How to Talk About Your Passions In An Interview (Even If The Interviewer Has No Idea What It’s About)

 I use Leslie Knope as a positive example a lot in my lessons. Not just because I’m a Parks & Rec fan or in utter awe of Amy Poehler as a creative person, but because the dauntless positivity and energy of Leslie Knope are precisely what I try to channel as a speaker. 

 But today, I’d like to talk about one of the things she got really, really wrong.

 

 

 Listen, Leslie, slam poetry doesn’t have to be “your thing”, but you are making an aggravating mistake that people in any artistic community go through a LOT. 

 Just because you don’t understand the structure of something, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Just because you never learned the rules, doesn’t mean they don’t matter. Just because you don’t understand what makes something great in slam poetry, or woodworking, or theatre, or giant Charlie Chapman statues, doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter a great deal. 

 

Remember this? 

 So no, slam poetry is not “just talking…like this…” 

 Like all forms of poetry (yes, even free verse has norms, just fewer than usual), slam poetry has a LOT of structure undergirding it. Just because you don’t understand those patterns doesn’t mean they don’t exist! Slam poetry is not my thing either, so if you want to know about the structure undergirding it, you can start here. 

 The form of poetry I get uptight about people misunderstanding and not recognizing the power of the craft and the actual form is iambic pentameter or blank verse. Shakespeare stuff. On request, I will happily write that up, but there is also a podcast celebrating it. 

 I suspect you have had this moment – when someone who “doesn’t get” what you’re into says something dumb and dismissive and you have to weigh if you have the time, patience, and will to launch into an impromptu lecture on the form and art of [insert niche passion here]. 

 What Does This Have to Do With My College Interview (Or Essay)? 

 If you’re stuck for what is interesting about you to talk about, remembering when you’ve had the moment above could help. 

 But it goes beyond that. Say you already know what your selling points are. Are you still feeling nervous about talking about them? What if the interviewer has no background and doesn’t understand just how big a deal being the stage manager for a theatre program is? What if they just stare at you like…so volleyball, y’all win the district or whatever? 

 If you’re worried about filling time, if you think you’ll go in and have nothing to say, then this is a good plan:

 When you bring up your passions, one of two things will happen (in broad strokes). 

1. The interviewer will share your passion and you can geek out together 
2. The interviewer will nod politely and struggle to come up with a follow up question when they have no idea where to start.

 It’s better to prepare for situation #2, because situation #1 tends to be a lot of fun. And probably a situation you have been in before. So just keep it formal and transition to specific stories of you being a hero in the program you devoted yourself to. 

 If The Interviewer Doesn’t “Get” Your Passion 

 They may know the basics and have a few standard follow up questions unless it is a truly obscure hobby, at least if you’re working with an admissions officer rather than an alumni interview. Remember: they do hundreds of these every year. So they probably know the most basic things that happen in your favorite after-school activity. 

 But it’s much better to take the reins at this point, even if they do know the cardinal points to be made about the value of teamwork in sports. They are struggling to find enough of a specific hook for you to start telling your story. 

 You could just start explaining on your own, and unless they interrupt to share enough that you realize they are actually your fellow geeks, you can just keep going! It’s time to pull up that lecture you save for people who think that “theatre is not a team sport” or “you’re just doodling” or know about the link between music and math but think it’s just two things that smart people happen to do often. 

 PRACTICE it, of course. And refine it. 

 But then get ready to slide neatly into, 

 “Yes, I love being the stage manager and keeping the backstage running smoothly. I had a friend who’s not into theatre ask me once if I was sad not to have a creative voice in the show, and it took everything in me not to let her have it right there!...” 

 Or blame your parents, 

 “I think my dad doesn’t get it. He forced me to stick with softball because he wanted me to learn teamwork – and I could not make him understand that being in the light and sound booth required just as much teamwork, and that’s before we even get into working with the other tech teams, much less the actors! I can’t tell you how many times we had to re-design a light cue because the actors had to change the blocking when a set piece was finally moved into place or a costume had a much wider skirt than they had practiced with!” 

 Or, more benignly, mention the work your teammates do too, 

 “My best friend and I actually joined yearbook together, thinking she would be the intrepid reporter and I’d be her photographer, but instead she got really into features on individual students and I spent all my time learning the ins and outs of photoshop – and that’s even before I became obsessed with layout. We almost never saw each other unless there was a big deadline and everyone was all hands on deck to finalize photos and check captions and attributions and spelling…”

 Find a Newbie 

 This is a very fulfilling thing to do during your senior year anyway – find someone new and help your teacher advisors train them to replace you. It’s one of the most rewarding things you can do in your final year. And you’ll know that you’ve left a legacy behind. 

 But it can also help remind you of how much work you do. All that you had to learn. All the things you didn’t used to be so good at. 

 Because we do forget. And training a freshman (ideally one full of enthusiasm and endless questions) can help remind you of how far you’ve come.  Which will feed your list of accomplishments for the interview!  

Probably most of the tasks will be just worth a brief mention in a casual list of how many things you have to do to make a yearbook come out right… 

 But regaling the newbies with the story of the great Color Palette Debate of 2018 that divided the yearbook staff and led to a complete re-imagining of the theme for the book…well, essentially it’ll help remind you how many interesting stories you have. 

 No, not everyone will be fascinated by yearbook staff tussles (over the work, not personal drama), but it’s one more story where you can frame yourself as the hero standing up for even small principles and arguing clearly for your point of view. Yes, even if you ultimately lost the vote about it.

Why This Matters

This approach isn't really just a rant, as you may have noticed.  It's a way of talking about your passion that highlights how much WORK you do to practice it.   It shows your work ethic, how you learn, how much you already know -- and that you're proud and  strong enough to stand up for what matters to you, all in one stroke!

In making the case for the value of slam poetry or volleyball even for the non-future-professionals, you are demonstrating your argument skills -- as well as all of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the "research" you did for why sports or slam poetry or giant Charlie Chapman statues matter.

And all of that while constantly implying -- without having to directly brag, no less! -- how very much work and dedication you put into learning all of these new skills required.

So you did a project that matters, and you were willing to buckle down and grow and change to do it well.

What looks better to a college than that?

 So Practice! 

 Conjure an imaginary Amy Poehler to make fun of how “pointless” your art is or intentionally have a conversation with a relative who has always devalued it or find a promising freshman to remind you of everything you loved, hated, and learned pursuing your passion over the last four years. 

 Prepare an epic rant on why people don’t realize how much goes into the work that you do. 

 Because sadly, that’s a consistent and eternal problem in our world. None of us realize how hard everyone ELSE’S job is.

Interested in more tips and common errors in the college interview process?  Email me at renegadewritingtutor@gmail.com for information on the first 3-workshop program to prepare you for the interview.  In honor of my last job, seniors and juniors from Incarnate Word Academy in Houston get the first of the 3 sessions free.  Half the battle is having the right mindset.