Even more intern program behind-the-scenes: Interview Prep

As of this afternoon, I have heard back from all of the intern applicants that were invited to interview, fit them all into the complex matrix I mentioned previously, and e-mailed them all their interview schedules and directions. At this point it's time to execute all the preparation that has to happen behind the scenes to make the interviews run smoothly next week (does that make this a behind the-behind the scenes look?).

Before I can email the labs with their interview schedules, I need to assemble and scan all of the interview packages and load them onto a secure server. This may sound easy, but thanks to things like staples (UGGHH), mixtures of single- and double-sided pages, and combinations of portrait and landscape orientations, the process is much more time consuming (not to mention frustrating) than you would think. Not hard, just tiresome. (What was that I said about going paperless next year? Yeah, definitely working on it.)

Once that's finished, I reserve rooms for the interviews to take place in. Lab directors are asked to supply this information, but those who don't are assigned rooms so that there is a guaranteed place to go. Of course this requires shuffling around and careful planning, since there is basically no room in this building available for the same 1.5 hours 4 days in a row. To made things more complicated, I need to find rooms to do phone interviews with non-local applicants in, scheduled immediately after the local interviews. I also need to schedule the Reading Room for my introduction prior to the interviews commencing, and the Fishbowl for the intern "draft" at the end of the week.

With all of that done, I can send the interview schedules including links to the applications to each of the labs. Of course I also have to run around to find out who exactly is doing the interviews on which day so I can make sure all of the interviews are covered. Then all that's left to do to prepare is to print out signs to leave on the doors of the rooms to be reserved so that everyone is aware of when they need to vacate. And with all that, we're ready as can be.