Interview Disaster

Grrrrr...pent up annoyance and anger at myself. In October I applied for a Smithsonian Conservation GIS Internship position. Specifically, I am interested in learning the skills to map habitat for endangered species and learn the application of Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing in everyday management situations. I was supposed to be interviewed by someone from the Smithsonian Conservation Center who was interested in me in the first place because I am currently in Thailand and may be able to collect data for her. She is mapping the extent of the dipterocarp forest (we have patches of it in the sanctuary and around our study site) to look for possible unknown populations of endangered Eld's Deer or possible sites for reintroduction.

The interview was a disaster. I had to take a day off of work, borrow Carola's cell phone, and drive 45min. on the motorbike to the sanctuary entrance where there is usually good reception. It was a cold drive (I actually wore long underwear and two fleece jackets and gloves). We connected, I emailed my interviewer the correct time difference, however, the phone connection was horrible. I think she could hear me, but her voice was fragmented and static and electronic. Not the way to conduct an interview. They had over 100 applications for the position and I knew I needed to stand out way above and beyond, so I was nervous. This was not helped by the poor phone connection. We got through one question, "So, tell me about your current work." My response was horrid. I started out the answer speaking too quickly and was too broad before I jumped to disjointed thoughts about how I find my current work tedious and instead think GIS would better fit my interests and computer skills. After that I could barely make out her questions and so she agreed to email me the questions, but I won't be checking email again until the 24th! Off to a bad start, but keep your fingers crossed.