Most embarrassing answer

My most embarrassing job interview moment happened when I was interviewing for a financial analyst position my senior year (I'm still not entirely sure why I'm blogging about this). It was the most intense interview I've ever had (well... maybe second after my phone interview for an internship in France completely in French) with questions about my strategy in Risk and Monopoloy, what the Nasdaq was trading that day, and the volume of the room we were sitting in. Then he said: 'I will give you 30 seconds to answer the following 10 questions. Go. Describe yourself in 3 words.' My response: Spontaneous. A planner. And then something else I can't remember.

Spontaneous and a planner???? I remember my brain going crazy after that combination and I still turn red over the apparent opposites. Who describes themselves as both a spontaneous person and a planner? Also, I have never thought of myself as spontaneous, so why did that come out in the interview?

(I must not have done too terribly because much to my surprise I got called back for a second interview.)

Now 3 years later I still laugh about that interview question response. But I've come to realize that there may be a bit more truth between those two descriptors that I had originally thought. I am without a doubt a planner. I love organizing and planning events and my day to day. I love to do lists and mapping out the steps that I need to take to reach a goal. I am good at administration and I enjoy it. But I am spontaneous too. Maybe not in the typical way the word is used but I dislike pondering over decisions for more than a second. I tend to make quick decisions and then put all my weight behind such decision. This has served me in many ways but it has also brought me grief in many occasions.

I distinctly remember a 'battle' with my Mom when I was 9. We were out trying to buy a fancy dress for a formal event and I had tried on the first outfit and decided it was the one to buy. 5 minutes after entering the store. My Mom wanted me to try on numerous other dresses to make sure we had found the best one (and maybe retry a few to verify) but I couldn't understand how she couldn't see that this one was the one. Why did she want us to waste any more time trying on dresses pointlessly.

These personal traits have had to adapt in interesting ways in my service with Peace Corps. At Cornell quick decisions and a planned lifestyle were fomented and encouraged and I never really stopped to think about it. Life is very different in my rural small town in Costa Rica. Pace is much much slower and decisions (in most cases) need to stew for months before any action is taken. Though very frustrating for me, I have learned great lessons about the value of integrating many people into the decision making process and what a difference it makes when others are committed with the idea (and not just dragged by force by my enthusiasm). Also, many of my initial decisions are not the best alternative and being 'forced to try on more dresses' gives me the opportunity to discover better options.