Writing about the goodness of February brought back some memories of different job interviews I have faced. In almost all of them, I have made blunders that I am not very proud of. As some readers of this blog have just finished interviewing or have interviews coming up soon, I thought I will share some of my job-interview-mishaps.
My first interview was within the first year of finishing my PhD. I wanted to gain a few years of postdoctoral experience, but applied for this tenure-track position in Canada on the advice of my mentors. Much to my surprise, I got shortlisted and was invited for the interview. Clueless about what happens during job interviews, I asked a colleague who helpfully told me, "Don't get nervous. The committee will not harm you." Throughout the pleasant train journey to this university, I kept repeating this to myself.
Here's how the interview began:
Committee Member 1: Is this your first job interview?
K: Yes
Committee Member 2: Are you nervous?
K: No, I am fine, thank you.
Just then CM 3, the senior-most mathematician, started coughing.
CM 2: Oh, it looks like CM 3 is getting nervous.
K: Don't get nervous. I won't harm you.
Everyone in the room, except CM 3, started laughing and the interview proceeded very smoothly thereafter. I did not get this job, but I am sure it was not because of this goof-up.
Now, Goof up 1 at IISER Kolkata:
IISER Kolkata had shown a lot of interest in my application and I was looking forward to my visit there. Just before I left for Kolkata, my brother jokingly mentioned that I should play up my Bengali connection as that might help (no offence intended - it was said merely in jest. [1]). Now, I have no Bengali connection, except that my last name is also a common last name in Bengal.
During my visit, here's how a conversation went with a senior colleague at IISERK:
SC: Hello, Koneenika
K: Hello. err, it's Kaneenika
SC: Aren't you Bengali?
K: No.
SC: From your name, I thought you are Bengali.
K: (suddenly realizes that she has passed up a great opportunity to play up the Bengali connection and tries to make amends) I am not Bengali, but I have spent a formative period of my childhood in Bengal.
SC: That's interesting.
(On further grilling, it is revealed that this formative period of K's childhood was at Darjeeling for a few months when she was 1 year old.)
SC: (laughs and says) You have understood the Bengali psyche very well.
Goof up 2 at IISERK (and I still feel very embarrassed whenever I think of it):
On the morning of my departure, at breakfast with a senior colleague and a colleague from Mathematics:
SC: So, are you flying back to Edmonton now?
K: No, I am also visiting City A before flying back.
SC: I see. Who is your host there?
K: Institute ABC.
SC (in a nostalgic tone, tells us about his job search long ago and return to India): In our days, we were lucky if we had one job offer. Your generation gets to choose between multiple job offers.
K (feels that it was perhaps not appropriate to bring up another prospective institute in the conversation and desperately wants to say something to change the topic and save the day. So, with the noblest of intentions, says): Yes, our generation is lucky. You guys worked very hard and we are reaping the benefits.
SC: (Not amused at being addressed as one of "you guys", but maintains a practiced calm and stays quiet).
Other colleague: (Almost falling off the chair)
K: (blushes as she realizes her poor choice of words) I had a very nice time here. Thank you for your hospitality.
The conversation proceeds smoothly after that. [2,3]
And now the goof-up at IISER Pune:
CM: What activity did you enjoy the most at IISERK?
K: (interprets the word "activity" to mean conferences, winter schools etc) I enjoyed organizing two winter schools at IISERK. (Then explains how much fun it was to interact with so many students from all parts of India and the experience of organizing something from scratch).
CM: (looks a little surprised and then explains) I am sure you must also have enjoyed your teaching and research activities there.
K: (then realizes her mistake, is embarrassed and starts talking about her research and teaching)
After coming out of the meeting room, she spoke to a future colleague about how she misinterpreted the word "activity" and gave an inappropriate answer.
Colleague: Oh no, I think they were asking about your hobbies.
K: (suddenly feels much better)
Readers are welcome to share interview-mishaps (either theirs or those of others) in the comments section.
Just out of curiosity, what would you have interpreted "activity" to mean?
[1] He later wrote here about his experience in Bengal.
[2] In my first few days at IISER K, I shocked a lot of people with my informal language. For instance, I was told that it was impolite to refer to women/lady faculty members as female faculty (or men/gentlemen faculty members as male faculty for that matter).
[3] I used the word "guys" in a generic sense to mean both men and women.
My first interview was within the first year of finishing my PhD. I wanted to gain a few years of postdoctoral experience, but applied for this tenure-track position in Canada on the advice of my mentors. Much to my surprise, I got shortlisted and was invited for the interview. Clueless about what happens during job interviews, I asked a colleague who helpfully told me, "Don't get nervous. The committee will not harm you." Throughout the pleasant train journey to this university, I kept repeating this to myself.
Here's how the interview began:
Committee Member 1: Is this your first job interview?
K: Yes
Committee Member 2: Are you nervous?
K: No, I am fine, thank you.
Just then CM 3, the senior-most mathematician, started coughing.
CM 2: Oh, it looks like CM 3 is getting nervous.
K: Don't get nervous. I won't harm you.
Everyone in the room, except CM 3, started laughing and the interview proceeded very smoothly thereafter. I did not get this job, but I am sure it was not because of this goof-up.
