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Another hectic thirty days have passed since my last posting. Anyway the big news, besides wedding stuff, is my job interview yesterday (June 14). It was the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I had set up my online profile May 1 and got a phone call at 1:00 am on May 31 from a staffer at the HCT. Darcy's mother had just flown in a few hours earlier so we were still up and talking. I was naturally excited to get the phone call but also nervous about the video conference interview. The college emailed me a week later confirming the location for the interview that was only half a mile away. A couple of days later I got the college's literature in the mail along with an informative CD-ROM. I scoured their website and took notes and even found an article published by two former staff in 2000. So I was fairly prepared for an extensive interview but knew that I likely wouldn't have the opportunity to showcase my knowledge.

I had never participated in a video conference before but the technical aspect of it went fairly smoothly. The lady at the office that had the facilities showed me to a large conference room (the HCT paid for this) and positioned the microphone and camera. Then I spread out my copious notes on the huge table. But I needed to strategically position them so that they wouldn't show up on camera. I arrived half an hour early and had time to decompress! During the setup time I was able to see myself on the television and thus could get a sense of what the interview panel was going to see. I wore my lucky $900.00 Hugo Boss suit (I first wore it to my SLIS grad in 2000 and all subsequent job interviews).

It was just before 9:00 am and the t.v. screen changed to a menu of options and then I heard the dial up tone and phone number appear. The first three times were unsuccessful but eventually the transmission connected and I saw their slighly hazy images. Movements were slightly jerky and images not crystal clear and the sound had about a five second delay. They quickly introduced themselves (one lady had graduated from SLIS at the University of Alberta!)

The panel mentioned that three positions were currently vacant with two being at Women's Colleges. At least one of the positions had a start date of August 13! They proceeded to ask me several situational questions which I answered pretty well I think. I only had twenty minutes left to ask them questions. I admitted that I had several but had to be selective due to time constraints. Unfortunately they didn't offer any way for me to ask follow-up questions. They realized that due to my August wedding that, if I were successful in the interview, that I would not be able to start work in two months. But they assured me that positions appear throughout the year due to contracts ending and people rotating out.

I'm only concerned know as to whether I made this next cut or not. I'll find out within two weeks. The panel did mention that they did not have my answers for the *about me* section. I just checked and they are indeed all blank! I've altered them periodically since May 1 and most recently just now. I suppose I need to email my lone contact at the HCT who called me. That category is vital to learning about each candidate excluding professional experience.

It would benefit Darcy and I, if we're hired, to start work there anytime after the fall. For me, starting there next spring would be ideal. That would give me one more year at NSU to become more comfortable with collection development and other duties along with fulfilling BCLA and FLA committee obligations. We'll see what happens! It's 1:00 pm and time for me to start work...
posted by Michael at 12:58 PM