Step 2: Interview

Life is calling. How far will you go?

Today was an incredible for me and my future callings in life. I am thrilled to share that I had my Peace Corps interview this morning. The interview lasted about 90 minutes. I had done plenty of research and reading up on the interview process, so I knew what I was getting into. The most helpful tool to relax during the interview was to remember that the interview is an opportunity for the recruiter to get to know me and help me to find the best possible volunteer situation for my needs and experiences.

Here is a fairly accurate list of the questions I asked by my recruiter:
What motivates you to seek a service position as a Peace Corps Volunteer?
How does Peace Corps service fit into your long range plans?
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?
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?
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 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?
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?
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

I was asked at the close of the interview if I had any questions for the recruiter. And really I had none. Many of my questions had been asked throughout the process and through my research. There is plenty of both positive and negative information and media coverage regarding the Peace Corps in the internet world, so I had many of my answers before I applied.

The next step is my Nomination. I am not available for service until January 2010 and based on the information I received from my recruiter today, there are no business or computer science position available for Jan/Feb/Mar 2010 start date. From what I understand countries only send their need requests in quarterly and invitations are sent on a quarterly basis, so I may not receive my nomination until the end of April/early May after the Peace Corps receives the next addition of needs for April/May/June 2010. Luckily I am not in a big hurry.

I am still hoping for an Eastern Europe/Central Asia assignment. And my job will regard business development, general business, community development, IT, or computer science.