I'm sure everyone's heard of the popular quote "Be yourself," but I feel as though people just let it go in one ear and out the other. We should be content with who we are because we are unique people that no one else can emulate. We should embrace our differences and uniqueness instead of trying to be someone we're not.
I think that I finally understood this concept at one of my job interviews last week. With me being a broke college student, I figured it was finally time for me to get my first real job. I already work on campus, but I wanted to build upon that and get something out in the "real world," per say. I was notified Tuesday to come in for my first interview for a secretary job, and, of course, I was extremely nervous. I walked in, was on time, dressed nicely, and had a smile on my face. Many typical questions were asked about school, my availability schedule, and about my current job on campus, but none were asked that really gave me the opportunity to showcase who I am as a person. That's why I feel as though I didn't get that job.
So here I go on to job interview #2. It's at a clothing store in the mall so of course, I'm already in love because I adore shopping. This is my comfort zone, and I don't feel nervous at all going into this interview. As I sit down with the manager and assistant manager, they start asking harder questions than the other interviewer and I began to be thankful that I was able to think on my feet and be myself. They asked things like who is the most dependable person I know and why, how dependable am I, what my hobbies are, what a customer deserves from their shopping trip, what my current employer would say about me as a person, and various experiences in my life. One of the most memorable questions they asked me was what I liked about my job on campus and if I had to pick something that I disliked about it, what would I pick. Well, of course, I love so many things about my current job, so I explained all of them, but I had to stop for a minute to think about what I disliked about it.
After 15 seconds of silence, there was only one thing that popped into my head that I semi-disliked about it, so I started to explain. I began with hesitation, "Well, the only thing I can think of that I dislike is that at the front desk we have chairs that roll and the floor is sort of slanted. I have short legs, so if the chair is all the way up my legs don't touch the floor and if I don't catch myself I will roll backward to the other side of the room." I pause for a moment trying to regain myself because I'm filled with embarrassment. I say my goodbyes and think to myself, "Wow, I just blew another job interview, will I ever find a job?"
Minutes pass, and I'm on my drive back to my apartment, feeling defeated, when I get a phone call from the assistant store manager who just helped interviewed me. He offered me the job and said that they really enjoyed my personality. I took it, of course, in excitement.
Maybe me being embarrassing isn't so bad after all? This experience opened my eyes and taught me that I should always be myself and let my personality shine.
