Fraid not. There's an unwritten rule that everyone involved in the interviewing process must preserve the fiction that all interviewees have no desire in life but to spend 24 hours a day working in an office. It's the law.

I haven't come across the "pick an image" gimmick, but it sounds fun. If I ever do a job interview, I think I'll ask the poor unfortunate which of the following images represents their view of the job:

(a) a hangman's noose;
(b) Munch's "The Scream"
(c) the floor of London Zoo's camel shed;
(d) the bins behind our local hospital.

hmm, too bad.

Well the images I remember were the bubbling brook over stones, redwood bark, column of light, wind in the leaves...
Sounded like a bad remake of Pocahontas.

Ok, some updates on my job search:

Still haven't heard from anywhere, but haven't applied to many places the past 2-3 weeks as I've been incdredibly busy working on a group project.

But yesterday I applied to 4 positions either as a staff or a legislative assistant for members of Congress.

My job interview at the temp agency went well - apparently I type 79 words a minute! However, I don't think I'll need to temp as my boss at the university's career center where I work asked if I could work FT as so many people are graduating or going home or the summer. So yeah! I can keep my job that I like and know the people/work and get enough money to (barely) squeek by on until I find a 'real job'.

And my roommate is going to renew the lease ont he townhouse and she's got a new roommate... but she said I can stay until my boyfriend's friend's house is ready at the end of August (we're going to move in there until the bf and I find a cheap 2 bedroom place of our own).

So things are *less* scary, but I'm still worried about finding a job!

My next update:

I have my first official, real-life job interview Friday. My roommate just happened to mention I had a voicemail last week about my resume. Why she neglected to tell me via email (I'm at my parents'), I'll never guess. Well, got the voicemail and it's from the House Transportation Committee for an executive assistant/special assistant position. Called this morning and I have an interview for Friday at 1030AM EST. So please keep your fingers crossed!

Good luck! Hope all goes well.

Ok, it's official - I'm a graduate. Again.

Oh, did I also share that I had an interview Friday morning? Keep your fingers crossed - sounds like it would be a fun job if I got it.

Many congrats Ladymacb, and good luck with the interview.

Well, I didn't get the job... I was thinking I didn't as I hadn't heard back from them in a little over a week.

So, back to square one. I'm getting discouraged and although everyone keeps saying to be patient and something will come up, I keep thinking about just the sheer chances that I will get chosen for a job over all the other applicants. Even if I'm one of 10 people who get interviewed, my chance of getting the job is only 10%...

Don't get too discouraged. I thought the same way when I had been un-employed for two years. Then my current job came along and I have been happy ever since.
Keep trying girl.

I don't know what it's like over there, but if you have a master's degree here it seems to open many doors as I would have expected. It's true one engineer I know took a couple of years to get his first professional job (he did other odd jobs while waiting) but the point was, once he got it, it was a darn good one.

So enjoy your new lifetime qualification and trust it'll get you into some high places sooner or later. The money can be a pain, but I had to do all sorts of driving jobs etc. until I got established teaching. And I have to renew my professional counselling accreditation annually for the rest of my life, which is by doing at least 30 hours study etc. a year- and it's not even recognised by the government as a profession! In your position, with my interest in broadcasting, I'd sign up for an internship with a TV or radio company, they always like graduates, and once you've learnt the ropes you can present or produce worldwide. Plus of course you did 2 years of drama, so maybe that could be added to your list? Just a thought.

Well, during the interview they said something like "You wouldn't feel like this work was beneath you because you have your MA?" I mean, it sounded like a fun job - working for a COngressional committee. So what am I supposed to do? Leave off the MA on my resume? It's like why did I bother getting it and going so far into debt if it's a mark against me...

As for the internships - I've been looking, but all the ones I see seem to want someone who is currently in school. Or else they don't pay enough to live on... That's, I guess, the problem of not being already wealthy.

So I broadened my search recently to include North America (minus Mexico - don't speak SPanish) and EUrope... So if anyone knows any jobs or whatever, please let me know via PM.

Well, today, after many, many frustrating days/months of waiting... I have a job.

I'll be a research assistant for the International Union of Police Associations.

On Wed. I heard from the man at the staffing agency it was between me and another guy and a decision was expected that day. But stafdfing agency guy was leaving early, so I called this morning - still no decision. Called at 1PM, no decision. Just got a call about 20 minutes ago from staffing agency guy - the job's mine.

Thank you so much to everyone who gave advice/support/everything.

(And what's funny is I had an interview for anothe rposition yesterday... ah well, at least I didn't send out the 'thank you, very interested' letter yet.)

Fantastic Beth, I said you'd do it! And it sounds like exactly the sort of thing you were looking for. I hope it goes well and good luck in the new career

Just send the consultation fees in a plain brown envelope Beth. Many congratulations, I am delighted for you.

Congratulations LadyMac. I hope it turns out well for you and you enjoy it. Keep us posted.

I am so happy for you, LadyMacb. See, you finally did get a job after all. Best of luck. I hope that it turns out be very satisfying and fulfilling for you. Do keep us posted.

Well done, Beth! I hope you're very happy at your new job. It sounds very interesting.

Well done Beth!

I am a little late in saying "congratulations". But go and be good at it, Beth.

Well done Beth, glad it worked out.
I got a job too and had to turn down another one, so it wasn't a bad haul.

Working for the coppers, 'eh? Guess we'll have to watch what we say around here!

Congratulations!!!

Ok, found a bunch of funny quotes from resumes and cover loetters here: http://rinkworks.com/said/resume.shtml

They're hilarious, and I wish I had found this site when I was still looking for a job!

Hehehe - Saturday got a phone call from someone at the FBI about the Intelligence Analyst position I applied for. So I filled out the MANY forms they asked for and my boyfriend's faxing them in... But I just made the 'basic requirements' and they said they'd contact me if they needed anything else.

One of the questions was something like "Do you have relatives, or relatives of relatives who are living outside the US?" I had to laugh - half my family's Canadian. I just listed my great-grandma and my great-uncle because I see them at least once a year... No way was I listing 100+ people! Plus I'd have to call everyone up and find out who even existed, where they were, etc.!

But I'm still staying at my current job for a year - I gave them my word, and I'd rather like to keep it.

I remember getting a top secret cleararance and the NSA wanted to know the ZIP code where my wife was born. At the time, there were no ZIP codes and where she was born was in a private home in a rural part of a county in Kentucky. No hospitals there, only mid-wives. It took awhile for me to get my clearance.