A Retrospective Perspective: The Interview

Guess who's back [back]

Back again

(it's me)

Every year, at least one person finds this blog and then reaches out to me for help with their own application, interview, or program year preparations... and I'm so happy every time that happens!!! I respond to every email that comes at me through my "Contact Me" page, so reach out!!

Anyway, I wanted to write this post because I realized that I didn't have anything on here regarding the specifics of the interview. Most of the emails I get are from candidates who have gotten an interview and are curious about the process, so I will answer some of the most common questions about that here. 

In the interest of full disclosure and transparency, I do want to mention that I am sitting on an interview panel this year (2022). I have not read or watched any of the interviewer training materials yet, and I will not look at them until this post is published. This post will not be edited or updated in any way after posting, and, as a result, it will reflect exclusively what I learned from my own CBYX interview experience, and will not be influenced by my participation on an interview panel.

That also means that if you find a typo, I don't want to hear about it. It's not getting fixed.

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So, when I first found out that I had gotten an interview, I obviously burst into tears and started wondering how I could prepare for my interview. Thing is, in the email letting you know that you got an interview, the people at Cultural Vistas (the administrators of CBYX) tell you not to worry about interview prep, because there's virtually nothing you can do to prepare. 

For the most part, they're right. To give the best idea of what my experience was like, I divided this post into two sections: one is a retelling of my interview experience, and the other is about what I learned from the interview and my subsequent acceptance.

Part I: My Interview Experience

Before my interview, I read over my essays. If those essays had convinced them to at least give me an interview, there was definitely something good about them! I also thought about typical interview questions that may apply to this opportunity. Why do you want this opportunity? What was a challenge that you faced, and how did you overcome it? What would you consider to be your greatest weakness? What are your strengths? I came up with answers to these questions that were relevant to the opportunity at hand, just like I would with any interview. I studied the crap out of the German political system and current events. Finally, I came up with questions that I could ask the panel about the program, and I wrote them down in my nicest notebook.

The day of my interview, I dressed in my favorite business-appropriate dress and grabbed my notebook and pen. My now-husband (I got married!!!!), Patrick, and I went over my answers to questions in the car as we drove from his parents' house to the Carnegie Mellon campus in Pittsburgh. Before my interview, Patrick thought it would be nice to go to Phipps Conservatory, which was only a few minutes from my interview location. It was really nice, and I'm glad we went. I love plants. 

About 30 minutes before the scheduled interview time, I went up the escalator to find the right conference room. I confirmed I was in the right place, then sat and waited. Two more interviewees showed up, which was reassuring, because it's a group interview. We all sat at the same table, introduced ourselves, and chatted while we waited for the interview to begin. 

As soon as the panel was ready, they asked us to join us in the conference room. There was one big long table, and we sat opposite the panel. There were 5 panel members: 1 person from Cultural Vistas, 2 alumni, and 2 people from either Carnegie Mellon or Pitt--I can't remember, now. One was a German professor. They all seemed so stoic, and I remember being absolutely petrified because of how little they all smiled. 

The first portion of the interview was a group interview. They asked us to introduce one another... and after that, I must've blacked out, because I don't remember a thing. I think I remember them going over the structure of the interview, and structure of the program, and asked us some very general questions. 

Before I recall my individual interview, it's worth taking a moment to mention one aspect of the interview that I had experience with, but someone else might find challenging: they write down everything you say. Every year, the program interviews 150 people. Not every interviewee gets the same interview panel, so they have to have some way to compare responses from people later on. What this means is that, after you finish answering the question they asked, you should shut up. Stop talking. Don't try to fill the silence that exists while they're writing down your answer. You'll just make them write more. Yeah, it's awkward. Whatever. Learn to love the silence. Also, before you answer a question, don't be afraid to take a moment to think about what you're about to say. They won't fault you for dead air on either end of your answer. Anyway.....

Before my own individual interview, I remember telling myself that if I could just make them smile or laugh once, then I was in. I think that attitude really helped me, because it forced me to remain upbeat and positive. They called me in, and I sat down. I forced myself to smile. They asked me the questions I expected: why do you want to go to Germany? Tell us about a time you overcame a challenging situation. What will you do if you get homesick? Do you keep up with German current events?... and so on. I was honest, realistic, and concise with my answers, and yes, I did make them laugh. Multiple times :)

They knew that I had some previous German experience, so the German professor tested me on my German speaking skills. We had a short conversation about what I had eaten for breakfast wherein I forgot seemingly every breakfast-related word. Regardless, she said I did well, which was nice of her. They gave me a German worksheet to test my grammar, told me not to work on it with or talk to the other interviewees, and sent me out of the conference room to await the final group chat. 

When they called us back in, they gave us the opportunity to ask any questions that we had. I asked the questions that I had written down, and they answered them. They thanked us for our time and ended the interview. 

By the time I left, I ended up feeling pretty good about my chances. I knew that I had done everything I could, so I decided to put the whole thing out of my mind until I heard from them one way or another. 

