The Brussels vs. US Interview Process

So far my interview experiences have been relatively easy. Compared to the US I felt like these interviews were more informal and less stressful besides the confusing street signs (well the lack of visible street signs) and the cold rainy weather. At every interview I was offered some type of beverage which was great, especially since I can't recall ever being offered any refreshments in the US. This added to the relaxed conversational atmosphere that I felt at every interview. I think the best part about the interview a few of us had for MEP Rhoithova and Social Platform was that some of the questions where character and personality based which I think is important to note and often overlooked. A person may be able to perform the tasks and duties of a job proficiently but if their personality does not mesh well with others it can hinder the progress of an organization, especially these small offices.

The only real distinction I see between the Brussels and US business is culture is that showing up early to interviews does not necessarily mean that a person is responsible and prompt. Since the organizations or offices are so small there is not always an area to seat a guest and thus showing up early may put pressure on the host to either start the interview earlier than expected or go out of their way to find accomodations for you. Moreover, since the organizations are so small it seems very quiet at times which is not something I am accustomed to. NOrmally, there is a lot of chatter and livly interaction in the offices that I have worked for in the US but this assumption could be wrong once I actually start my internship next week.

My academic program is peace and conflict resolution which I think will work well with my internship with MEP Stastny who is focusing of trade negotiations with Canada at the moment. My Comparative Peace Processes class taught me much about the negotiation process and the intricacies of trying to come to an agreement about any issue. I believe this negotiation has been going on for 2 or 3 years now and the hopes of concluding this year are not high. This class also taught me that it is difficult to take an entity as large as the EU to come to an agreement in general due to the all of the actors who now have a stake in certain policies. Compromises will have to be made and many states either do not want to compromise or do not have the capacity to enforce a certain policy at the time so changes must constantly be made. It's difficult to get a group of friends to agree on a place to go for dinner; imagine that on an international level.
 

Interview Impressions

Interview impressions

*Apologies for what might end up being a wall of text:

Well, after an interesting but at times hectic past few days, the search for an internship is over!  It looks like I will be interning with SecEUR, an organization that does research and publishes newsletters to subscribers about civil security within the EU.  As this was one of my top choices and I am really into security issues, this should be great!  It is also located relatively close to the European Parliament, so hopefully I can get lunch a few times with whoever ends up interning there!

I had a total of five interviews in the span of three days.  On my first day, I had one interview with Euro Tasc.  This was a conducted in a group setting that included myself and three other students.  Unfortunately, the interviewer didn’t really ask too many questions specific to each of us (he never even asked us to review our resumes) and the interview kind of devolved into us asking him questions without ever really getting the chance to show what we had to offer. 

The second interview with the Atlantic Treaty Association went well, even though it was a bit hard to find as it was hidden under scaffolding and there wasn’t a street sign.  Luckily I walked over there with Cassandra and we were able to ask a construction worker where the building was and he pointed us in the right direction.  Oddly enough, the ATA is located in a former hotel room, as in we took an elevator to a floor and walked past a bunch of hotel rooms before finding it.   The ATA interview was one-on-one and went really well – they do interesting work there.

The next day I had my interview with SecEUR.  This interview also went really well.  I enjoyed talking to my two interviewers about topics ranging from military history to EU security policy.  I have a lot of experience doing writing and research assignments, especially pertaining to security issues, so I hope and think I will fit in well there!

I also had an interview the second day for an internship with an MEP.  This interview was quite odd – we were taken in as a group and each given an assignment to write a one-minute speech about a topic.  I got tax havens and evasion, something I didn't know much about at all.  I used a lot of generalities and gave a rousing speech about how MEPs have the capability and therefore the responsibility to aid their constituents by stopping it.  We were all also called in for individual interviews.

My final interview on the last day was with another MEP and was again conducted in a group setting, but this time over tea.  Again, as with the first interview, I didn’t think the interviewers got anything substantive out of us.  They basically only asked us why we were there and where we were from in the U.S.  Beyond that, there wasn’t talk about individual qualifications or anything.

Overall, my interview experience is pretty limited as I’ve only had two or three in-person interviews in the U.S.  However, judging from the five interviews I had, the whole process did not seem too different from the U.S. in that there can be considerable variability in terms of what to expect when interviewing at each organization.  I will say that the group interviews did not seem to work very well, but that may have been due to the interviewers and I’m not sure if that’s typical of Europe or not.  Generally speaking, their business culture appears to be a bit more relaxed and laid-back, although I am sure I will learn more about this in the coming weeks.

