The Lemon Life | online magazine offering a fresh perspective on post-grad life.

Words by: Dave Johnson

Image by: Megan Verhey

Job interviews are an unnatural event. In a bit from his stand-up routine comedian Jerry Seinfeld likened a first date to a job interview. During both events two less-than-familiar parties spend a usually brief, less-than-relaxed time together, each trying to suss out the other’s suitability in meeting particular requirements.

It’s an analogy that gets truer as you progress through your working life, padding the resume with experience. The ‘date’ becomes more of a two-way street as you become a little more ‘desirable’ to those companies. When first starting out in the working world however you might feel a little like the freshman nerd trying futilely to woo the head cheerleader or captain of the hockey team with tales from your latest Dungeon’s and Dragon’s adventures. Fear not, my little AV-Clubbers, for you will blossom in time.

Just out of school, your resume might very well be on the thin side. In other words, you will be experiencing a sort of corporate puberty. Your pimply, gangly CV is going to struggle to find its way in this new world. Don’t sweat it. Everyone starts at the bottom of the ladder. Now is the time to draw attention to any and all achievements and activities that prove you play well with others, show “initiative”, are a “self-starter” and possess all those other over-used qualities that appear in job descriptions.

At the risk of sounding too motherly I think the best approach to job interviews is to relax and be yourself. There are too many variables at play for you to stress about being on top of them all. The style of the interviewers alone can vary wildly. Perhaps the interviewer on that day is a real stickler for details. If you are the meticulous type then this could play right into your hands. Conversely, if you’re more the big picture type and minutia is not your forte than perhaps it’s best to take your lumps and focus on the next interview.

With a little luck on your side, however, Frank from accounting will be a last minute substitution for Rachel from HR who normally conducts the interviews except on your big day when her son will wake up with chicken pox and she’ll spend the day with him at the doctor’s office. Frank will have a million other things he’ll need to get done and interviewing to fill a junior position will not be on the top of his list. If you can manage some small talk about the weather or sports, chances are he’ll recognize that he can pawn off most of his excess work on a bright, young go-getter such as yourself and, presto, you’re in. So make the most of whatever situation you find yourself in. Part of being able to go with the flow is to appear relaxed during the interview.

Don’t take this laissez-faire approach too far though. A little review of the company ahead of time goes a long way. I’ve often made the mistake of hoping my charm alone would carry the day. I might as well have sat inside a cardboard box for all the good that approach has done me in purely technical interviews. I’ve never been particularly at ease discussing “book learnin’s and such” during interviews, a crying shame for an engineer, I admit. One such interview went so poorly that even the ‘head hunter’ who arranged the meeting washed his hands of me. Since then, I have never been as ill-prepared as I was that day.

So even if you prepare for a particular interview like no interview before - teeth brushed, hair combed, church clothes, lines memorized, etc, etc, - you might still come up empty handed. Some days we’re meant to take it on the chin. All joking aside, it’s important that we learn from our failures. If you don’t nail this one you’ll be that much better for the next.

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