As we advance in life experiences, we come to learn the importance of first impressions. Generally, it takes a will to take the risk of putting yourself out there to make the smart moves and the mistakes needed to teach the lessons vital to improvement. One situation that taught me some valuable pointers was my first job interview. Naivety along with a lack of concern for how I presented myself churned out what I would remember as my worst interview ever on record—though I’m rather glad the worst was my first.
One day when I was 16, my parents presented me with a job application for a position as a teller at a bank that was located within a grocery store close to our house. They explained to me how they felt that my getting an entry-level job in the arena of finance would set me up for great money-making opportunities in the future. But however beneficial this sounded, being more art-oriented, I wasn’t particularly excited about pursuing a job in which I had to handle other people’s money and sell them on offers, schemes, and other whatnot that the business had to offer. Yet on closer examination of the job application, I noticed that my parents had already filled it out for me. They really wanted me to get this job. And while I wasn’t enthused, I thought I’d humor them by agreeing to submit the application and going in for an interview.
My interview was set for 11:15 a.m. on a November morning. I wore a red, collared, button-down short-sleeved shirt and if I recall correctly, black slacks. As my dad drove me there, I felt my palms sweating profusely and was mentally getting very anxious. When I went inside the store to the bank area and into interview room, I was warmly greeted by two interviewers, a young man and a slightly older woman. As we shook hands, I nervously smiled and chuckled and then took a seat in front of them.
Looking at this instance now, I remember how it felt as though the two had asked me many questions, and being as unprepared as I was for them, there were at least two points at which I had no answers. Seeing that I obviously lacked experience in working at a bank, I was asked if I had participated in any groups, whether at school, or church, or anywhere else in the community, in which I used sales tactics such as distributing flyers, selling goods at bake sales, or the like. I told them that I had assisted a table at my church for recruiting new members for the girls’ youth group I was a part of. Then they asked me to be more specific of my duties, and indicate to what extent I was “selling” my cause to those that stopped by my table. I just knew that I casually discussed what our group was about to anyone that was interested, and showed them our flyers and registration forms. I wasn’t sure if this counted as “selling”, so being too nervous to think of any other way to describe what I did, I stumbled and said, “I don’t know.”
The interviewers paused for a second and looked slightly perplexed, but then continued on with their questions. The woman, who I understood held a higher job position than the man, appeared especially curious about me throughout the whole interview, looking straight into my eyes, slightly smiling with her mouth open, and tilting her head toward my direction. The process got to a point where I became very (and probably noticeably) uncomfortable, and after a series of uncertain, murmured responses, she asked something along the lines of, “So what do you think you can bring to our organization?” Exhausted from all the questioning, I gave up thinking and just said, “I don’t know.”
Stunned, she paused then quietly replied, “You don’t know?” I don’t remember what I said after that, but as the interview had pretty much died down at this point, the interviewers concluded it by politely thanking me for my time and letting me know that I would be called if I get the position. Can you guess what happened?
While I was actually relieved that I was passed over for a job I didn’t really want anyway, this experience taught me the following invaluable lessons that would help me in future interviews and in job-searching. I hope they can be of help to anyone else looking to hone interviewing skills:
1) This probably goes without saying, but for the record, don’t wait for your parents to fill out an application for you. If you have something you’re passionate about, or at the very least, know of some jobs you’re willing to do until you reach your big break, go for them as soon as possible. This is the first step in taking control of your future.
2) Be prepared! While looking spiffy and giving hearty handshakes can help establish an ideal, professional first impression, these efforts are only at the
surface of showing people who you are. What about the questions they may/will ask you? How will you respond? What do you know about the organization, and where do you think you will fit in?
Anticipating what interviewers may ask and how they may respond gives you the opportunity to fill in with your knowledge and capabilities, and come out strong by communicating what you have to
offer to further the company’s goals and add to your experience.
3) Once you get to be interviewed, don’t respond with “I don’t know.” If you really don’t know about a specific detail an interviewer brings up, you could ask
him/her to repeat the question to buy some time to formulate a response or you can find something comparative that you do know about or have experience in. In a later interview for a position in
the field of education, I was asked about my familiarity with administering an assessment that was specific to the institution and separate from assessments based on state standards. Honestly, I
wasn’t familiar with the school’s in-house assessment at all, and had up to this point only administered assessments standardized by the state. So I said, “I’m not familiar with (the named
school’s) assessment, but I am familiar with assessments based on state standards.” I ended up getting that job. As many factors, both known and unknown to us, are involved in the process of
being considered for hire, I can’t guarantee this method will always bring success, but even if you don’t have the specific experience that is asked for, it’s better to show that you at least
have relatable experience, which can make you seen as easier to train into company-specific duties rather than someone with zero relatable experience.
Write a comment