What I Know After the Interview

In a recent interview experience, I found myself more nervous than anticipated in the minutes before someone from HR came to escort me to the elevator. I surprised myself with the nerves that came over me; I was so prepared for the interview and I had felt calm and confident the entire month leading up to it. My resumes were freshly printed, my suit was crisp, and my morning drive to the location had gone smoothly. It was not until I took a seat in the lobby after checking in that all of what I felt confident about fled my body. The woman sitting next to me appeared to be here for the similar interview (I could tell when I glanced at her itinerary for the day). It was not that we were sitting close to one another that caused the nerves to kick in, rather it was the fact that I “sized” myself up against her. With seven minutes until I was told an HR representative would come for me, I let myself become overwhelmed with an insecurity I did not know I had.

The woman sitting next to me for what I assumed to be the same job opportunity had a beautiful dress on with a matching coat, coffee in her hand, and portfolio on her lap. She appeared to have everything together and stress-free. I immediately panicked, as I did not bring a portfolio with me and was jealous of her outfit that morning. Consequently, thoughts about how unqualified and unprepared I would appear to my interviewer entered my mind. The thoughts kept piling up in my mind until the woman said hi to me and asked if I was here for that particular position. In an instant, I came back down from my worries and felt a sense of relief. She and I then chatted about the position, how we had ended up there that day, and where each of us currently attended school. My confidence was restored.

When I look back on the morning of my interview and the doubts I encountered in the lobby, I know that my confidence about the interview and about myself never truly left me. I momentarily felt inadequate because I assumed someone else in the room was a better option before I even spoke with her and before either of us talked with an interviewer. As it turned out, the woman next to me in the lobby was applying for the same position, but had her own nerves about how the morning would go. This interview experience taught me never to doubt myself when I know how prepared, deserving, and qualified I am. With that said, after I eventually eased back into confidence and a representative escorted me up the elevator into a waiting room in the Human Resources department, I participated in a morning of successful interview sessions. At the end of the afternoon, I walked out the same lobby downstairs feeling even more confident than when I stepped in.