I really do think that job interviews can be one of the scariest situations a person can ever be in. You are basically offering yourself to heavy critiquing, where a person judges your worth and potential based from your skills, attitude, appearance, and experience, and this can either result in a “Congratulations! You got the job!”, or an e-mail that says: “I am regret to inform you that the position has been filled.” No pressure or anything, right?
It is a process that is very anxiety-inducing, yet it is something that we all need to go through at some point in our lives, especially if we want to make a living in some way. My good friend had two job interviews early this morning, and of course, she felt very nervous and scared in the hours leading up to them. As I comforted her, with the common assurances such as: “You’ll do great!” and “Just be yourself-they’ll love you!” it got me thinking: What really are the worst things that could happen at a job interview? What are we so afraid of?
So I compiled a potential list, based on my experiences and my fears. I hope it is relevant and relatable! Please keep in mind I am not a professional, just a fellow citizen who has had some experience with job interviews, and knows how scary it can be!
1. First worst thing: Getting lost on the way, or arriving late to the interview:
Probably one of the most stressful and scariest bits of misfortune that one can ever experience, and it is something that occurs before the interview even begins. Attendance is key to an interviewer, and unfortunately, if you arrive late, it can already jeopardize your chances of getting the job, before you can even get a chance to speak about volunteering at the soup kitchen or get to show off that very professional suit that you donned for the occasion. Attendance can really evaluate a person’s work ethic-if you arrive late to an interview, your interviewer will probably assume that you will arrive late on the job, which is not really a quality that interviewers are looking for in a job candidate.
Getting lost on the way can become a huge issue that deters your chance from success. Even if you manage to arrive on time after getting lost, issues can still occur. Most likely you will arrive flustered, exhausted, covered in sweat and have your hair standing up on end. Then to top it off, your heart will probably be still pounding, which will make you tense, and will thus make it more difficult for you to relax and answer questions efficiently.
To prevent such atrocities, the best thing to do is to know the exact location of the interview, discover the best route to get there, be able to anticipate what the roads and traffic will be like, and head off plenty of time in advance. I unfortunately had to learn this the hard way.
About a year and a half ago, I was still relatively new to the whole process of applying for jobs and attending job interviews, and thus I was very coy and naive about it all. I briefly looked up the place on Google Maps, and decided that it didn’t look too far, and I could probably figure it on my own, and I didn’t need the map-I would just wing it. BIG mistake! I got incredibly lost, basically ran around in circles in desperation (in heels, of all things!), and I remember looking at my watch and screaming upon realizing that I was supposed to be arriving within the interviewing office at that exact time.
I finally found the place about 45 minutes later (it turned out to be directly behind a building that I had passed about three times), yet to my luck and to my embarrassment, the interview was for the following day, not on that particular day. Boy did I feel smart. Somehow, I still ended up getting that job…(Haha I guess that’s another thing-MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT DAY THE INTERVIEW IS!)
2. Something happening to your clothes/shoes:
And I mean any kind, whether you accidentally spill your morning cappuccino on your blouse just minutes before your interview, or your sleeve gets caught on something and tears. These situations are incredibly stressful, as your appearance means everything when applying for a job, and you may not have a good chance of being hired for a position if there is a big red pesto sauce stain staring at your interviewer directly in the face.
I remember about half a year ago, when I was applying for the internship I currently have, I experienced a MAJOR wardrobe malfunction. And I mean, major. I had decided that it was a beautiful day outside, and so chose to walk to my interview (which is probably not advisable, you should probably try to avoid it if you can). I covered quite a long distance, getting a lot of great exercise and boosting my self-confidence and relaxation. Yet unfortunately, it also tore a humongous hole in my shoe. I did not realize it until moments before I entered the building for my interview. And I will be frank here, it wasn’t just an itty bitty hole. No. My big toe was exposed to the world; THAT”S how bad it was.
I immediately panicked, yet I had no idea what to do. My scheduled interview had almost arrived, and there was no way I could run back home and make a quick shoe change. So, I decided to go through with the interview, and hope that my interviewer did not notice.
Miraculously, she actually didn’t, and I know I got really lucky. It was the way I walked, and the way that I positioned my feet while sitting that I was able to conceal my predicament and embarrassment. Yet still it was no easy process; the entire time, while she told me about the company and what my responsibilities would be, my mind was thinking: “Oh my gosh there’s a hole in my shoe! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Is she going to notice?! There’s a hole in my shoe! Oh my gosh!”
