Call Me.
One of the employers I mentioned in my previous post just e-mailed me yesterday afternoon saying they're interested in setting up a phone interview. Wow! And well damn....if that goes well and they ultimately decide to offer me a position, then hells yeah I can get behind that!
But oh, man....the idea of a phone interview scares me maybe more than a face-to-face interview. You see, maybe it's something you would never guess about me based on my "emerald self" here (or maybe you can tell from my writing?), but...as much as I enjoy talking and having animated or deep conversations when I'm with people I know well an am comfortable with...I'm totally phone shy. I know it sounds weird to you that a person can be phone shy, but there you have it. It's just how I am. So much that sometimes when someone tells me to call them, I'll send them an e-mail (or message them on Facebook if I'm connectd with them there) instead of calling them.
The odd thing is that I don't consider myself an unusually or especially shy person overall. I AM somewhat introverted, but not necessarily "shy" per se, except, like many people, I get shy in certain specific situations or with specific people or strangers--and one of those specific situations that makes me feel shy is on the phone with people I don't know well (i.e., other than close friends or family). I think I may even be more phone shy than I am doing public speaking. The phone is just awkward. How can you make a good impression and put your best foot forward over the cold hard wire (or wireless!) tubings of the phone? There's no immediacy ....no way to gauge facial expressions or body language to get a sense of whether the person you're talking to likes what you're telling them, or if you've unwittingly bored them, offended them, or otherwise failed to impress them.
I was online Googling tips on preparing for (and succeeding at) telephone interviews, and one web site describes phone interviews NOT as an opportunity to be hired, but rather....an opportunity to NOT be hired. It's like a filter that can make or break you. What if they simply don't like the way your voice sounds? Can it make or break you? What if the sound quality on your phone is bad or fuzzy (as is often the case when you're on a cell phone or one party uses a hands-free earpiece or puts you onto speaker phone)?
I hope I get through this hoop. Among the places I applied to jobs at so far, this particular institution is probably the most well-regarded. So it is flattering. I'd almost rather be interviewed over Skype. I think. Then they can at least see my smiling face.
Oh god. Wish me luck. Do you know awful I would feel if I didn't get the position after all, after the phone interview? If that happens, I'll always be left wondering if it was the phone interview that was a dealbreaker. Maybe you live and learn and if nothing else, it will be good practice.
I also feel incredibly lame coming here to diaryland and venting about my career/job search worries and insecurities. And the reason it feels that way is that I used to be a career counselor. Shouldn't I feel supremely confident when it comes to these things? Or maybe it's no different then when a cardiologist has a heart attack, or a dentist needs a root canal or a lawyer gets sued. You can dispense professional services, and have all the objective, professional knowledge in the world, but it's always different when it's you who actually needs the help or advice or whatever.
