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Thursday, May 03, 2007

The Interview

So I had my interview this afternoon. I left work early, came home to change, and spent about 10-15 minutes in the Adoration chapel at my church before I headed out to my interview.

There was a panel of three people who are intimately connected with the position, two of them would be people I would supervise, the other is the person who would be supervising me - the DRE.

They started with a general question to tell them who I am, etc., and so I gave them the short version of my reversion story. (Did you know there was a "short" version?). And of course, I started off with my joke about how I'm St. Augustine and my Mother is St. Monica except that...except that...etc. (The way I started the written story).

So they started off laughing. That was good, and of course just fueled me for the other questions which were good ones: to discuss a one of the best days in any of my work, to discuss one of the worst days. There have been so many in each category, but I do believe that's when the Holy Spirit stepped in to provide which moments to discuss. The best...the one about Jeremy that I wrote about some time ago. The worst...one of my days in law enforcement. Fortunately, that worst day was also hilarious in its calamity, and definitely worth a blog post of it's own. If there's interest, I'll post it.

So the interview proceeded, they described the job in greater detail, the challenges, the traits they are seeking and asked me for a self-assessment as to where I would see myself. Do I have those traits? Are they strengths or weaknesses for me?

I answered as honestly as I could. So much came down to a "depends" upon the situation so I tried to qualify the "depends" responses as well as I could because I did not want to give wishy-washy answers.

So in the end, I think they personally liked me, but I have no idea if I'll make it to the second interview. I think there's a good chance because the fact that they were laughing points to good tidings. But I have a feeling that their decision will not be an easy one.

As I learned more about the job, I have to admit I'm intimidated because it's a big job and there's a lot of stuff that is outside my rhealm of experience, and I acknowledged that just as I affirmed my interest in the position. I do fully believe my background does indeed prepare me for this position and those weaker points would actually give more glory to God. God likes to work through weakness, and in fact, He prefers to do so. This very interview proves that.

I will find out next week if I make it through to the next round. That interview is more formal. God's will be done.

Thank you all for your prayers! Please keep praying because your intercession is efficacious!

20 comments:

Cathy_of_Alex said...

I'm still praying the Novena to St. Joseph and Litany of Loreto for you. I hope my Angel helped you, he's kind of a trickster.

It sounds like it went well!

Warren said...

I'm excited! I will say some extra prayers for you tonight!

+W+

Unknown said...

Adoro:

I can appreciate that you might be "intimidated" by the size of the parish and their activities.

But do not forget that you have a "support staff", your blogging friends, that you could call on in those early days of employment there. We'll be there for prayers, "attagirls" and whatever else you might require.

Adoro said...

Thanks, you guys, for your prayers!

This position goes beyond the parish...this is national already with possibilities of international, and will require travel down the road. There's nothing like this anywhere else.

Basically, I'd be the "face" of this program with really big shoes to fill to take it somewhere else and make the shoes larger.

It's very intimidating, but I know I have a lot of background skills that would come into play with this. But for my lack of photogenic presentation. That completely freaks me out. But I'm even willing to look bad on camera and on TV if it's what God wants of me, because it's about the message and not about me.

I do think I can do the job...it's just scary.

If I get this job, if there's no support staff, there's no job! LOL! And believe you me, it's not just the early days of employment that will need prayer! This is a perpetual committment. Can you do that?

Anonymous said...

Adoro - you can count on my perpetual commmitment. (Funny you should use the word perpetual as I prayed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help to help you today!)

Fr. Ben Hawley, SJ said...

What a great opportunity! And you have earned it through your faithfulness and perseverance. Remember how many times Jesus says in the Gospels (and we hear in Acts), "Don't worry about what to say. Just be ready to hear what is needed. The Spirit will provide the words." I can attest to the truthfulness of these promises.

God's richest blessings on you!

Simon-Peter Vickers-Buckley said...

"two of them would be people I would supervise"

You know, when I went to officer candidate selection board many years ago...21 to be exact...I was interviewed...by privates and ncos.

Not.

Is this normal now to have juniors make decisions or were they there in an advisory capacity?

Adoro said...

angela ~ I prayed to her, too!

Fr. Ben ~ No guarantees here, but I was thrilled at the opportunity to interview for this positio.

