There is no room for humility in interviews
I recently had a job interview for a research post. I got it (which is great news!) but I also got the feedback that I really need to "learn how to sell myself".
It really got me thinking about the interview process and how it just isn't designed for people like me.
I want to be (/I am *must keep repeating to self*) a researcher. I am good at academic writing (believe it or not from this website 😂). However, there is something innate, call it an internal flaw, that I am just not designed to talk about how amazing I am. Whenever it comes to inevitable "why should you get this job" question, I just freeze. I have attended training days that tell me the sort of things I should say but somehow between my brain and my mouth, it just doesn't compute. I am sure this is a common diagnosis for many people other than me.
But you see, I think my qualities do make for a strong candidate/member of a team: I don't force my view, I take in others opinions, I am meticulous and methodical in what I do, I finish tasks to time. I think having a child has taught me about control (or lack of), patience, and that perfection is often unattainable (so in academic work, submit it and see because reviewers are always going to review). But trying to say these attributes in an interview just doesn't seem to translate well.
I feel so envious of those people who can just start talking with such confidence behind them. Particularly when asked a question that they weren't expecting.
I think this experience has taught me one thing: practise until you can fake it. I need to practice the shit out of selling myself. Because on reflection, it's something I don't do enough of at anytime. Saying something out loud is so much weirder than thinking it.
In fairness, I have had some awful interviews so the fact that this one turned out well (as in I got the job), is a bonus for me (I usually fall back on a funny joke or sarcasm). It's just a bitter sweet pill to think your future boss thinks you don't sell yourself well enough.
To end, this is probably my worse interview experience:
Job: working in a halfway house for young adults one step from being imprisoned.
Me: a fresh faced 22 year old, just graduated.
Question: sometimes you have to restrain the residents. How do you feel about that?
Me: oh yeah, I have no problem smacking them to the ground.
Interviewer stares and silently makes a note.
Needless to say, I didn't get it.
It really got me thinking about the interview process and how it just isn't designed for people like me.
I want to be (/I am *must keep repeating to self*) a researcher. I am good at academic writing (believe it or not from this website 😂). However, there is something innate, call it an internal flaw, that I am just not designed to talk about how amazing I am. Whenever it comes to inevitable "why should you get this job" question, I just freeze. I have attended training days that tell me the sort of things I should say but somehow between my brain and my mouth, it just doesn't compute. I am sure this is a common diagnosis for many people other than me.
But you see, I think my qualities do make for a strong candidate/member of a team: I don't force my view, I take in others opinions, I am meticulous and methodical in what I do, I finish tasks to time. I think having a child has taught me about control (or lack of), patience, and that perfection is often unattainable (so in academic work, submit it and see because reviewers are always going to review). But trying to say these attributes in an interview just doesn't seem to translate well.
I feel so envious of those people who can just start talking with such confidence behind them. Particularly when asked a question that they weren't expecting.
I think this experience has taught me one thing: practise until you can fake it. I need to practice the shit out of selling myself. Because on reflection, it's something I don't do enough of at anytime. Saying something out loud is so much weirder than thinking it.
In fairness, I have had some awful interviews so the fact that this one turned out well (as in I got the job), is a bonus for me (I usually fall back on a funny joke or sarcasm). It's just a bitter sweet pill to think your future boss thinks you don't sell yourself well enough.
To end, this is probably my worse interview experience:
Job: working in a halfway house for young adults one step from being imprisoned.
Me: a fresh faced 22 year old, just graduated.
Question: sometimes you have to restrain the residents. How do you feel about that?
Me: oh yeah, I have no problem smacking them to the ground.
Interviewer stares and silently makes a note.
Needless to say, I didn't get it.
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