BCAS Interview

Is there anything else you'd like us to know?

I just want to reiterate how excited I am about this position. I think it is a great opportunity for me to meet my own personal goals while simultaneously helping fulfill BCAS's mission of providing the community with arts education experiences. I am really grateful for the time you took to meet with me today.

What about this role interests you?

I am also excited about BCAS's mission of promoting access to arts education since that aligns with my personal goals of making arts experiences accessible. I like to think I am talented in administrative work because my strengths are organization and communication, which is the basis of administrative work. This role combines my talents with my passions.

Tell me about yourself

I am currently the Manager of Patrons Services at Arts for Lawrence. In this position I oversee volunteers, our audiences, and I support the executive director in some development tasks. I recently graduated from Butler with a degree in arts administration. I enjoy my work at AFL but am looking for new experience in the arts where I can apply more of the nonprofit knowledge I have to an organization and institution I care a lot about. The admin position at BCAS seems like the perfect opportunity to achieve this and I am really excited about it.

What are you looking for in a new position?

I am looking for new experience in the Indy arts community. I am also interested in being near or surrounded by higher education initiatives because I want to give back to the same community that gave so much to me when I was a student at Butler.

What other companies are you interviewing with?

I am not currently interviewing with other groups, but I have applied to a couple arts organizations in Indy.

What are your career aspirations?

My high school performing arts experience in Lawrence established my passion for the arts and arts education. Currently in my role, I help provide access to the arts to the Lawrence community through arts programming. I want to support similar missions throughout my career in whatever capacity that make look like. Giving back to the communities that provided me with incredible arts experiences is my primary career aspiration. I feel like I have accomplished part of this goal at AFL and I am ready to do the same at Butler.

What's your ideal work environment?

My ideal work environment is one where I have the training and support to do my work well, and am ultimately self-sufficient. I like being able to collaborate with coworkers and bounce ideas off one another. It's nice to know you are supported and heard at work. I appreciate constructive criticism and healthy feedback.

When would you be available to start a new role?

As soon as I accept a job offer, I would then put in my two weeks notice at my current workplace, then I could begin after those two weeks.

Weaknesses?

Something that I struggle with but have been constantly improving is my shyness. Overtime I have come out of my shell at AFL and found comfort in sharing my ideas with the team. It didn't always used to be that way. I think with new experience, especially with a new team at BCAS, I would be able to grow even further in this regard. That has made me a better worker because now I'm not afraid to speak up and collaborate more or to confidently tell volunteers their tasks.

Tell me about yourself/Walk me through your resume

- (present) I am currently the Manager of Patron Services at Arts for Lawrence. In this position, I oversee our volunteer program, our audiences and patrons, and support our development department in stewardship tasks, grant management, and database organization. My position is essentially admin work, alongside event management and customer service. - (past) Before I started this position, I was an Arts Administration student at Butler and an intern at AFL. In my degree I learned about non profit management, specifically for the arts while also pursuing an emphasis in music and oboe study. While a student, I was involved in the Arts Ambassadors club as the Community Engagement Coordinator and worked at the Butler Arts and Events Center as a box office clerk and an usher. - (future) I have always had an interest in promoting the arts, and I am especially excited about the chance to promote arts education for members of the Butler and Indianapolis community. The admin position at BCAS is the perfect opportunity for me to develop my skills in arts administration and gain new experience, while also pursuing my passion for making the arts accessible for everyone.

What's your leadership style? Tell me about a time you used your leadership skills to get a job done.

- For our 2022 annual fundraiser, I was responsible for recruiting and managing volunteers during the event, for the registration and payment process, and for the follow-up acknowledgment process. This experience gave me the chance to show my organized and communicative leadership skills. I mapped out the entire event from set up to tear down and placed staff, volunteers, and board members according to the events' needs. Leading up to the event, I made sure to communicate with everyone involved to explain their responsibilities for the event and where they are needed. I made a document for everyone involved that laid out the details for the evening so they would know when and where they needed to be somewhere and what it was that they were to be doing. - My leadership style involves being organized and well equipped with information so that when asked questions, I do not have to go searching for an answer. I like to be a resource for others when I am acting as a leader. I like to listen to others I am working with and make sure their ideas are included.

What can you bring to the company?

- My workplace is similar to BCAS in that it is a small arts organization in Indy. It's given me the opportunity to develop my skills in multiple areas like finance, programming, communications, development, customer service, and volunteer management. All of this experience will be an asset to BCAS. - AFL hosts an annual 4-week summer camp that I have helped manage the past two summers. I oversee registration, payment, daily check-in, and partnerships with other art organizations and camp counselors. I know BCAS hosts several summer camps, and I feel my experience with AFL camp will be beneficial for BCAS programming.

Can you describe yourself in three words? Strengths?

- Organized, communicative, and empathetic - My current role requires that I be organized and communicative. Working in a small organization means sharing multiple responsibilities and needing to coordinate with team members to maintain processes, share updates, and ask questions. I am empathetic in my personal and professional life - I always see every side of a given situation and put myself in everyone else's shoes. It is important to be understanding and compassionate to patrons of any organization, especially when you are one of the faces or voices of the organization.

What do you know about our organization?

- The mission of Butler Community Arts School at Butler University is to foster and promote broad access to high quality arts instruction designed to meet community needs, while developing civic-mindedness in university students. - Promoting broad access to high-quality arts instruction. Offering private music lessons, group classes, summer camps, and more, the Butler Community Arts School is designed to meet community needs through high-quality arts instruction, all while developing civic-mindedness in University students. - The mission of providing arts education and experience to students is really important to me because without my arts education, I wouldn't be who I am. In the arts I have found my group of people and my passion. It's important to me that I help provide those same opportunities to other people.

