warning: this one is going to be dry, and only of real interest to the most hard-core among you. but here it is anyway. in preparing for the interview, i snuck around the internet a bit and found a guide for the general questions i'm likely to be asked. (again, i say, what did we ever do before the internet?)
it will be a "professional" interview, which shouldn't be a problem, though technically i haven't had one in over a decade. dress appropriately and all that business (possibly the biggest challenge...). they'll want to know my reasons for wanting to join, my expectations & concerns about working overseas for two years, my volunteer & work experience (i've got work covered just fine -- it's volunteering that may need some creative answers), etc. unlike a regular interview, they get to ask personal questions (health, diet, relationship status, financial situation). one way i've heard it put is that they want to make sure they're getting neither an idealist with no experience nor an experienced person with no ideals.
so i keep flipping back and forth between this is going to be a cakewalk and this could be a challenge. i could be the ideal candidate, with maturity and plenty of foreign culture and language experience. or they could realize that i remember about 6 words of spanish and have very little real volunteer experience. it's hard to say. of course, i'll keep you posted.
oh, and only just today did i find three minor errors in my application. crap. i read that thing a million times and had others look over most of it.
so anyway, here are the generally-agreed questions that get asked:
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MOTIVATION / COMMITMENT
- What motivates you to seek a service position as a Peace Corps Volunteer? How does Peace Corps service fit into your long range plans?
- Remember back to your first playground experience. Why did you want to play on the playground? What games did you play?
- What, if anything, might keep you from completing a 27-month commitment to Peace Corps Service?
- Do you have a specific geographic preference? If yes: what is the reason for your preference and how flexible are you? If there are specific regions where you are unwilling to serve: what are your reasons and what is your degree of flexibility?
PRODUCTIVE COMPETENCE
- Please tell me about your most successful experience in a leadership role. Be as specific as possible.
- Please tell me about an experience when you were able to transfer some knowledge or skill to someone who was different from yourself. What did you learn about your interpersonal skills from that experience? What did you learn about the other person?
- Please tell me about the most frustrating experience you have had when working with others. Specifically, how did you manage that frustration?
- Please tell me about a time when you worked in an unstructured or ambiguous situation? How did you approach the task at hand? What did you learn about your personal strengths from that experience?
- All Peace Corps Volunteers learn a new language. Have you studied a second language?
- If so, what challenges did you face and what level of facility did you achieve?
- What aptitudes or abilities can you draw on to help you succeed in learning a new language?
MATURITY
- What situations do you typically find stressful? What do you currently do to reduce stress?
- When you are overseas, circumstances and/or cultural norms may prevent you from employing your usual ways of managing stress, boredom, and loneliness. You will also most likely be out of touch with your familiar support group.
- In such a situation, what alternative outlets might you use?
- If your support group currently plays a critical role in helping you cope with stress, how will you manage without them?
- What is the longest you have been physically separated from important people (family, friends, romantic interests, etc.) in your life? What was the most difficult part of being away from those closest to you? How did you cope?
- What kind of support have you received from those closest to you on your decision to join the Peace Corps?
- Has anyone close to you opposed your decision to join Peace Corps? If so, who was it? What were his/her concerns? How have you responded to them?
- Tell me about a time when you had trouble following a rule.
- One’s ability to work through and resolve differences or conflict is often tested in cross-cultural situations. Please tell me about a specific situation, one we haven’t already discussed, when you needed to work through a disagreement or difference of opinion. Were you able to reach a resolution? How, specifically, did you do that?
- If you weren’t able to resolve the conflict, what prevented you from doing so? In retrospect, is there anything you would do differently?
- Are you currently in a relationship? If so, how will you handle the expectations of your service overseas?
SOCIAL SENSITIVITY / CULTURAL AWARENESS
- In some countries, tattoos, body piercing, or unusual hairstyles may be culturally unacceptable. To be a successful Volunteer in such a country, you would have to modify your appearance so that it conforms to local norms. Are you willing to make such an adjustment? Give an example of a time that you had to modify your appearance.
- The following are issues that you may face in your country of service. Please note any concerns:
- different and/or lack of familiar foods
- different living conditions
- lack of privacy; isolation
- prescribed gender roles
- possible minority challenges
- personal religious requirements/possible lack of access to your own religious services
- living in a culture where alcohol may be widely consumed and accepted/living in a culture that prohibits the use of alcohol altogether
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