on air.

Tuesday at 2 is always sure to deliver up something unforgettable. 

This week we met just outside the Vatican walls, in a building titled “Radio Vaticana”.

Take a wild, imaginative guess of what we learned about there.

Actually, none of us even thought that the actually location had anything to do with this weeks topic. As requested by Sean, we were to submit a resume to him prior to our class time, and be prepared to interview based off of our resume during class.

What? Interview? And with Sean? Couldn’t we just learn about ancient history again today?

But in true fashion to my Tuesday communication class, it turned out to be really, really fun.

The fun started when he took us to the top floor and in to a beautiful recording studio. I mean really, it looked like where a mega-pop star would play record the next Grammy-winning record. Then, he brought four students in to the studio at a time and “interviewed” us about our resumes.

And that’s really where the misunderstanding was. See, as college students, an interview puts the pressure on – it makes you feel like there’s a right and a wrong, and that you might be unprepared. But for a radio host, like Sean, an interview is just an opportunity to chat and try to understand one another. Much less of a power struggle.

And so four by four, we went in and chatted. Headphones, microphones, intro music and all, we hosted a talk show all about ourselves. When it came to be my turn, I was really happy to get very positive reviews on my own resume and really enjoyed having the chances to talk about why I’ve put the information on it that I have.  To my surprise, discussing it helped me understand myself more than anything.

In case you’re curious, or in case you’re a potential employer, here’s what I’m putting out there:

danica’s portfolio website

I’ve had a day to reflect on this whole experience now, and to be honest I feel silly. Not because I looked ridiculous in those humongous headphones – though I did. But because I actually let myself get really worried, even dread this interview with Sean. I was afraid of saying the wrong thing, I was afraid of him not liking my resume, and I was afraid of what he would think of me afterwards.

And I was wrong about all of it. Namely, the agenda of the class. But more than that, I misunderstood what an interview should be all about. So often we force ourselves to feel like interviewing for a job means that there are right and wrong answers to each posed question, and that we are being judged by every movement we make and every achievement we’ve listed on an 8 X 11 sheet of paper.

An interview should be always be an opportunity. After all, if you’re getting one, you’ve already done something right. Sometimes it takes a little practice to express yourself both honestly and professionally at the same time – but it’s worth everything once you can. When Sean asked me about the lack of color on my resume, I immediately had to fight the urge to get defensive. But when I thought for just a second more, I simply explained to him that black and white really feels like my style, and that I would feel uncomfortable presenting a resume with color.

And you know what? It was true, it was kind, and it was much more insightful than, “well I’ve heard really smart people say you shouldn’t have color on your resume!”. 

Lesson learned.

After everyone was through with their “interview”, we all squished in the booth to hear a couple of stories from Sean – including the time he tricked Pope Benedict in to going on the air for a live interview.

But that one just might have to be one you ask me in person.

Say, 20 days?

Ciao, for now.