As a whole, I was very prepared for the ATA and SecEUR internship interviews largely due to the large amounts of writing and wide range of classes related to security and history I took as an undergrad.  In particular, I took a COIN and counter-terror seminar my senior year that was invaluable.  Grad school work has also been useful.  International trade issues are a big theme with the EU now and having just taken an international econ. class I was able to follow the discussions much better than I would have otherwise.  Well, that was my whirlwind interview experience.  Looking forward to travelling around Belgium this weekend and starting the internship on Tuesday!

Interview Experience and First Impressions

Over the last three days I have been to five interviews: Euro TASC, ATA, SecEUR, AEFJN, MEP Peter Stastny. Of the five companies, I am only particularly excited about two (ATA/SecEUR). I had two group interviews with other AU students (Euro TASC and MEP Peter Stastny) and in both the interviewers did not seem too interested in learning much about us. In the case of Euro TASC I felt that I got a good idea of what would be expected of the intern; however it was not particularly clear from our meeting with Peter Stastny’s office.

My interviews with ATA, SecEUR and AEFJN all offered me the opportunity to both sell myself and ask questions about the internship and the organization. These three offices showed genuine interest in my academic/professional background and my expectations of an internship with their company.  The interviewers all clearly explained how I might shape my work with them into something relevant to my interests and skills, and how their office would help me to grow both academically and professionally.  

I've found Brussels to be lovely. I love that I can go around on my own without feeling anxious about a language barrier. The cobblestones are doing a number on my heels but they really add to the charm of the city. And although the weather is expectedly horrible, the rain does fall straight down rather than sideways as in DC, so that’s something. I’m looking forward to exploring the city more soon with my lovely fellow AU students.  

First Impressions

At first sight of the city of Brussels my initial thoughts, as we rode in the taxi to our hotel,  was that the city looked very similar to DC (which I believe were similar thoughts that others had as well). However, as my eyes and mind begin to shake off the jet lag and exhaustion I am now seeing Brussels in a whole new light. Our tour of the Grande Place with Jerry Sheridan revealed the rich history that can be found right in the architecture of the city. Navigating the streets as I search for the location of my interviews has lead me to find the Royal Palace, lush parks, and many restaurants that are now on my "to eat here" list. I'm looking forward to learining more as we travel and study about this complex little country named Belgium.

Impressions of Brussels

So far, I'm really enjoying Brussels (besides the cold and rain). I've been pleasantly surprised that I haven't had any issues with communicating with most people despite not being able to speak any French. It is possible that if I was anywhere else in Europe, I might not have such an easier time with that. Also, though at first the public transportation system seemed impossible to understand, I think that I am slowing learning how to get around (with the help of maps). It also helps that Brussels is quite small so it doesn't take long to get from one side to the other like Washington, DC.

My host family is awesome! I have learned so much about Brussels, France, and Europe through them in the past few days. In particular, I've learned a lot about the European perception (or to be more specific, French perception) of American politics and culture. I'm looking forward to continue these discussions with my host family over dinner!

I was told before I got here, that Brussels is an international city and in the short time that I have been here, I am finding that it truly is!

Transatlantic Divide Over the Economic Crisis

Here is another good piece from EU Observer highlighting the persistent "austerity vs. stimulus" debate that has characterized transatlantic relations since the onset of the fiscal crisis.  Many expected a renewal of the close working relationship between the US and the EU when President Obama took office in 2008 after the tension and distance that had set in under President Bush's terms in office.  However, a fundamental philosophical difference at the level of ideas concerning economic governance and the proper response to economic crises has complicated US-EU relations over the past 4 years.  Keep an ear to the ground for discussions of these topics once you get to Brussels, and post your comments here!

http://euobserver.com/economic/120069

(Photo: Joerg Rueger/German ministry of finance, via EU Observer)

The EU Treaties and the fiscal crisis

If you've started reading Pinder (as you should be doing!) you'll notice how much of the history and the current politics of the EU revolve around different treaties and debates about how to expand or change treaties (or even forge new ones).  The EU is, at its core, a rule-based institution grounded in a series of treaties that all of the member states have ratified.  The current economic and fiscal crisis in Europe has once again brought the EU treaties into the spotlight, namely though the persistent question of whether adequate reforms for "economic governance" (a key term in EU parlance) in the Union can be made within the current treaty framework, or whether a new treaty is needed.

Here is a recent news article from EU Observer that will help bring you up to speed on this debate, which will certainly be something that folks in EU politics/policy circles will be discussing once you get to Brussels: http://euobserver.com/institutional/120053

What kind of institutional and political dynamics strike you as important as you read this article and read about the economic and fiscal crisis more generally?  Where does authority lay on these types of questions in the EU?