Interview expectations vs reality

I recently had an interview that, let’s say, I bottled it. You could say the nerves got to me?! But truth is, it was a bad interview to being with.

We all think interviews are the most important thing in our careers and they are the ‘first’ impression that our ‘future’ employee gets to make of us, but actually it’s the first impression we see of the company for the first time, for real…

Preparation is always the go to method to make sure that you’re ready for potential questions that could be asked. Making sure that you cover everything that you need to say to make that one good impression, still making sure that you relate your skills back to the company’s values and mission statement/s.

Now… I’m not saying you shouldn’t do this, please do, but be prepared for the unexpected, because trust me it throws you off… big time.

Everyone aims to get to their interview between 10 to 15 minutes early just in case they hit traffic, or you get franticly lost in the building and end up spending those 10 minutes google mapping yourself to a floor level. I personally think that the wait between you sat in the lobby to the point where you get introduced to the ‘boss’ is the most nerve-racking part of it all. Now, we take a breath and go over everything that we’ve prepared for and tell ourselves “I’m going to smash this, just be yourself” (hey, we’ve all done it before).

Now, your interview could go one of many ways, they could be really interested in your work experience or hobbies, could ask questions about “a time you had a conflict with a colleague and how you resolved it” or could simply ask the most BASIC questions ever. These questions are the ones with no structure, no actual chance for you to answer the way you’ve prepped, and this is the real curve ball. Sometimes you may even have to tell them your name…

Now switch it around and walk into an interview not knowing a clue about the company and not really wanting to know anything meaningful about the company, just the exterior, do you think we get the job… the answer is hell NO.

We prep for hours for these interviews that could possibly be the start of our career journey, hours picking the perfect first impression outfit to make sure they know that you are the dogs… you put time and effort into studying the company, so you don’t look stupid, and you show up and have to tell your interviewer your name. Then you say to yourself, ‘they didn’t take the time to study you so why should you study them?’

Interviews are hard but isn’t the hardest part of the job process. Being the ‘new kid’ for 6 months is hard but not as hard as getting your probation period reviewed. Getting promoted is hard but not as hard as changing roles entirely. Every job interview you have will prepare you for that one job interview that matters, truly matters.

So, prepare the fuck out of your interview, spend hours picking that perfect outfit, and arrive 15 minutes before, so you can wonder for a split second what It would be like to work there every day.

I’m still waiting for that feeling that I got when I watched The Devil Wears Prada, knowing that my 13-year-old self-wanted that life, and 8 years later I am still walking in and out of interviews regrouping and learning from each experience. Interviewers will act like your best friend and give you that feeling that you’ve made it, some will mix up names and call the wrong person for the job (yes it happens) and some won’t even know your name, but you will always come out on top because someone out there will notice the hours of prep and recognise the dedication you have – then it’s your time.

Take a beat… you’ve got this!!!

Emi x