Never, ever, ever mention the movie Showgirls in a positive context during a job interview. Unless you ARE auditioning to be a showgirl. Otherwise, DON’T. And don’t ever say it’s your favorite film, especially when it isn’t. IN FRONT OF THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY. Not ever, ever, ever.
(And to think I was repeating this mantra to myself in the car on the way there [to my second interview with a company I’m super-excited about] and yet I still managed to squeeze it into the conversation. Un.be.liev.able.)
Not ever.
AIIYYEEEEEEEE! ARRRRGHHHHHH! GAH!
*hides under the desk in shame*
xoxox
Carly
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Bwahahahaha! That is SOOOOOOO something I would do! I have this habit of making dirty jokes when I'm nervous…I think on some level I do it so the other people will feel as uncomfortable as I do. Seriously. Once I was on a photo shoot with this cute photographer and found a way to work butt plugs into the conversation. Really, Olivia? BUTT PLUGS?
xoxo,
~Olivia
That's classic! I always say really retarded things when I'm nervous! But…I'M the EMPLOYER! I'm sure some of my employees walk away from their first conversations with me just shaking their heads, thinking “wtf?!!”
And I STILL have nerves when I'm the interviewER. Yikes! No one's immune- But I HAVE TO know how the conversation in a job interview led to Showgirls! I want details!
Oh, PS- I just found your blog today, and I'm already in LOVE! I'm gonna be on here all day! I can't wait to put some of your ideas into MY closet! 🙂
@kate
Hahaha! So I guess it's not just me;-)
Um, well, actually it's a long story as to how the interview got to that point. I applied online on the company's website where they had the standard “Fill in your resume” form. Then I hit submit but unlike OTHER sites they had a second page which began “What is your favorite movie?” Since it's a commercial/video production house I figured this was pretty darn important, so I wrote something standard. Then when I was going back over my answers I realized I needed to write something interesting & attention-grabbing since I've been applying for jobs for over 6 months and I've never gotten a call back before. I figured my resume was just getting lost in a big pile of others. So I wrote “Showgirls” and proceeded to explain why.
[Now full disclosure: I did actually love Showgirls at one point (like 10-15 years ago!) – my best friend and I would watch it late nights and chow down on garlic pizza and Dr. Pepper and giggle for hours through all its scenes. It was a total pick-up-me, silly, unrealistic escapist movie for us – and we had so much fun with it. But I also saw that there was so much more to it than many people realize – and it's taken for granted so often. It was intended to be a landmark film – and even 15 years later – everyone's seen it or at least heard of it. Mission accomplished. It won a ton of Razzies for bad acting, bad scripting etc. but it's so pervasive and enduring you gotta respect its legacy. And there are so many worse movies (like “Indiana Jones 4” *ahem*) and yet this film gets hit with a “Worst Movie of All Time” label. I love that it's so subversive, so far-reaching, that it mocks the viewer and takes conventions and both adheres to them and is ultimately ironic- and it's proof that shock tactics are truly memorable.]
So that's what I wrote and they called me and I came in and then in my second interview the boss was in the room and asked me what my favorite movie was. I had been repeating to myself in the car what to say and was still doing the *facepalm* over writing “Showgirls” in the first place…but it seemed the boss hadn't read my little application so here was time for me to say something deep and meaningful like “Citizen Kane” or “Intolerance” or something like that…and my mind went blank…and I blurted out “Showgirls.”
And the room went silent.
And then I had to defend it. Again.
Oh lordy-lord. /*o*
But they called me again for a THIRD interview so maybe this does rove my point: Shock tactics really are memorable. Plus, if I had been a guy they probably would have been alike “Next!” but as a woman saying “Showgirls” is their favorite movie I figured it would be unusual enough to be remembered.
[And let the record show I don't actually HAVE a favorite film of all time and, as a former Film major, was too embarrassed to say this – I do love “The Two Towers”, “Pride & Prejudice” (A&E version), “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Memento,” “12 Angry Men,” “Far and Away,” “Sense & Sensibility,” “Clerks,” “Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Fight Club,” “Terminator 2,” “Hackers,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Die Hard,” and “Goonies,” just for starters!)
LOL!
Thanks for your comment!
xoxox
Carly