Joyce Carol Gates, 1970
The Metropolitan Museum of Art stands on a 17- acre complex bordering Central Park on Fifth Avenue in New York City. It has been called "...the most diverse and dazzling art museum in the world and, odds on, the richest in history. "*
Veronica, an accountant, stood at the curb watching. Taxis deposited fashionable women in long furs and shiny, ? pointed boots. A school bus from New Jersey disgorged a horde of noisy ninth-graders. New Yorkers, out-of-towners and obviously foreign visitors speaking odd languages...serious art students, working people and retired people...male and female, rich and poor, art lovers all, mingled on the broad sidewalk before ascending the long granite steps under towering marble columns.
My God, she thought.
Veronica was about to have her third and final interview for a mid- level accounting position, and she was going to meet the museum's president, too. Understandably, she was nervous as she entered the spacious, vaulted stone foyer, removed her coat and headed toward the administrative offices. About a half-hour into her interview - she was doing very well; she was good at her work and knew it - the president joined them carrying a cup of coffee in a delicate china mug. He was distinguished, urbane and articulate, as she'd expected, and obviously passionate about art and the museum. He's great, just great, she thought, as they chatted cordially about the museum's accounting needs. Then he asked, "Tell me, Veronica, you know our salary is not what you could earn in the commercial world, what attracts you to us?"
"Well, it's really convenient for me; I live only ten blocks away. I'd
like to see some of the exhibits, too. I haven't been here since my sixth grade field trip."
The president's eyes narrowed and his jaw hardened for a long moment. Convenience was not the answer he expected, or wanted. The Making the Mummies Dance, Robert Hoving, former director. Metropolitan Museum of Art. challenge of the job, yes, association with a world-renowned institution, the famous art and artists, special exhibits, cultural activities, the excitement, the prestige, any or all of these, but not convenience. There was obviously little interest in the arts here.
Veronica noticed the slight frown as the president politely excused himself, but she had no inkling why. The interview concluded soon after, and the next week she was informed that the museum had selected another candidate.
"Why" questions are important to interviewers.
Show your enthusiasm for the job and interest in the company.
