"So, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?"

It's the age old interview question that every sweaty palmed prospective employee has come to fear. Because, well, what does it mean?Do your future employers/letter of recommendation writers/ keepers of your financial stability want the truth?

"Hi! I'm Emma and I'm basically just here because I'm looking for any small amount of meaning to fill the growing existential void in my soul, also gas money"

Probably not.

So what do they want then? Recently, I had the pleasure of partaking in an interview for a library position that I actually really want. Because I'm a strong, intelligent, capable young woman who happens to understand when I'm in way over my head, I decided to look up some answers to typical interview questions in an attempt to prepare for the un-prepare-able. I'm not going to lie; I've always struggled with the "tell us about yourself" curveball. So I decided that I was going to hit that question hard and fast and then, later, knock it out of the park, so help me god.

And I did, only partially because they didn't actually ask me it.

I had an answer ready though. Just like the all knowing internet had suggested, I came up with an answer that encompassed my past work experiences, current skills, and future goals, all at once. It was fire. But the more that I thought about it, the more I realized that, although it sounded great, it really wasn't me at all. Sure I'm a psych and English major, but I can also rap the entirety of Nikki's verse in Monster. Yeah I have customer service experience, but I also really, really like to climb stuff. Of course I'm comfortable in leadership positions, but I also cried like a baby at the series 2 finale of the Doctor Who revival (if you've seen it, you know) and I'm not ashamed of it.

Basically, I realized that I'm a lot more than just the words I use to sell myself.

See, even the most "boring" person is a whole world of little memories, quirks, obsessions and dreams, stored far away from the naked eye. Just like the Doctor Who tattoo so expertly hidden under my long sleeve says: "we're all stories." Maybe its cliche, but I genuinely believe that every single one of us is a novel of epic proportions, just waiting for the right people to read us.

But those people sitting across the big corporate table, clipboards in hand? They just aren't the right people.

So maybe we make do with whatever insignificant summary time we are given. And maybe we pick the details that make us look good, but not the details that really matter. But then maybe we go home and we dance like no one is watching, or we dance like someone IS watching, because we're still learning to be okay with ourselves. Maybe we watch Netflix, or get stupid drunk, or think about texting an ex, or try to make pancakes and fail miserably. Whatever we do, when we are allowed to be ourselves, we have to remember that the world cannot reduce us in size unless we let it. Every one of us is fresh, unique, exciting and new, every single day. We're stories, goddammit, and we're proud.

So go ahead, put that on your resume.