It's like dating

I'm starting a new job next quarter. So this morning I met with my new supervisor. It felt like an awkward first date. Normally I'm fairly talkative (I used to make a living talking to people) but in new job situations I'm completely tongue tied. (Especially when I'm talking to someone I want to make a good impression on.) So I think I come across as meek and shy, which is not my personality normally. I tend to remain quiet until I'm able to assess the social situation and get comfortable. So the first few days or weeks I tend to be overly cautious. I'm fine when I'm teaching or giving a presentation, but one on one interviews seem to put me off my game.

The meeting with my new boss went fine, other than the fact that I will have five different people supervising me and there are probably 20+ different projects that they might want me to be working on. It's kind of overwhelming really, to have a job that is so broadly defined. I want to make a good impression on these people so that they will want to continue to employ me.

Then this afternoon I got a call from a firm I had submitted the resume to, looking for an internship. They were calling to set up a phone interview. So I'm nervous about that as well. I hate talking on the phone. If I could just get my foot in the door at a consulting firm I would be in a much more secure situation. I could work for a year or two then and the question of continuing graduate school would be less urgent. I could take my time and figure out my strategy.