I made it down to my first back-in-Seattle interview (at the Northwest Tissue Center) about ten minutes early. Everything seemed to go well. The people I met with were really nice, and we seemed to get along. Overall, I'd say the interaction and interview itself were excellent.
I was fine with talking about tissue donation. I was fine with holding and looking at some freeze-dried packaged human vertebrae (there was a little plastic window you could see through). I was fine with the x-rays of tumors and talking about replacing affected joints. Everything was fine.
UNTIL . . .
we got to the x-rays of bone trauma. There was no bone. Perhaps I could call it "the case of the missing elbow." Yes, it was gross, but I thought I was doing ok. Then the room started disappearing into shimmery whiteness, and all the sounds around me grew muffled. I asked to sit down and fortunately did not actually faint. It took a few minutes to recover, but once the dizziness had passed, I continued with the tour. The guy who was helping me said that that reaction happens once in a while with interviewees, but it sure was embarrassing.
They probably won't be hiring anyone for about a month. My main interviewer said that she nearly passed out on an assignment at the beginning of her medical career, so she was highly sympathetic to my little reaction. I'm going to take a couple of days to think about whether I can actually handle this job and then let them know if I'd be interested in continuing as a candidate.
But talk about embarrassing--almost fainting at your interview.
Posted by at August 19, 2004 12:54 PMi don't know if that would've been the impetus to my fainting or not. i'm very word-driven though. vivid images leap to mind, and i literally gag when i read "northwest TISSUE center" (why do they have to have that in the name, for crying out loud?) -- so i know i wouldn't be exactly well cut-out for this job. i'm kind of the same way or worse when discussions of puncture wounds or spinal injuries arise, ever since my brother josh had issues after a car wreck i've been really queasy about backs and punctures. so i have a lot of respect for people who handle plasma and blood and human body parts all day. because i couldn't. ok. well. i'm glad you survived.
Posted by: Joy at August 19, 2004 5:38 PMi think almost fainting but have been embarassing, but i think crying is worse. yes, i have cryed in a job interview. more than once. the first time, it was after the first question they asked me, which was "why does this job appeal to you?" i didn't get the job. but i did get the the other two that i cryed for. female interviewers don't seem surprised. i think it is a power thing for me. i am not in control, and my tears are visible reminders of that. being the control freak that i am, i often need a reminder of the One really in control. and being a control freak, i hate to let my emotions (especially ones associated with weakness) show. so, job interviews have become huge personal lessons in the sovereignty of God, not just the hope of a job (which i continually hope for--dum spiro, spero)
Posted by: michele at December 22, 2004 11:46 PM