What\u2019s your best line? I usually have good luck with the one where I compare my career trajectory to that of a grandpa\u2019s: you start out sweeping the floors of a company, and you work your way up the ladder until they give you a watch after 15-odd years. (It started as an internship and I left with a pewter flask, but you get the idea.)<\/p>\n
Job interviews are like Tinder dates except extremely worse, because it\u2019s usually 9:30 a.m., there\u2019s no booze anywhere, and it feels like the whole of your tiny life is being held\u2014ready to be crushed\u2014in the palm of a stranger\u2019s hand. Go to enough of them, and you start recycling your material. Practicing it. Perfecting it, like a comedian making open mic rounds before hitting the big clubs. If there\u2019s anything \u201cawesome\u201d about interviewing for a job you don\u2019t get, it\u2019s that practice. Your nerves are going to do their thing in these situations whether you like it or not. The better you have your lines rehearsed, the easier they\u2019ll roll off the tongue without having to fight through your anxiety to find the right words.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re job-seeking \u2014 including saying hey to a roster of prospective new freelance clients \u2014 you\u2019re having a lot of these conversations, just as you\u2019re having a lot of awkward drinks with strangers if you\u2019re working the singles scene. Although these types of interactions are typically \u2014 literally \u2014 the difference between night and day, they share one crucial component: chemistry<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve all been on a vaguely awkward date. Afterward, your friends ask about it and you say something like, \u201cOh, it was fine\u2026\u201d or \u201cThey were nice, but\u2026\u201d The missing component that takes either of this circumstances from \u201cmeh\u201d to \u201cpromising\u201d is hard to pinpoint; it just works, or it doesn\u2019t. No matter how well you match up on paper (You have the B2B experience they\u2019re looking for! You both like dogs!<\/em>), if they don\u2019t like your tone, or they don\u2019t get your jokes (the worst<\/span>), or you fail to convince them of your interest in who designed the atrium of their agency\u2019s new offices, things can start to feel tainted, fast.<\/p>\n Of course the flip side is that all of this is mutual. It\u2019s natural to feel like it\u2019s on you to be the impressive one in an interview setting, but it\u2019s helpful to realize that\u2019s not entirely the case. After all, how badly do you want to work with someone who doesn\u2019t think you\u2019re funny, or isn\u2019t all that friendly? You probably wouldn\u2019t put that much pressure on yourself when heading out on a blind date. You\u2019d brush your hair and make sure that there isn\u2019t anything stuck between your teeth, and you\u2019d do your best to be charming and smart, but you\u2019d expect a similar show of effort on your date\u2019s part.<\/p>\n Yes, it\u2019s important to put your best foot forward in dealing with a prospective employer. But if it doesn\u2019t work out \u2014 and you get that sinking feeling mid-interview, though sometimes it\u2019s from the start \u2014 you might also consider the fact that you\u2019ve also dodged a bullet. You won\u2019t benefit from being in an unhealthy, tense relationship with a boss or a client any more than you would be in a relationship where one or both of you aren\u2019t totally feeling it. You\u2019d end up feeling under-appreciated or burdensome, and even worse, it would chip away at your confidence, which is by far your most valuable tool in any setting.<\/p>\n I used to think all interviews were pretty awkward by nature until I had one that wasn\u2019t \u2014 at all. I left on a high, like I\u2019d made a new friend\u2026 and not to muddy the water too much but yeah, like I\u2019d been on a really promising first date. Fast forward and I\u2019m two weeks into a freelance gig of indeterminate length at his offices, with the possibility of full-time work a subject of open dialogue.<\/p>\n Whoever said that you have to kiss a few frogs before finding a prince wasn\u2019t talking about a job interview, but I\u2019d argue it\u2019s just as applicable. You have to have a couple of ill-fitting encounters before you can strike up a business relationship that might have long-term mutual benefit. And, when it comes to the ones that end badly, just think: It\u2019s not you, it\u2019s them.<\/p>\n
\n