Have you ever had an interview where you felt it was going so well, then as you are walking out that evil voice in your head starts to tell you how you are failure, you’ll never get this job and you know in those final moments you lost yourself any chances at a job? Yea… Me too.
I had a few interviews like that. Or the interviews where the person you are interviewing with tells you that you should be in their position and you never get a call back? Or what about all the networking attempts to reach out to people and how not one person ever messaged you back? This is on top of the numerous applications you submit each day, cultivating a resume to fit each one, praying one person gives you a second look for the hours of work you put into your application.
This situation went on for me for EIGHT MONTHS. My entire being was in pure panic, I was running out of money (savings, final paychecks, cashing out the 401K that I had, doing errands for my family) and didn’t know what to do. I was so ashamed and refused to ask for any major help. I would spend my nights assessing my belongings and what I could sell to get a few bucks. However, this wasn’t much.
My car died during this time. Oh, and I guess I never mentioned that I lived from home still. That’s right folks, I was the trifecta of a keeper: unemployed, car-less, and living with my parents. There is so much stigma there, but I was trying, I am educated, and I held a really good job previously on paper, and screw those societal standards. I am a great human being and simply because I was having a tough time, doesn’t make me less of a person. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel this way.
Every. Single. Day.
I eventually just got onto one of those job search sites where you just click and applied to jobs. I applied to everything I could fathom doing that wasn’t too far from my parents home because I was going to have take my mom’s car. I ended up getting a phone call from a place for an interview. I remember driving there thinking: I don’t want this job. I don’t want to do this kind of work. I really don’t want this job.
And then I had the strangest interview of my life: I handed over my resume, made pleasantries, and then she asked if I had any questions. I said “no, I will let you know once I hear a little bit about what this position entails.” And she told me about the position, the hours (weekends. Bleh.) and then again asked if I had any questions. Not one “interview question” was asked. Nothing about my strengths, weaknesses, one time I went above and beyond, or what I do when I am stressed. NOTHING.
She said “ok, can you go to this place for a drug test? They should get back to us in about a week, then as long as that comes back ok we can get you on the schedule” and walked me out. I remember calling my mom saying “I…… I think…. I think I just got a job? I am really not sure.”
I got a job that I really didn’t think I wanted and it ended up leading to all of these other events that truly changed my life around. More about that come on Friday.
Relentlessly Stephanie 