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This past week, I went on my first interview that wasn't at either a restaurant or a farm. And it was stressful. I brought several copies of my resume and a portfolio of my recent work and hoped for the best. I was expecting to be dragged through a fire.
The man who interviewed me, though, was extremely friendly. This put me at ease and my nerves started to settle. I listened comfortably as he talked and I began to wonder when I'd be asked one of those stock interview questions everybody dreads: "What would you say is your biggest weakness?", "Where do you see yourself in five years?", or, my favorite, "Tell me a little bit about yourself." They're questions that seem honest enough, but are asking you how good you are at selling yourself.
As I reflect a little more on my first interview, I think it might be silly to resent or dread these questions. Preparation is a very important part of job interviews, but it starts sooner than we usually think. If you're applying to the right company, agency, firm, etc. than you've found, hopefully, some place you really want to work at. When they ask you "What is your biggest weakness?" you know they're really asking "How could your deficiencies keep you from succeeding if you get this job?" And you should know that.
I want to work in Public Relations because I love stories. I love to read them, I love to write them, but more than anything, I love to be a part of them. I live for that moment when I can accomplish something extraordinary enough to be worth talking about. I can be impatient though. I want to do something and hear that applause as soon as possible. That reliance on instant gratification is extremely limiting because all the greatest things take time.
That saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day,"is unavoidable. And everything, from building an Empire to finding the right job, takes a corresponding amount of work according to its value. It's hard to remember that when you're struggling through the trenches but, one day, it'll all be worth it.