Meeting with Carrie Allison Brooke

Meeting with Carrie Brooks

I met with Carrie Brooks on Monday April 8, 2012 to discuss my resume and several different strategies I might be overlooking when I’m applying for an internship and also to go over some interview techniques that might be helpful in obtaining jobs, residencies and really just anything.   They say that a first date is actually like an interview.  You never know.  But, I am old.  So, I have had to apply and interview for many different positions in my lifetime, and I thought by now that I would have this down.   But as it turns out, Carrie had several ideas that could streamline and increase the effectiveness of my resume and also my interview skills.

First we started by taking a look at my resumes, YES, resumes… plural.  I have three different resumes because there are several different fields that I am applying to jobs.  My degree here at Memphis College of Art will qualify me to work in a position as a university professor in Painting and foundations.   And, I am interested in gaining that experience to teach different classes, but I also am interested in curatorial or writing positions.  Carrie had some ideas about arranging my experience in a RELATIVE experience and also OTHER experience type format so that each employer would have easy access to what is most pertinent to the job that I might be applying for.  I would really love to have a good job doing something exciting and creative after school too, so I am working on gaining the knowledge to qualify for such a position.  There are so many options.

Carrie also decided she would go ahead and run through a mock interview with me while we were there and she asked a lot of open ended questions in the interview.  She likes to ask broad questions, as employers like to do the same thing.  It is sometimes hard to find the right amount of time in responding so you don’t seem unenthused but also so you don’t just babble on and on and on about things. 

The meeting was good and very helpful. Carrie is wonderful and has helped me a great deal in preparing for interviews and the application process.  I really appreciate all that she does here at MCA.