Jul 28

Jul 28 DO INTERVIEWS MAKE YOU NERVOUS?

I hate interviews. The whole process is nerve wracking and i am never prepared, not matter how prepared i think i am. I suspect it may be the reason i have stayed on in jobs that were no longer meeting my needs, because getting a new job or moving to a new department more often than not meant going through the whole interview process! A process i would rather avoid at all costs, sometimes literally costs to both my soul, finances and general well-being!

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a Nurse and if i can say so myself, i am pretty good at my job/role. So my hate or should i say fear of interviews in not borne out the fact that i am bad at my job, it is due to the fact that i would have to sit in a room and for an hour or less, and try edit myself and my skills to fit whatever role being interviewed for and this often leaves little space to be yourself, let alone showcase the multi levels of self and skill that make you ‘YOU’, and are indeed unique to yourself.

So when i recently found myself in line for not one, but two interviews, i went into panic mode. Thankfully they were both to be held online and i was not required to do any presentations, both which were a plus, as i would at least be in my own environment and i had no added stress of trying to come up with a power point presentation. I also made the conscious decision that i was going to bring my whole authentic self to the interview and not try to shrink myself and personality. They might as well see and get the real deal!

So i wove my personality and skills into my answers, it was scary at first and on more than one occasion i caught myself overthinking and trying to give a more sanitised answer, like when one interviewer asked me where i saw myself in years to come and i answered back, ‘in a field with Goats’ ! While they laughed for a full one minute, i mentally tried to think of something else but then remembered that i was being my authentic self and yes i envisioned a future that involved goat farming, so when they stopped laughing and waited for my answer, i said that was it! When another asked what unique thing/skill i would bring to the team, i quickly blurted out ‘Myself’ and went on to expand as to why ‘Myself’ was unique and how that would enhance the team. I recounted how a piece of machinery had me flummoxed, how chocolate cake makes me happy and how i am grumpy if i haven’t had my morning cup of tea, all within the narrative of my skills and experience.

So weeks later, it was refreshing to read Jilliane Yawney’s post about using story telling at job interviews. Click on her post below to read her brilliant tips and maybe next time you won’t find job interviews so nerve wracking.