Simon-Peter ~ This position is at a church; it's not corporate America nor is it military, and given what this position is about, it is actually VERY appropriate that the people who are assistants to the position are involved in the interview process. This is very much a discernment-interview process where they are looking for the right person. Not based upon papers, but really looking for the person chosen by the Holy Spirit.

If I make it to the second interview, there will be other people on staff who would be part of my core team, and then I'd have a meeting with the Pastor and the Business Admin., separately.

So no, the decision here will not be made by "juniors". IN fact, the "juniors" here are the visionaries and the reason this job exists at all.

Adoro said...

LOL! I just want to make it clear that when I say "visionaries", I'm not talking about private revelation! :-)

I'm sorry I can't be more specific about the position so as to better define why this process is the way it is.

Unknown said...

I would be honored to make a perpetual commitment in my prayers to your ministry at St Paul's.

Let's see, the first "ministers" were fishermen and tax collectors. No scribes, scholars, Pharisees or rabbis in the bunch. What they had was a belief in the scriptures and a yearning for the coming of the Messiah.

Tax collectors and insurance adjusters probably have equal respect in the eyes of some [GR].

Go for it, Adoro! It sounds to me like you are made for this job.

Unknown said...

Lack of photographic "presentation?"

Excuse me? I beg to differ!!!!!

And re-read what Father Hawley had to say here.

Deacon Bill Burns said...

Hey, Simon-Peter.

Indeed, it is common practice in many sectors of corporate US for employees to interview their potential supervisors. I've worked for companies that do this thinking that it will give the employees more personal "ownership." I don't know which is worse, this practice or promoting people beyond to the level of their incompetence.

Actually, they're both probably driven by the same mistaken belief that businesses are here to take care of employees.

Terry Nelson said...

Still praying for you! I hope you get it. I'd be interested in hearing your worst day story.

Anonymous said...

Hi Adoro it's MJ from blogging over at Adam's Ale. I came over to see how your interview went and I'm glad to hear it went well. You have my perpetual support too. I've been praying for you at mass everyday ever since I said I'd pray for you along with my son a few weeks ago and will continue to do so. Best of luck to you!

Kiwi Nomad said...

off topic here adoro.... but have you seen Ma Beck's latest post addressed to you ;-)
http://wardweb.blogspot.com/2007/05/for-adoro-te-devote.html

Melody K said...

Praying....
And yes, now that you have our curiosity up, I hope you'll blog about your worst day at work!

Adoro said...

theocoid ~ I like your observation. I once got a job that involved an interview process with someone who was my co-worker, one of the students I supervised, and who became my direct report. She should have been removed from the interview process because she was also my college roommate. But they kept her on, and the one really stupid thing I said, which was really a joke in the context of my answer, was what she blabbed about to everyone, and it should have been kept confidential. No discretion whatsoever, that one. She also had a very inflated ego over the entiere thing and challenged the authority of ALL of her superiors. She already had that trait but being involved in the interview process just fed that "monster". Sad. And you're right...businesses do not exist to take care of their employees, but they also don't exist to abuse their employees. That's the two paradoxical extremes of Corporate America as I see it. It's a completely schizophrenic atmosphere.

Adoro said...

To all who are requesting the story...I'll get right on it!

mj ~ Thank you! I'm very touched that you would offer your masses. There is no greater prayer!

kiwi ~ I hadn't been over there, so thanks for the link! They're playing my song indeed! :-)

Thanks everyone, for your prayers and support. It's all in God's hands.

Unknown said...

Remember,

God rarely calls the equipped but is often equips the called.

In other words God will never lead you to a place where He cannot keep you.

One of my most fervent and often said prayers in my early days of parish ministry was "Jesus I trust in you." the other one was "You put me here, you had better get to work keeping me here." They both held me in good stead for a long time.

Adoro said...

angelmeg~ I know a different version of that same saying and quoted it yesterday to the friends who first told me of this position and shooed me into applying for it.

"God doesn't call the qualified...he qualifies the called."

I've often thought of that as I've sensed for a long time now that He's calling me to something else. Whether this is it, I don't know, but if they offer it, I'll accept, no matter how intimidated I am. God knows better than I and with all the people involved in this process, if there's an offer made it's the will of God that it be done. But free will applies. That's the hard part.

"Jesus I trust in you"....boy....I say that one a lot, too! :-)

What kind of parish ministry were you/ are you in?