I didn’t have much trouble with the people in general. Most of the time I find them interesting and what they have to say is easy to follow. Talking about my experiences is easy. I’ve been there, you know? So that’s not a problem. The problem comes in when I meet someone who is far better educated than I am and he/she starts talking about details and I don’t have a clue. In the Biotech/Pharma world, that happens a lot.
The first person I interviewed with was a woman from HR. Very charming and easy to talk with. No problem. The next person was another woman who apparently didn’t have much to talk with me about and passed me off to the next guy in about 5 minutes. Nice lady, no problem. The 3rd person was a problem.
This guy was very laid back. He was a scientist who began the conversation by talking about the history of the company (which I could follow quite well) and then started on some of the products. This is where I got lost. He was using catch phrases and acronyms and totally expected that I knew all of what he was saying. The truth is, I was lost almost immediately. I’m no chemist and I had no idea what he was talking about for a good 10 minutes. After a while all I could hear was *mumble*mumble*glort*snort*mumble*. Then I started noticing stuff I normally wouldn’t like his eyes didn’t open all the way. They really did look half opened like they couldn’t open fully. Now I was amused.
Suddenly I heard Dilbert in my head wondering what his nickname must be. Maybe ‘Squinty’ or ‘Blinkey’ or something. Dilbert told me to offer him my sunglasses since he apparently had trouble with bright lights. Then I started thinking I should test his eyesight. Maybe drop a pen or a dollar bill on his periphery just to see what would happen. I could here this voice in my head telling me to be cool and to pay attention, but I also heard Dilbert in there totally making wise-cracks like he does with his boss. Finally the nice scientist man got back onto the job I was applying for and the remainder of the interview went well. I’m sure I was misty-eyed for a minute or two though.
This happened once more when I met the Mr. Big Cheese of the place. He started talking abba-dabba for a while and lost me. That’s when I noticed he had a uni-brow. I started imagining being a tiny little skier and cruising the slopes of his brow. It looked neat! Thankfully, he didn’t blabber on. He turned out to be a cool guy and we hit it off pretty well. Dilbert still liked his brow the best.
One thing almost every interviewer asked me was how I got along with others. Isn’t that a silly thing to ask someone? Has anyone ever fessed-up to not getting along with others? Dilbert wanted me to say that I get along fine with those who get along with me. He wanted to see how they interpreted that one. Of course I didn’t. They also asked me if I thought I could fit in with their group. Dilbert said, “Weelll, since I just met you I’m not 100% sure but I think I could learn to love each and every one of you with all my heart. Group hug!” Another silly question in my mind. The truth is that I can get along with almost anybody. Especially at work. Work is temporary. I hope that’s what they were asking.
All day long I kept hearing Dilbert’s sarcastic voice in my head. I had a hard time fighting it, but I did manage to resist the urge to let it out. Interviews are hard sometimes, especially the all day ones where each person asks pretty much the same thing. Answering the same questions over and over is hard. Having the same discussions is tiresome. By the end of the day, you become Dilbert. The trick is, never let it show. Just let him stay in your head and keep you entertained.
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