm not trying to boast; I've had every supervisor tell me that for the four years I served as one. However, I lacked the confidence to act like I was great in my interviews, and it negatively impacted other people's impressions of me. 

Based on my previous experiences with interviews, who could really blame me for being terrified of Education Interview Day? I thought for sure that nobody would want me. 

As I was expressing concern for my performance during interviews, my placement teacher asked me why I was so worried about interviewing. When I explained my checkered interview history, she told me that I have shown tremendous growth in my confidence over the past semester, and I should not be so concerned. 

What she said to me next is what gave me the confidence to walk in the door to the recruitment room the next day. My teacher told me that regarding content and pedagogical knowledge, I was advanced beyond most interns that she had ever met.

While this statement did not make me become an extrovert or overly-confident overnight, I was able to walk around the room with my head held high, sign up for interviews, and meet with each of the schools I wanted. I even got a second interview with one of the school systems!

Education Interview Day

Exactly a week ago, I sat in a room where  a very nice and professional woman told me how I should present myself in an interview.

"Unfortunately, something like 80% of someone's impression of you is based on appearance."

That means I'm already at a disadvantage. You see, as much as we preach the acceptance of everyone in the classroom, I'm not afforded the same acceptance in interviews. If you don't know me, I'll explain what this means: I'm morbidly obese, and many people tend to make a set of assumptions about me because of this. 

Just because I'm obese does not mean that I'm sloppy or lazy or unintelligent. I'm about as opposite from those three items as a person can get. If you don't believe me, ask every boss I've ever had. I work my booty off (obviously not literally or I wouldn't be writing this post). I go above and beyond what is asked of me because I want to show mastery instead of simple proficiency. 

The reason why I'm writing this post all of the sudden is because of something that happened today. Since last week, I've desperately tried to find a suit to wear to Education Interview Day. After looking for several days, I found it online. It was glorious. I researched the type of suit jacket that is recommended for "full figured" women, and I ordered it...with matching slacks!

However, as I was tracking my package that was supposed to arrive today, I suddenly got a notification that said it had been delivered at three.

Nobody at my house had seen it. 

I panicked for a good five minutes as I was researching my next course of action. Then, while talking to my mom about the issue, I came to this conclusion: it's not the end of the world. 

If I have to, I will show up to Education Interview Day in some nice slacks and a nice top. No, it won't be the formal business suit that was requested of me, but that will do in a pinch.

I am in NO WAY saying that acting or looking unprofessional is appropriate at any point, but as my internship principal likes to say, "We're not into dog and pony shows here." 

Neither am I. 

UPDATE: I have located my missing suit, and it is now in my possession.

However, my point still stands, and it is something to consider. There are many in my profession who, in my opinion, who should dress and act more professionally. I know that my mother has personally had to deal with an intern who was inappropriately dressed the first time she met her. Was she wearing what I proposed (slacks and a nice top)? No. She was in cut-off shorts, a spaghetti strap tank top, and flip flops. This is an outfit I would not wear to the grocery store, much less to the first meeting with my placement teacher.

Despite this, I think that dress should be something that is less standardized in the interviewing process. As a teacher, and really as an adult, you know exactly what is and what is not considered appropriate. There is a dress code. The administrators should address these issues once the teacher is actually working for them.

Again, I am not saying that I feel I should be able to wear sweatpants and giant t-shirts to school/interviews. I'm simply saying that if a person does not have enough common sense to avoid wearing these items in the classroom, wearing a suit to the interview is only going to mask the problem.