In the end, I actually ended up just telling her about it. I was paranoid that she had seen it and pretended not to notice it, and so I decided that I should provide some sort of explanation. I think I said something along the lines of: “I decided to walk here today. The weather was nice, but the pavement was not! That’s why I have this hole in my shoe, in case if you were wondering.” I remember her looking down in surprise, saying she had not even noticed, and then assured me that she could relate, as she had lost a lot of her own shoes because of the surrounding pavement.
A silly story I know, but it is an experience that taught me a lot. Now, for future interviews, I will intend on being a lot more careful, and always have a back-up plan when it comes to work attire. I recommend this for you too-be 100% that your clothes and shoes are in stellar condition, maintaining a cleanly appearance and being able to succeed in their purpose (ie a shoe that is still built for walking). Yet just in case, I would recommend having spare clothes or shoes on hand, whether in a bag or in your car. That way, if you do experience a wardrobe malfunction, you can get changed and rectify it right away.
3. Totally blanking out upon a question, or being very stumped by a question.
I feel this one is almost inevitable, as at some point everyone is going to encounter a tough question at a job interview. Now I may be wrong on this, but I feel that some questions asked at job interviews are meant to stump people. Rather than just asking: “What did you study in college”, asking a really intriguing unexpected question can perhaps help an interviewer in deciphering a bit more of a candidate’s character, as well as discovering whether the candidate will be able to think fast on his or her feet.
Unfortunately, I feel that there is not much you can do to prepare for such a situation. Maybe try your best in practicing answering questions that a interviewer could possibly ask, or try to come up with a list of questions that would really stump you, and come up with good answers for them.
But if you become in that situation where all you can say is: “Uhhhhhh” in response to a question asked, then have no fear, there are some things you can do to make the situation more bearable while you think of an answer. First, say something like: “That is a very good question,” and while you say it, be thinking HARD of an answer, cause at that moment you are effectively stalling time without making it seem like you are. Then, think deeply for a little bit, and if you need a little more time, don’t be afraid to say: “Just please let me think about that for a moment.” But try not to spend too much time pondering, else the atmosphere will get awkward and uncomfortable. If all else fails, do not be afraid of saying something like: “I am so sorry, but I do not think I know the answer to that. Great question though!”
If you ever have a bad experience with a difficult question in an interview, do not worry. I can assure you that mine is probably worse than yours. It happened when I was applying for a retail position for a surf shop, and after listing all my experience, my interviewer asked me: “Ok, since retail pertains to math, answer me this…” And then he cited a math problem, one that went something along the lines of: “If a customer purchased a shirt for x dollars, and the sales tax was x, how much would he have to pay?”
Yes, I know this may sound like simple math, yet for me it was so unexpected that I was completely stumped, and he may as well have asked me what 900 times two million was. Plus, I have always been terrible with math, I even had an IEP for it during school, and ever since I stopped having to learn it in school, most of what I learned left my brain.
So, as you can imagine, answering that was a very fun experience… I spent an insane amount of time thinking, with my heart pounding all the while. I finally conjured a guess, which was wrong. Yet to make matters worse, he said: “Okay that was a hard one. Now let me ask an easy math question…” And lo and behold, I got THAT one wrong too, even though I was pretty close. Although he assured me that most people didn’t do well on that part of the interview, I felt completely humiliated, and very much wanted the interview to be just over so I could go home and cry. And that my friends, was a job that I did NOT get…
And ok, there is far more frightening things that can occur at a job interview, but I feel that these three are the worst, and I wanted to keep this blog post short, as I tend to blab on a lot. xD Sorry if I ended up doing that anyway…I LOVE to write. =D
Anyways…I hope that was at least a little bit interesting…But to any of those who are really frightened of job interviews…Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Yes many things can go wrong, but that goes with anything in life. Just hold your head high, breathe deeply and slowly, and see it as just another experience that will soon pass, and at some point in the future it will only be a memory…And it is up to you to make it a good one…If that makes sense…Oh, and also, just always remember, if all else fails, there will always be other opportunities. Always. Everything really does happen for a reason.
Okay I am getting corny now, I know…So I will stop talking.
But, leave a comment if you would like. I would LOVE to receive some feedback on my work. =D
Have a great night! Stay safe, stay happy, stay healthy!
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