It’s that time of the week again: story time with Emily! This week I want to share a couple of tales of the infamous interview processes that plague young adults today. Let’s just start this off by saying that I actually really enjoy interviews. I like meeting new people, I would like to believe that I’m fairly in tune with my workplace habits, and I can think pretty quickly on the fly. But just because I like interviewing, does not mean that I’ve consistently had an easy go of it. The following are a few of my favorite interview moments. I learned a lot from them, and I hope that you can too!
The Interview that Never Was
One of my first jobs was at a creative center that I had no previous experience working in. I was interviewing for an administrative position, but at the last minute, the job changed. I received an email saying that the position that I was originally applying for had been filled, but I was welcome to come in and “have a chat” about a secondary opening that they had. I needed a job, and wasn’t going to be picky, so I proceeded to schedule a time to “have a chat” with the director of the center. I arrived early at the office in interview attire, ready to sell myself and my work ethic, only to discover that the director had already offered me the job and wanted to meet to set up my schedule. I was relieved and excited, but the experience taught me to always clarify what meetings are for and what is expected of you. I could have saved myself a whole lot of time, energy, and worry but just sending a simple email.
When Personalities Collide
This experience is fairly unavoidable unless you can be friends with everyone, but it is still absolutely worth talking about. I was applying for a position in a gym, and I had experience up the wazoo. I’d worked in my dance studio, assisted in fitness classes, been a dancer and a runner for years, and had a personal interest in wellness, just to name a few of my talking points. However, I knew almost immediately that I wouldn’t be getting the job. The interviewer and I had very different personality types, and she seemed thoroughly unimpressed with every answer that I provided. I kept smiling throughout the interview, but I never received a phone call regarding the job, even after I followed up. Interview and application experiences such as these are (unfortunately) not few and far between. In this situation, I still encourage you to be yourself. If nothing else, a bad interview is just good practice for the next one!
Family BusinessÂ
My first job was the summer after high school. I was working as a camp counselor, and the camp was held in the park that I’d grown up playing sports in. My dad was then the head of the youth soccer organization and knew a lot of the people that I worked with. This didn’t even up effecting my work environment that much, but it makes things considerably strange during the interview for this job. On a couple of questions, the interviewers made comments about the nice things my dad had mentioned about me, how great my dad was, and how if I was anything like him, they knew that I would be a great addition to the team. This whole thing made me feel pretty weird, and I was honestly quite disappointed. I’d applied for the job all on my own, and it was really disheartening to feel like my merits and achievements were being looked over. Now, of course, I understand the importance of networking and using your contacts, but it’s equally as important to make sure that your work is being appreciated for you, not for your relationship with another person.
Those are just a few vignettes from my job experiences. Interviews are crucial learning opportunities, and I hope that these have provided some insight into the odd things that can happen during a job search. Do you have any funny interview stories? I’d love to hear them, so please share in the comments below!!