Now, Goof up 1 at IISER Kolkata:
IISER Kolkata had shown a lot of interest in my application and I was looking forward to my visit there. Just before I left for Kolkata, my brother jokingly mentioned that I should play up my Bengali connection as that might help (no offence intended - it was said merely in jest. [1]). Now, I have no Bengali connection, except that my last name is also a common last name in Bengal.
During my visit, here's how a conversation went with a senior colleague at IISERK:
SC: Hello, Koneenika
K: Hello. err, it's Kaneenika
SC: Aren't you Bengali?
K: No.
SC: From your name, I thought you are Bengali.
K: (suddenly realizes that she has passed up a great opportunity to play up the Bengali connection and tries to make amends) I am not Bengali, but I have spent a formative period of my childhood in Bengal.
SC: That's interesting.
(On further grilling, it is revealed that this formative period of K's childhood was at Darjeeling for a few months when she was 1 year old.)
SC: (laughs and says) You have understood the Bengali psyche very well.
Goof up 2 at IISERK (and I still feel very embarrassed whenever I think of it):
On the morning of my departure, at breakfast with a senior colleague and a colleague from Mathematics:
SC: So, are you flying back to Edmonton now?
K: No, I am also visiting City A before flying back.
SC: I see. Who is your host there?
K: Institute ABC.
SC (in a nostalgic tone, tells us about his job search long ago and return to India): In our days, we were lucky if we had one job offer. Your generation gets to choose between multiple job offers.
K (feels that it was perhaps not appropriate to bring up another prospective institute in the conversation and desperately wants to say something to change the topic and save the day. So, with the noblest of intentions, says): Yes, our generation is lucky. You guys worked very hard and we are reaping the benefits.
SC: (Not amused at being addressed as one of "you guys", but maintains a practiced calm and stays quiet).
Other colleague: (Almost falling off the chair)
K: (blushes as she realizes her poor choice of words) I had a very nice time here. Thank you for your hospitality.
The conversation proceeds smoothly after that. [2,3]
And now the goof-up at IISER Pune:
CM: What activity did you enjoy the most at IISERK?
K: (interprets the word "activity" to mean conferences, winter schools etc) I enjoyed organizing two winter schools at IISERK. (Then explains how much fun it was to interact with so many students from all parts of India and the experience of organizing something from scratch).
CM: (looks a little surprised and then explains) I am sure you must also have enjoyed your teaching and research activities there.
K: (then realizes her mistake, is embarrassed and starts talking about her research and teaching)
After coming out of the meeting room, she spoke to a future colleague about how she misinterpreted the word "activity" and gave an inappropriate answer.
Colleague: Oh no, I think they were asking about your hobbies.
K: (suddenly feels much better)
Readers are welcome to share interview-mishaps (either theirs or those of others) in the comments section.
Just out of curiosity, what would you have interpreted "activity" to mean?
[1] He later wrote here about his experience in Bengal.
[2] In my first few days at IISER K, I shocked a lot of people with my informal language. For instance, I was told that it was impolite to refer to women/lady faculty members as female faculty (or men/gentlemen faculty members as male faculty for that matter).
[3] I used the word "guys" in a generic sense to mean both men and women.
6 comments:
Wow, so I'm not the only one prone to gaffe.
I wouldn't call that thing at IISER-Pune as a goof up. It's an honest mistake - most likely due to not a very good choice of words from the interviewer.
In my postdoc interview, I forgot to take my CV :-)
I was finishing my PhD in UK and applied for this position in Germany. I got a very positive and encouraging response and this professor invited me to give a talk to this group. Being in a state of super excitement (partly due to a positive response and partly due to an all-expenses paid trip to Germany), I totally forgot that there's going to be an interview after the talk. (I had given one Skype interview prior to that for another position - which went very informal and I had an offer from there).
Before the talk, the professor asked for my CV so he could introduce me and that's when I realised my mistake. Luckily, I always keep one updated CV on my website. I was able to print it right there and hand it over to him.
I got that job and am currently working here.
How about a mistake I made as a committee member? (Technically I wasn't in the small committee that read the files, but I was still hanging out with the committee + candidates and having meals with them).
While a professor at UA, we were interviewing someone for a position outside my area. In the way to dinner he mentioned he also had an interview at UT, my alma mater. I couldn't help saying something along the lines "ohhh, I love UT, I miss it soooo much". Surely enough, the former candidate is now a professor at UT.
Sorry to say this, but the goof up at 2nd comment is funnier than the ones in the post. :D
One goof-up when interviewing for postdocs: I thought one particular visit, to a very well-known group at a top university, had gone well and the professor invited me for dinner with his family at a local restaurant. The dinner went well too until the name Chomsky came up (I can't remember why), and the guy (see, I use that word too) said his linguistics work is great and he wished he had not gone into political commentary. I said something like I thought his political commentary was more clued-in than most of the mainstream media. The topic changed and I didn't notice any hostility then, but the guy never replied to my mails after that...
At my present workplace I have had heated arguments with many people, at least a couple of whom (very senior people, now retired) took offence at badly-phrased things I said, but it was quickly forgotten. If you want a place where informal language is not a problem, come here :)
J didn't see any goof ups there Kaninka. I am at the other end of things, and I doubt if any of my colleagues would regard any of that as a goof up. In any case, in the end it is your record and letters that matter the most, and then your talk and how you handle the maths questions during the talk.
Any guidance for non academic post ?
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