Friday 5th April
Had my Skype interview for the clinic job in South Sudan yesterday. After a failed attempt the day before, due to a big storm knocking out the internet in Juba for several hours, we went ahead as planned 24 hours later. Weird things, internet interviews. First one I have ever done, and while it was less nerve-racking than actually sitting in your Sunday best in front of a panel, it also had its moments of anxiety. The very slight time delay, and the fact that you can't take visual clues from your interviewer (it was audio only), meant that at times I found I was speaking over them, which was difficult for me, and I'm sure, very annoying for them - I'm consoling myself with the thought that they do these interviews all the time, so must understand that I am not that rude face to face....
Funnily enough, for one who is normally a very confident person when dealing with people, interviews sap all that confidence right out of me, and leave me a bit of a gibbering wreck. There were several questions that I had prepared for, but the words that actually came out of my mouth were completely different to those I had planned *sigh*.While I am confident I can do this job, it is a huge change from what I have been doing, and there are areas that I have no experience, such as the financial management of the clinic. The question is whether they are willing to take a gamble and give me a chance to prove I can learn those things quickly enough for them. I think I can - it's whether I have convinced them of that - and I'm not so sure. So now I wait, and try not to check my emails every ten minutes. I'm trying to only check every 15 minutes, and that is hard !!
Still, I am consoling myself with the knowledge that I DO have a plan B, C and D. My MSF application should be answered by the middle of this month, there is a tricky job in Kenya that might be an option (although the money is non-existent, which may be a stumbling block), and there is always Zanzibar at the end of the year, which would be very nice.
I have run out of nails to bite, and excuses to surf the net (while not looking at my emails...), so I may just spend the next couple of days staring blankly at the screen. Oh actually, I am spending the next 5 days out of 6 working 13 hour shifts - at least that will take my mind off things I suppose. Ho Hum.
Had my Skype interview for the clinic job in South Sudan yesterday. After a failed attempt the day before, due to a big storm knocking out the internet in Juba for several hours, we went ahead as planned 24 hours later. Weird things, internet interviews. First one I have ever done, and while it was less nerve-racking than actually sitting in your Sunday best in front of a panel, it also had its moments of anxiety. The very slight time delay, and the fact that you can't take visual clues from your interviewer (it was audio only), meant that at times I found I was speaking over them, which was difficult for me, and I'm sure, very annoying for them - I'm consoling myself with the thought that they do these interviews all the time, so must understand that I am not that rude face to face....
Funnily enough, for one who is normally a very confident person when dealing with people, interviews sap all that confidence right out of me, and leave me a bit of a gibbering wreck. There were several questions that I had prepared for, but the words that actually came out of my mouth were completely different to those I had planned *sigh*.While I am confident I can do this job, it is a huge change from what I have been doing, and there are areas that I have no experience, such as the financial management of the clinic. The question is whether they are willing to take a gamble and give me a chance to prove I can learn those things quickly enough for them. I think I can - it's whether I have convinced them of that - and I'm not so sure. So now I wait, and try not to check my emails every ten minutes. I'm trying to only check every 15 minutes, and that is hard !!
Still, I am consoling myself with the knowledge that I DO have a plan B, C and D. My MSF application should be answered by the middle of this month, there is a tricky job in Kenya that might be an option (although the money is non-existent, which may be a stumbling block), and there is always Zanzibar at the end of the year, which would be very nice.
I have run out of nails to bite, and excuses to surf the net (while not looking at my emails...), so I may just spend the next couple of days staring blankly at the screen. Oh actually, I am spending the next 5 days out of 6 working 13 hour shifts - at least that will take my mind off things I suppose. Ho Hum.
No comments:
Post a Comment