Job Interview Blues

I've had lots of requests for an update regarding the JOB INTERVIEW DEBAUCLE of last week. I won't say what museum I interviewed with as I'm seriously concerned that I could be found on the internet, and seeing as I haven't heard one way or another I'm pretty positive that would be a bad move on my part. SO: here it is; the job interview blues.

I'm basically at a loss seeing as I'm pretty sure I blacked out after the first 45 minutes and when I woke up I was walking out of the interview with my coat in my hand thinking "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"

I got there at 9 am for a tour of the museum. It was great -- the little old lady who is the secretary of the board took me around. She showed me all the "behind the scenes" bits and was very pleasant. She let me wander around for a while and then at 9:30 the vice president of the board came across the lane to get me for the interview. I was led into the "annex," an under-heated croft house that has been transformed into offices and storage for the museum. I came in through the door and there was a PANEL -- a TABLE FULL-- of 50-60 year old men and women, all in suits, with clipboards, staring down their noses at me. I immediately went into turbo-charge, introducing myself, etc. So at this point I pretty much blacked out, used the word 'ostensibly' wrong, and offended them by saying that the website is bad (it is!). I did, however, have some good ideas for fundraising and for future exhibits (for instance, they were pretty enthusiastic about my experience with oral histories and my ideas about integrating them into an exhibit).

The pinnacle (or low point as it were) of the interview was when they placed three objects from the collection in front of me with a pile of different gloves (latex, nitrile, and cotton) and told me to "pick one and tell us a bit about it." So, I'm assuming that was a test of whether I had objects handling or not (I did! Thanks Renee!) and my knowledge of their collection. I picked a sampler and bumbled my way through it by talking about materials, etc. Basically I had to compose an object description on the spot with zero research... and it was definitely lacking. I depended mostly on Antiques Roadshow. Is that bad?

I really have no idea how it went. It was so good and so bad at the same time. When I left, the director said "I'll be in touch soon," so I guess that's a good sign? I felt very young and wildly under-qualified while I was sitting there. The five poeple who interviewed me are collectively on the board of Oxford, Cambridge, the Maritime Museum, and one is an ex-Victoria and Albert curator. Goodness!

I saw my furniture professor (who is one of the trustees) for tutorial this afternoon and he asked me how it went and I said "grueling." He said "good, if it was grueling that means they are really interested in you."

So, anyways, cross your fingers. I will remain positive? Regardless, the experience was a good one, and now I know how to prepare for similar interviews in the future. I will start reading up now.