Dear finalists,

Congratulations you’ve made it to the final stage-the interview trip. It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, I was in your shoes, anxiously thinking through the leap of faith I was about to embark on. At the time of the trip, I was in the final months of my year of service with JVC. The preschool I worked at (and fell in love with) was going to the Bronx Zoo and my community I realized just how few weekends of us together we had left in our year. Looking back now, I realize placing your current life on hold for the interview trip is just the first leap of faith in a series of many in the year with Challenge Detroit year, Though I left the interview trip mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted, I also left reenergized, excited, and entirely grateful that I came to the interview trip. I remember sitting down and journaling in Campus Martius after the interview trip wrapped up, writing: I can’t believe that trip was only two days and I learned so much in those two days and was happy I participated in the trip, regardless of whether of not I would end up in the fellowship.

On that note, I thought there perhaps is at least one future fellow and finalist out there (who like me a year ago) is currently perusing through all the Challenge blog entries in preparation for the interview trip and may appreciate my tips for getting the most out of the interview trip:

1. Breathe. You’ve made it this it far in the Challenge Detroit application process and that itself is an accomplishment. Though nerves are likely still unavoidable, do your best to calm down and fully immerse yourself in the process.
2. Do your homework on your interview host companies, your own values and hopes, and Challenge Detroit.
   1. The interviews with host companies are quick, short and will fly by. To get the most out of these interviews, take time to learn about your host company in advance, speak with employees there if you can, and create a list of questions you’d like to ask and get answered in the interviews. If you put your time in to prep before, the greater chance you have of the interview being more like a conversation where both sides are seeing if each other are a good fit.
   2. Take some time before the interviews to also know yourself. Ask yourself am I looking for a host company that could turn to my full-time job post Challenge Detroit. Think through if you are hoping for a super involved host company or one who is supportive of Challenge Detroit but sees a separation between Fridays and the rest of the week. Understand your own preferences in a job in advance so ranking companies after your interview is a breeze.
   3. Just as important as checking to see if your host companies are the right fit is to see if Challenge Detroit is the right fit for you. Plenty of current Fellows and Alumni will be around during the interview trip so don’t forget to prep questions to better understand Challenge Detroit and your potential place in it. Also, don’t forget to talk to your fellow finalists. These are the people who will make up your fellowship year and you’ll spend many a Friday with each other, navigating the emotional rollercoaster that challenges bring.
3. Take notes after each interview. So much information is being thrown at you during the interview trip, it is important to set aside time to take notes down after each interview when it is fresh in your mind. This will help you when go up to room at night, ready to pass out from exhaustion, and you remember you need to rank your host company preference by the end of the next day.
4. Plan your emergency ‘what am I doing with my life’ contacts and meetings. Because the fast pace of the interviews and how quickly you transition from interviewing with to ranking your host companies, it is not a bad idea to plan a phone call Thursday night with someone you trust to talk through the opportunities with. I was lucky and my friends and mother accepted unplanned half hour conversations where I talked through my decision, but in retrospect wished I planned those debriefs in advance.
5. Plan some self-care time. The interview trip agenda is very full, but there are some breaks built into it. Look at your schedule you receive Thursday morning and pencil in some time for you to do whatever it is you need to do to recharge- run, walk, call mom, journal, music, make new friends, or nap. You’ll thank yourself for doing this later.
6. Be prepared to be surprised by Detroit (even if you are very experienced in the city). This place is special and immediately in the Challenge Detroit interview trip you’ll learn something new about this place. Whether its from speaking to host companies, other finalists, the Challenge Detroit network, or the other guests Challenge Detroit brings in for interview trips, you are going to hear a new perspective and rather than just experiencing the city, you’ll likely start analyzing it immediately too.
7. If you are unfamiliar with design thinking and freaking out, here you go. Before the trip, I was unfamiliar with design thinking and it is perfectly fine to go into the interview trip with a limited knowledge of it. However, if you are like me, you’ll be googling it, trying to understand human-centered design before the trip. This is a great overview out of Stanford I read through before my trip last year. Also, don’t worry-you aren’t the only one and Challenge Detroit will be explaining design thinking to you too.
8. If you can stay after, play in the city. As May flowers start to bloom, Detroit also comes out of hibernation. If you can stay for the weekend, stick around and explore, because playing is important to Challenge Detroit fellows too!
9. Don’t forget to say thanks like your momma taught you. This one should be pretty self-explanatory. Say thanks, mind your manners on the trip, and make your friends and family proud.

Good luck and see you soon!

From someone who remembers how nerve-wracking (and fun) interviews were.