I was prepared. I watched hours of Letterman. I saw him
bash Sarah Palin. I saw Sarah Palin bash him. Then there were
picketers and press releases. All of it was kind of boring. So most importantly, there were
Spidermen and Jamba Juice.
I was ready.
I was set.
I had copies of my cover letter and copies of my resume.
And I had copies of my very own
Top Ten list:
The
Top Ten List Why I would make a great member of the CBS team:
10. She
adapts quickly to new situations, and is a self starter who also works well within a group.
9. She has a hardworking and friendly nature who also comes with a hands on knowledge of working on time dependent show.
8. She
is an effective communicator in both a pleasant and professional manner.7. She
has the ability to multitask while maintaining a focus on the big picture and paying special attention to detail.
6. She
has completed multiple internships all focusing on production, television, and news related areas.
5. She
is up to date with the ins and outs of social networking media and current events,
both trivial and significant.4. She
loves to travel, makes a great Oreo cookie cake, and has never missed an episode of How I Met Your Mother.
3. She
is willing to go a great length and distance (and move the 871 miles from her hometown to New York) to commit herself fully to this job.
2. She
is passionate about starting a career in the media industry and has a constant desire to always go above and beyond.
1. She
would love the opportunity to work in the same studio as David Letterman, Paul Schaffer, and the CBS Orchestra!
I aced the interview. I rocked it. At some point the interviewer asked me if I would have any problem public speaking. I said no. She then asked if I would have any problem making announcements to groups of over 200 people. I said no. She must have rephrased the question four more times, each time beginning with, "Will you have any problem....?" Finally I said, "Actually, I might have one problem." She looked thrilled. I continued, "I'm a little on the short side (5'1) and so they might not be able to see me, but give me something to stand on and I'll do just fine." Finally, she laughed. Towards the end of the hour, she told me she wanted to call in some of the other producers to meet me. A good sign. One of them jumped in for a quick minute looking harried and busy. I quickly handed her a packet: Resume, Cover Letter, Top Ten List. She looked at me and said, "Hi, can you give me three reasons why we should choose you?" I said, "I'll do you one better, I'll give you ten. Turn to the last page of your packet." Everyone turned to the last page, and I saw smiles begin to creep up around the room. They got wider and wider and one person actually let out a laugh. The whole room was loving me. Absolutely loving. When she walked me out she said, we are interviewing another 40 or so candidates, but we will be in touch this week. Would you be prepared to start the next day? Without blinking, I answered. "Absolutly."
No matter that I dont live in New York city. No matter that I am crashing on a friends floor with just a little suitcase. No matter that I am going to a close friends wedding that Thursday. No matter that I have tickets to go out of the country for 4 weeks the following week. For Letterman, I would throw it all away.
Still, the fact that I got to keep all of my plans made me feel better when I never heard from them again.
