Help -- I can't wear a scarf in July!!

So, after applying for 17 (yes, I really applied for that many jobs…) in 7 different counties, I finally got that long awaited call from a secretary asking if I was available for an interview next Tuesday!  The 20 second conversation between myself and aforementioned secretary was slightly comical and borderline disastrous. It went something like this:

Me: Hello?

Secretary: Hello, I’m calling for Emily.

Me: This is Emily, how are you today?!? 

Secretary: I’m just fine, this is Ms. So-and-so from Elkhorn Middle School calling to….

Me: Oh, how are you?

Secretary: I’m good, thank you.......... I was calling to ask if you were available for an interview next Tuesday at 9?

Me: Absolutely! 

Secretary: I’m sorry, you’re breaking up…

Me: I’m sorry, I have a uh….bad connect….bad reception-ignal in this room. Can you hear me now??

Secretary: Yes, I can hear you. 

Me: Absolutely, I’d love to come for an interview next Tuesday. 

Secretary: Great. See you then. 

Me: Absolutely, see you then!

So much for playing it cool, right?? (Who says “absolutely” three times in twenty seconds?! …. And what the heck kind of word is receptionignal?!!?)

Anyways, after I calmed down a bit, I started thinking about how UNPREPARED I am for a professional interview! I have no idea what to expect. I get super nervous in high pressure situations and am already thinking about all the things that could go wrong. In college there was a running joke about me in my methods course — whenever I got nervous for a presentation I turned beet red, so my classmates started telling me to wear a scarf...seriously...when it happens, its practically impossible not to notice the scarlet splotchiness that overtakes my entire upper half...  (I’ve lost count of how many people have pointed it out to me...and how many ridiculous excuses I’ve come up with on the fly — my favorite being that my necklace was irritating my skin. Yes. I really used that excuse….)

In fact, once during my very first  clinical I was so nervous to be teaching a class of seniors for the first time, I turned red rather quickly. Before I could even finish reading the page, one of the students raised her hand and frantically waved me over to her. I tried to ask her to wait until after I was finished, but she insisted that I come to her desk. Right then. When I got to her desk and bent down to hear what she had to say, she very loudly told me “I think you might be having an allergic reaction — you’re whole chest is red and so is your neck…! My mom is the nurse here, I can show you where her station is if you need me to!?”

Yes, this is my life. 

Since then I’ve learned to stay away from V-neck tops. I can look back and laugh now that I’m so comfortable in the classroom, but sitting across from the principal who has the power to hire me or send me walking on the other hand ... makes me a little nervous, I admit (and July is entirely too hot for scarves...)

So, to my blogger/teacher friends: what advice can you give me to help prepare? Are there any specific questions you think I should expect? 

I look forward to hearing all of your awesome pointers!

Emily