Stick a fork in me, I’m done!
The Placement Exchange is officially over. In all, I had 13 interviews, three of which were 2nd interviews. I’m walking away from TPE with several good prospects and couldn’t be more pleased with my decision to attend this year.
Looking back at the Exchange, I must say it was a well-run experience. The best decision the organizers made was having the waiting areas arranged by candidate name instead of employer table number. I knew that I would always be waiting for my interviews in Area A instead of running all over trying to make it to interviews on time. Well done, TPE!
While sitting in the waiting room you couldn’t help but notice the nervousness that the candidates were feeling. More importantly, there was a sense of genuine support and care amongst the candidates. As people were leaving to an interview, you could hear quiet whispers of “good luck” from others in the room. That’s the joy of this field we are in: there’s support at every turn, even in the midst of this incredible competition we’re in.
One thing about TPE that I wish we could change. I made every effort I could to not try to compare interviews. By that, I mean I never wanted to know “how many interviews do you have?” Sure, I would ask how many more someone had left in the day, or if they were happy with the number they had or if they had any interviews they were excited about. I just wish we could get away from the culture of comparing one another by how many interviews they have. I’m sure I’m guilty of it from time to time, but I try so hard not to be that person.
Don’t get me wrong: we are all going into this process with the best of intentions. We don’t ask these questions in an attempt to make the other person feel bad but rather to make ourselves feel better. Deep down, we’re trying to calm our own nerves, worried about if we have scheduled enough interviews and if we’re on the right track for success.
My rant aside, as I’ve said previously, I do sincerely wish everyone the absolute best of luck in your search. We may be competing for some of the same jobs, and I may let the air out of your tires if you land the job I’m after, but in the end there are no hard feelings. We’re all amazing candidates, and the most difficult job is truly with the employers trying to decide just which of us amazing people they’re going to hire.