Interview Day

When I went to bed last night, all I could think about was my outfit for today's interview.  Right before falling asleep I remember thinking "Oh, man... I don't have any shoes that will match!"  Soon after I woke up this morning, I decided to wear sandals and try my luck with the rain puddles.  It worked, but I have to admit it was no easy to prevent clicking my heel on the ground loudly without looking like I was skating!

I woke up at 7:15 am, and started getting ready for my interview and juggling Adam while my mom jumped into the shower.  I got half of my nice clothes on before feeding Adam and then fighting with the hair straightener which I had not touched since graduation.  The time-eater was painting my toenails!  I changed into the rest of my outfit after I felt my hair was not going to get all over my suit coat.

At 8:55 I was out the door and on my way to the hospital.  I arrived with 15 minutes to go before my interview, thank goodness!  When I got in, there was a fire drill in progress, so all the doors were closed for security.  I had no idea what the next door led to because most of the signs were in the main hallways, and not the mini ones between them.  Of course I got lost, and it was noticed by a couple people that I had no idea where I was.  They were about to point me in the right direction when I guy passing by was asked where he was headed, and he responded, 'Well, where do you need to go?' Perfect!  He guided me though the hospital wing right up to the doors that lead to the HR department.  Huge time saver; I was very lucky.

I met the lady at the front desk who checked me in and then had me sit in their 'waiting area' as I looked over the job description and filled out my references.  After about 10 minutes, I was greeted by the HR lady I talked to on the phone on multiple occasions.  I broke the ice a little bit by talking about the intensity of the storm last night (which hopefully excused the tired look I could not shake off my face). She interviewed me for about 15 minutes, and first had me ask any questions I had about the position.  When she responded to one of my questions she said at one point, "... because you will be working..." which I interpreted as already having the job.  At the time, though, I was unaware that I would be interviewed by the food service manager next.  The rest of my time with her was spent answering a few questions like:
1) If I were to call up your past employer right now, what would they say about you?
--I learned quickly that the best way to answer this question is to just list off positive adjectives associated with the tasks of past jobs
2) What is the best skill that you have in your line of work and what would you say is your worst?
3) Describe a situation when an important task needs to be done in the midst of other obligations (ex, customers) and how you handled the situation.
4) Describe a situation where you felt something was done the way you did not think it should be done and how you resolved the issue.
5) Describe a situation when you went above and beyond for your customers.
I was interviewed a total of three times, and each interviewer asked me the same questions.  I found that really odd, but also comforting because by the time I was asked them the 3rd time, I was much more prepared and confident in the answers I wanted to give.  The HR lady also gave me a handout on my benefits for Full-time employment, which were much more rewarding than I thought.  That was the first light bulb moment for me that made me really desire this position.

The interview with the Food Service Manager was outside, which I loved.  As we walked from the HR department to the interview location, I found it really easy to talk to the manger.  She briefly described to me what they had going on at the hospital in addition to their newest attraction: A Farmer's Market.  I was beaming.  It was tiny, but it was cute and I was excited for them.  We sat down on the patio and she described to me that she was looking for someone that would be able to learn and transition from all the venues that had including the coffee shop, cafeteria, and catering.  I wanted to jump up and down in my seat when I heard about catering.  I had one minor experience with it, but I heard it is a great resume booster to have when going into a dietetic internship. I hope I radiated my excitement and didn't scare her too much with the look on my face!  I informed  her that I had been floating between venues a lot when I worked for Campus Dining and Illinois State, which would make me a great candidate for learning her venues and what she needed me for.  We also discussed the hourly salary, and I was excited to learn that I could earn up to $12/hr as I became familiar with the facilities.  She also mentioned that there were four registered dietitians buzzing around the areas I'd work.  That was a great feeling.  I felt that if  I were to get this job it would help me save up for the internship and potentially my Master's Degree after a year and a half. Additionally, I see great potential for building relationships and hopefully having those dietitians as outlets for advice and minor mentoring while I figure out my way to where they are today.

The third interview was pretty short.  It was called the 'peer interview' and took place with someone that currently works for the food service outlets.  The lady that interviewed me was a sweetheart.  She asked me the same 5 questions I wrote out earlier, and even treated it like she wanted to get to know me better.

I left the hospital so optimistic, and brought home a celebratory bag of Bouna Beef for my mom and brother.  Now I have to wait it out a couple weeks for the verdict.  I hope they want me as much as I want to work for them!!