Macrolog
Interview Post Mortem, Revisited
Yesterday morning, I was interviewed for a place on this year’s MA course in journalism at the Dublin Institute of Technology.
If you’re a regular reader of this site, you might remember I wrote about my interview for the same course last year — an interview which resulted, ultimately, in the rejection of my application. Back then, as it was my first academic interview for some time, I didn’t know what to expect before I went in; and when I came out, I reasoned that since it didn’t turn out to be an unmitigated disaster, I might have been in with a shot.
But it wasn’t long before I came to the conclusion that my interview performance had been lacklustre at best. It was obvious to myself that I hadn’t conveyed my interest and conviction nearly as well as I could have — and if it was so obvious to me, it was damn well neon lit to them.
This year, however, I was ready.
I might not have the experience that I’m sure most other applicants bring to the table (in the waiting room yesterday, for instance, I sat with a recent Student Reporter of the Year, and a former volunteer aid worker in war-torn Angola — how’s that for competition?) but I’ve got my own unique strengths, and I had every intention of playing to them.
I think it paid off.
The intimidation I felt last year was long gone. I had an answer for and an opinion on everything, and had plenty of questions of my own to put forward. No repeating of last year’s stutters, either: my mind was well-oiled machine, and didn’t stick once. Really, it was less an interview, more a conversation. Like meeting old friends for a chat. I don’t remember twenty-five minutes ever going by so quickly.
Nor fruitfully. I know I’ve got the knowledge, I know I’ve got the potential, and yesterday’s interview was my opportunity to show them what I know and what I can do. I wasted it before; I wasn’t prepared to do that again. Whereas last year I was a novice, this time round I sold myself like an old pro.
Did I impress them enough to make the shortlist? I hope so. I’ll find out for certain in a couple of weeks.
Fingers crossed.
Wed 02 Jun 2004 at 17:01 ·
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This is the personal website of MacDara Conroy, a twenty-something journalist, editor and all-round creative type living in Dublin, Ireland.
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You are reading Interview Post Mortem, Revisited, a Macrolog entry by MacDara Conroy. It is filed under Journal, and was published in June 2004.
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