Job Interviews – A Love and Hate Relationship
Job interviews can be either pleasant, positive experiences or seem like nerve-wracking wastes of time. Unfortunately, I have experienced both kinds, but the good news is it does get easier to face them with practice.
As a quiet and fairly shy young woman, I have always found it difficult to talk much about myself without being asked very specific questions. “Tell me about yourself” is a standard prompt in an interview, but it takes a great deal of thought for someone like me to answer that properly. That’s not the only question employers will ask, so it takes quite a lot of time to prepare for any given one. Further, I become very nervous as the time of the meeting approaches, to the point of significant physical discomfort (namely a turning stomach and racing heart). When the interview doesn’t even result in getting a job offer (which, unfortunately, is usually a lot more likely than getting an offer) it is tempting to think of it as a waste of time and energy.
Truly, job searching is exhausting. I spent about 8 months trying to get a job between 2 months before I finished college classes and 6 months after classes. Admittedly, I wasn’t applying everywhere or every day or even every week, but researching jobs in which I had a decent amount of interest and then taking the time to fill out each application was rather time-consuming and mentally draining. I became a starving post-college student, relying on the $70 monthly allowance from my family for food and gas and of course, free rent while I stayed with them. I attended two interviews with companies at which I envisioned starting a career in the renewable energy and/or electric car industries, but neither of them went particularly well. Finally, the time was right and I was asked to come in for an interview a few months after I had attended a career fair at a local college, where a recruiter from a company in the data center industry asked me for my résumé when I was looking at the booth map trying to figure out where to go next. I have been working at that company for nearly 5 1/2 years.
So if you’re in the middle of the struggle to find a job like I was, don’t give up! Think positively and keep at it. When you are blessed with the right one, it is well worth all the time and energy. It is key to be patient, to persevere and to do your best in each application you submit and in each interview for which you are called. Especially if you are an introvert like me, find or create a list of questions that apply to the specific position for which you have applied and prepare answers for each one. If and when you find out you didn’t get the job, or you don’t even get a response letting you know either way (which I have to say is very frustrating for me), don’t be discouraged. You have talent that the employer who rejected you is missing out on, and the right job is still waiting for you.
Remember that every interview is an opportunity for growth, whether it results in you finally getting the job or simply helps prepare you for the next interview. And when you have been at a certain company for a while and feel increasingly strongly that it’s time to move on, don’t be afraid to start looking for the next career opportunity (or let it find you). You have been dedicated to the mission of that company and will always appreciate the growth you have experienced while working there, but they will understand the need to do what is best for your personal career goals. Follow your calling wherever it leads and strive for continuous learning and improvement, and the world where you are will be a more enriched and blessed place.
TheLoneMingler
My name is Rachel and I love to share my thoughts with the world online. I may share things about which only I care, and that's okay; I just want to give people a chance to know the real me, the person God created me to be, even if it never happens face to face. My passions and interests include the Bible, singing/songwriting, batteries, soccer, cats and making people happy through the little things in life.