Last Monday (the 7th), I was scheduled to have an interview with an agency I really, really want to work for over the summer. It's a great organization and they do great work. And it happens to be the kind of work I want to do when I get out of law school.
I found out about this interview about a week and a half before then and scheduled it for this day because it was right after spring break and I wanted to make sure I had a chance to get a mock interview and prepare myself. I was really nervous about it. But on that Monday, the plan was to go to Torts, learn some Torts, leave Torts, get in the car, blow away my interviewer with my charm and/or wit, and get back to school in time for Contracts. The hardest part in the plan seemed to be blowing away the interviewer. As I got in the car and found that it would not start* that Monday morning, I came to the extremely frustrating conclusion that getting there was just as hard, and that the world hates me.
I quickly called the place and rescheduled for Friday (the 11th). The car got fixed and I spent the rest of the week pushing through my school work and trying not to freak out about what conclusion anyone would draw from an excuse as lame as "car trouble". I did this with less success than I would have hoped.
But, Friday arrived and a new plan was in place. Go to property, learn some property, leave property, eat lunch, go home, put on my suit, get in the car, pray that the car would start, start car, begin driving before the car changes its mind, get to the interview and blow the interviewer away with my charm and/or wit. This was a good plan and I was now taking no part of it for granted. And, luckily for me, I arrived at the interview without any problems.
And then....well, I don't think I blew him away with my charm and/or wit. In fact, I was somewhat sure I didn't blow him away at all. See, I had prepared with a mock interview and been ready for all those questions I hate,** but he didn't ask any of those questions. I had prepared for the other questions, but I was always waiting for the other questions. And I'm pretty sure I came off pretty awkwardly.
So, at the end when he asked me to think about things over the weekend and email him by the middle of this week to tell him if I really wanted to do this, I was confused and depressed. I couldn't have done so badly as to make him think I didn't want to be there. Could I? I told him right then that this was where I wanted to be, but he insisted on an email. So, I left and immediately started to think about everything I must have done wrong. And the way my brain works, I came up with dozens of things I should have done better. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get this clerkship.
But then, he started calling my references. And, long story short, I got this clerkship, and now I can concentrate on just finishing out the rest of my first year. Which is good, because I have a feeling this is going to be a rough finish. More on that later, now I'm just going to try to enjoy a moment of success. And go to property. I have to go to property.
*Note 1. I am generally not someone who hates inanimate objects, for obvious reasons. They don't mean to not do waht you want, and even when they do, they don't care that you hate them. It's mostly a losing game. On this day and the days after though, I hated that car. And I began looking forward to the (somewhat upcoming) day we replace that car.
**Note 2. What's my biggest weakness? Well, it's probably talking about my biggest weakness. Which isn't good for me, because I also feel awkward telling people what my greatest strengths are. I think it's my upbringing, but I just don't like bragging about myself all that much. Which I know is what people are supposed to be doing in a job interview. So, yeah.
