An Obvious But Important Lesson To Avoid Bombing an Interview
Interview With a Vampire
film-grab.com
Now, this is going to seem obvious. And, for all intents and purposes, it is. But I think it's important to put out there none-the-less. So here it goes.
For one, I went into the interview not knowing exactly what a personal assistant to talent does. From my perspective, it was something of a glorified PA. Not that this isn't somewhat true, but my previous experience as a below the line PA is a very different gig.
I wouldn't be running BNC cables through the woods or working anywhere near set—I'd be scheduling, managing paperwork, getting lunches, et cetera ad nauseam (see link above).
Another (much more embarrassing lesson), keep your personal life out of it. Yes, dear reader, this seems obvious. But I had a best friends wedding I was flying back for I was a groomsman in and girl I had a crush on said maybe to being my date. And of course this conflict was right around when they needed me to start.
Don't you see? There were stakes! Should I have earnestly mentioned the wedding conflict in an interview in hopes they would understand and still hire me when I openly told them I would more-or-less be unavailable?
Big nope.
Why Share This Embarrassing Tale? Publicly Online?
Batman getting back up in The Dark Knight Rises
film-grab.com
To reiterate, this is fairly basic interview etiquette.
One reason I tell this tale is to highlight how finicky an interview for any job can be. What seems obvious to a more interview savvy candidate (with their life together) may be less obvious to an anxiety prone, emotional candidate. And that's okay! Sometimes we flop. Sometimes we fall, or whatever.
But that isn't the end. Like Alfred says.
I did not get that job and it was totally devastating. Really sucked—and sucked even more to be able to pinpoint some precise reasons why. But, hey. What a lesson. A lesson you can sometimes only really learn through brutal, clumsy experience.
Since then my career has taken a much more successful turn in post production, and honestly? Am all the better for it. As devastating as it was, I don't think I would have much liked or been very good as Jason Reitman's personal assistant. But there's always hope in this big scary industry, no matter how big and scary it can be.
So take that, Jason Reitman!
Editor's note: Jason Reitman had nothing to do with my failure to acquire the role of his personal assistant.
Keep ReadingShow less