Part II: What I Learned

Going in to the interview, I had no idea what to expect, mostly because they don't tell you what to expect. The thing I really wish someone had told me was that they tell you not to prepare because there really is not much you can do to prepare. It's not a trick.

To understand why that's the case, it's important to remember that this opportunity is a cultural exchange. Read that again. This opportunity is a cultural--cultural--CULTURAL--exchange. It is not a professional development opportunity. It is not a travel stipend. CBYX has a purpose, and its purpose is to send Americans to Germany who are enthusiastic to both learn about the German culture and share their own culture with the Germans they meet. They are looking for people who they think can successfully fulfill that purpose while enduring the more challenging aspects of the program.

After going to Germany and completing the whole of the CBYX program, I realized why the interview works the way it does. In the interview, there is no test. There are no right answers. There are no quantitative data points that they analyze to determine whether or not you will be a successful candidate. They're literally just trying to get to know you. 

When I say they're trying to get to know you, I don't mean they want to know your favorite TV shows or how many times a week you exercise. They want to know how you will deal with specific elements of life that are amplified over the course of the program year. Do you understand what you're getting yourself into? Do you like learning from new people? Do you share your own experiences willingly? Are you afraid to try new things? Are you flexible? Understanding? Capable of dealing with stress? Homesickness? Do you have heathy coping mechanisms in place for when things aren't going great? The program can be hard at times, and the program utilizes taxpayer dollars, so they want to be sure you'll stick with it. 

It is important to state that you should not lie about yourself or your capabilities in this interview at any point. As I said before, the proceedings of the interview started to make sense once I got to Germany, because I learned what the program requires of a person. The program year is tough at times. You will experience homesickness, you will have trouble communicating, you will have unpleasant experiences. Sometimes, the unpleasant bits feel overwhelming because you're far from your normal support system. The interviewers want to be sure that you can handle that. They want to know that you don't expect it to be all roses, and that you're ready to deal with it. 

That said, if you can manage the unpleasant bits, the fun bits are really fun, and there are many to be had. The panel wants to make sure you'll take advantage of those parts, too. Will you go on adventures with new people? Will you relish the chance to learn German holiday traditions? Will you seek out the good times and make them happen for yourself? Those are all important to consider, too. 

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Really, what I've hope you've gained from this post is not that you should develop the perfect answers to each question I've come up with here. I hope that you've realized that before you choose to interview, you should reflect on whether the program is truly right for you. You have to make sure that you're doing this for the right reasons. This is the purpose of the program according to the program website:

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals is a fellowship funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State, that annually provides 75 American and 75 German young professionals, between the ages of 18½–24, the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program.

Participants are expected to act as “young ambassadors” of the United States in Germany, and to represent the diversity of the U.S. in factors including, but not limited to, career field, educational background, geographic location, disabilities, ethnicity, gender, race, religion and socio-economic status.

CBYX is intended to strengthen the bond between the United States and Germany through cultural connection. Its purpose is far bigger than your individual experience. You have to see the program for what it is: a form of international connection and cooperation with perks for you embedded within it. If you see CBYX as just a good career move, it's not for you. If you struggle with depression and anxiety at home and you think doing CBYX will help you learn to cope with those things, you are wrong, and CBYX is not for you. If you think of CBYX as a plane ticket to Germany and a way to start your grand European tour, CBYX is not for you. CBYX can be a great career-builder, it will develop you as a person, and it will give you the opportunity to travel, but that's not what's at the core of the program.

If you have truly and honestly thought about what the program entails, you know that you're doing it for the right reasons, and you believe that you are capable of handling whatever the program year throws at you, then you don't need to prepare for the interview. You are ready. Be confident in yourself. 

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Before I finish up, I want to mention one more thing: if you don't get accepted to the program, do not dismay. It's not that it's not right for you, it's that the program only accepts 75 Americans per year, and the program requires that every cohort contain a diversity of experiences and backgrounds. Maybe the panel thinks that you would be a great candidate, but they already selected participants with careers similar to yours. Maybe they've just got too many participants from the Midwest already picked out. It could be any number of things that knocked you out of the running, and it's possible that none of them have to do with your interview performance or your capabilities.

In case you don't get accepted as a participant or alternate (and you haven't already reached the age limit), APPLY AGAIN. I know at least one person in my cohort had to apply to the program multiple times before they were finally selected. If you know that you're a perfect fit for this program, don't let anything get in your way. Keep trying until you can't, because it is worth it. 

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As I said before, I will be interviewing people for the 39th CBYX Program Year, and I'm so excited to assist with the program in this new way. Once I've done that, though, I will have seen what's on the other side of the curtain, and I signed a privacy agreement that forbids me from discussing what I know about program acceptance criteria. As such, I've tried to get as much information out as I can in this post to help any future participant who comes across this little blog. 

If that's you, don't be afraid to reach out to me if you have questions. The worst-case scenario is that I tell you I can't answer your question and then refer you to this post. Regardless, I will celebrate you and your application journey. I can always answer questions about the program year and my experience, too, so definitely ask me those.

If you're reading this, I'm rooting for you! You can do this. I know it!

Herzliche Grüße

Maggie