Trending
Your job interview is today. Or tomorrow. Or next week.
You want (need) the job. Maybe a little. Maybe a lot. And in the back of your mind, perhaps not as far in the back as you'd like, there's that voice dragging you down. "You're not qualified". Or "you're a bad interviewer". Or simply, "They're never going to hire you..." If you are familiar with this voice, then this is your pep talk. I’ll keep it short.
Forget your psychoses.
Forget your insecurities.
Forget that voice in your head.
Never lose sight of this truth. You’re not fighting your interviewer's expectations - you’ve never even met them. You're not fighting the competition. There is none. What you're fighting are your own insecurities.
Your insecurities are pathological liars in your own private, infinite feedback loop of loathing and self-destruction.
Here's a dose of insight. That voice in your head has no f'ing clue what your interviewer is looking for because the interview hasn't even happened yet. Stop worrying yourself about what you're looking for because you can't possibly think you know what they think they want.
Never let go of this truth. Despite any evidence you may have to the contrary, competence goes a whole lot farther than you are giving it credit for.
Or, when in doubt, let me share with you my interview mantra.
The worst thing that’ll happen is your interviewer will tell you to f--k off. Which, at least if you’re me, doesn’t even make them original or unique because
I’ve been told to get lost a lot of times by people way more important than any potential interviewer can ever hope to be.
Let me leave you with these final words of advice as you think about your upcoming interview. Don’t imagine that you know all the answers to their questions. Don’t even imagine that you are the most-qualified. Just imagine yourself ending the interview and feeling like, “Hey, that wasn't a waste of MY time.”
Make the interview about what YOU want - which is something you can control - instead of what THEY want - which you cannot.
You do this for so many reasons but they all come back to this. You may just get this gig you're interviewing for. If they're looking for the wrong person and hire you, you'll be miserable. If they're a--holes and they hire you, you'll be miserable. If the job is boring beyond belief, you'll be miserable. Not to mention - if they suck as people, they don't deserve you anyway.
Just do the interview. Have fun. And everything will be fine.