What do you like least about your job?

- There is not a lot of inconsistency with AFL's programming. It is hard to maintain a developed audience when every week has such contrast in programming. - I am looking for a job opportunity with more consistency in its programming like BCAS. It seems like they have several camps and in general, consistent programming.

Do you consider yourself successful?

Even though I am young and in the early stages of my career, I feel like I am successful. I got a degree in something I am passionate about, and I am working towards growing in that field every day.

What's your dream job?

I have always wanted to be an oboist in a Broadway pit orchestra. This is one of my many "unlived lives." Any job that provides people with arts opportunities is a dream job.

In what areas are you most knowledgeable?

I have an education in arts nonprofit management that would be beneficial to the BCAS team and its programming. I am proficient in Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, Canva, Sign Up Genius, Bloomerang, and Wix

How did you find this job opening?

I have been looking for a new job and came across the job listing in a Google search of "arts admin jobs near me." I have been looking for a job at Butler specifically for a few months now. I applied for the Administrative Specialist position in the Vice President's office a few months ago, but the position had already been filled. Since then, I've been keeping an eye on the Butler job site and this opportunity seemed like a perfect fit for what I am looking for and what I have a background in.

How do you work under pressure

I prioritize my to-do list and focus on those tasks until they are complete. I call these priority items my "big three" either for the day or for the work week. These are items that must be done in a certain period of time and that will require most of my attention when compared to smaller tasks. I am flexible when it comes to prioritization since things are always in flux in an organization. Once my big three are accomplished, I move on to my smaller, less-urgent and less time consuming tasks.

Where do you see yourself in three years?

I see myself working in the Indy arts community, providing arts opportunities and education for everyone, specifically young people and students. When I was in high school, I found community in the performing arts program. I want to help students have similar experiences so they can find their own community and develop their passion for the arts.

Describe a typical day at your current job.

I start each week by checking my calendar and making note of any meetings or obligations I have coming up. Then, I check email and phone messages in order to respond to patrons and other constituents in a timely manner. Then I do all of my database updates from the previous weekend's events. I have several database reports I fill out weekly such as excel sheets I use to track volunteer hours, concessions sales, box office sales, and a partner payments. The remaining chunk of my work is performance management and fund development.

How do you plan to achieve your career goals?

I'm an avid learner and I absorb as much information and skills as I can. I believe that more experiences and opportunities will open up as I learn more and develop further into my career. By building connections and learning as much as possible, I plan to achieve my career goals.

Tell me about one of your most significant career accomplishments so far.

In February I organized a volunteer orientation to celebrate the volunteers who served in 2021, and to provide new and old volunteers with the information they need to get involved at AFL. I created a presentation, award certificates, goodie bags, and information packets/brochures for everyone to reference. It was a successful event that had a turn out of 30 or so people. Many of the people who came to orientation are active volunteers today.

Why do you want to work at BCAS/Butler? Why do you want this job? Why should we hire you?

It's important to me that everyone, especially young students, have access to the arts. I've always been told that in order to find your dream job, you have to combine the things you're good at with the things you are passionate about. My strengths are in administrative work, and my passions lie in providing arts opportunities for the community. I have the right background, talents, and passion for the position.

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision made at work?

One time my supervisor said we should set up our information table far away from the event that was taking place. I spoke up and suggested that we keep it closer to the buildings, bathrooms, and the event so that more people pass by and have a chance to learn about AFL. He hadn't even considered that as an option before, since the info tent was always way across the campus. In the end, we put the table next to the building, and I am glad I spoke up about it.

What motivates you?

Providing the community with arts opportunities, the creation of art, and promoting art and art opportunities motivate me. Seeing the impact of my work and learning how to be better at my work motivates me as well.

Tell me about a challenge/conflict at work - how did you deal with it?

Recently a patron showed up for an event right after it ended. She had received a confirmation email saying the event started at a certain time, but that time was incorrect. She was really disappointed that they didn't get to see the show, but I issued her a refund, then gave her two complimentary tickets to the theatre. She was appreciative that I was so responsive and provided her w comp tickets. I made sure she knew how sorry I was on behalf of AFL and that it is unlike us to make such mistakes. I then brought it up in our staff meeting to make sure that the mistake gets corrected

Was there a time you didn't work well with a manager or colleague? If so, can you tell me how you handled the situation?

There have never been instances where I have had direct conflict with a coworker, but there have been times when there was conflict between two or more of my coworkers. In those situations I make sure to stay in my lane, while also offering my support to either party. I have asked them how I can aid them in this circumstance and if there is any work I can take from them to reduce their load. I make sure to always keep these interactions professional and mature to avoid further conflict. I assess the situation before getting involved.

Tell me about a time you made a mistake?

When I first started at AFL, I was designing content for social media and event flyers. My boss at the time had brought it to my attention that I wasn't complying with her graphic design rules. I asked her for more information on these rules, did my own research, and implemented what I had learned. I made sure to have my boss proof all of my designs afterwards to get feedback.

Why are you wanting to leave your current job?

When I started out at AFL, my goal was to give back to a community that gave to me when I was in school. Lawrence is my hometown and where I went to school until I got to college. In high school, I found my love for the arts, my group of friends, and my passion for promoting art experiences. Now that I have been at AFL for over 1.5 years, I feel as though I have achieved this goal of giving back. Now I am ready to do the same in a different community that gave me such great opportunities - Butler. Working at BCAS is the perfect chance to achieve this goal of mine.