Interview Comments
Wednesday night, I helped to panel some mock interviews for students at a local career college. The experience was both fun and interesting for me. The only thing I wish I could have done is spoken to their entire group afterward and provided a more general feedback session.
Writing about it here feels like the next-best thing.
My first overall comment to anybody in school—even night school or a community college—and looking for their next opportunity is “congratulations”. You really have made a large step forward already. Many people stand and look at the mediocrity around them and believe that “this is my life” and don’t take the extended effort and time it takes to change it.
The next thing is to never give up on your dreams. I know this may sound like line from a self-help book, but if you have no idea where you want to go with your life, and you just go “where the wind takes you”, that usually ends up pretty dull and pretty miserable. Just look around you—unfulfilled and unsatisfied people are everywhere. They may be hard-working; many are very well-paid. But without direction, they will never, ever be satisfied!
With that, I recommend, even when you find a job, that you stay thirsty for your goals. You must keep looking and searching for the “right” opportunity for you.
Personally, I was challenged once with the question:
“Have you found the opportunity that will take care of you and your family for the rest of your life?”
That changed my life because I had no response. None. I had a great resume, spectacular references, and I could interview with the best of them, but I could not, seriously answer this question.
Several years later, I believe I have found it, and I am able to call upon more passion, focus, energy and direction in accomplishing this work than I have been able to muster at the highest-paying-but-unfulfilling jobs. Never, ever, ever, ever give up!
My last suggestion? Remember that every job-opening represents a problem of some kind that the employer wants to solve. If you will focus every response, every comment, your resume, your dress, your demeanor, even your smile around the idea that you are a problem solver—you don’t complain about it, you don’t get stuck on it, you just work hard, ask smart questions when you need to, and push through the problems that come up until you can solve them right—the first time!
Good luck! If you never give up on your goals, and become the kind of person known as a problem-solver, you’ll have no shortage of opportunity, and you’ll have a life that can bring you joy and incredible pleasure!
Go for it!
