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My First Date
Whoever said that interviewing for a job is like being on a date is full of (expletive). I have been to so many interviews and I have been on plenty of dates. So, I can assure you that the two are nowhere similar. The article I read was trying to give advice on how to conduct yourself for your interview as if you were on a date and even stated in its title how interviewing is just like dating. This article was showing “how to successfully ace that interview!” It seemed promising. But this article was not helpful, so I would not recommend that piece of advice for my fellow friends. No, my first date was nothing like my interviewing experience.
My first date was akin to a little league baseball game. Lots of throws but a whole lot of misses. Yes, I used to play little league softball. No, the date did not have any game. My first date was a year older than me and while I would like to think of myself as a pretty confident person, I was a little bit nervous on that date night. I don’t remember too much, actually (I would like to forget about him). But I do recall it being easy. I suppose there was more pressure for the guy but I think it had to do with confidence because he must have thought he would at least get a “yes” when he asked me out. There were definitely signs that showed that we were interested in each other- smiling, laughing, body language, etc. He would ask me a question about what I liked to do (and I like to talk when I am comfortable), so I would tell him all the things that I was into. I would get his eye contact…he would be nodding and smiling. There was reassurance that he was actually into what I was saying and this made me feel good.
During a library interview, often there was no indication from the interviewers that you were even close to saying something good enough. I would be answering a paragraph, and I would have to pause and formulate an essay on the spot. It was very nerve-wrecking because there would be more than one person on the panel and most interviewers wouldn’t even crack a smile. I have learned through my library interviewing experiences that this was the trend. Oral interviews were the worst. Interviewers would sit there with barely any eye contact, each firing away their questions, while they were writing as you were answering. And they were grading you based on the information you gave. I am fine with one-on-one interviews, but a whole panel of people makes me incredibly nervous. I don’t even go on dates with more than one person at a time.
For my advice for preparation, I would say to study like you’ve never studied before! Get to know the company and what it stands for. Be optimistic and smile. Just don’t smile too much or you’ll end up looking weird.
