August 24th, 2006
self-worth all wrapped up in a suit and nylons
This whole OCI process is completely weird. No matter how much perspective you say you’ll retain, you still get completely caught up in it. You start to validate yourself based on what you talked about with the interviewer, how many questions he or she asked, whether or not you got a callback yet. It’s completely stupid.
But it is the way things work, and if I want to do the kind of work I want to do, this process is one of the only ways to get there. So I let myself get excited about this or that or the other, but all the while try to remind myself that nothing about ME has changed since Monday, or since I met that person, or got that phone call. I am still the same. I might feel good about myself NOW, but I could just as easily feel like crap tomorrow. The ups and downs prove that this process really just can’t affect who I am.
comments
Sounds like you’re hanging on to some perspective after all. What’s the kind of work that you want to do?
How about advice? Do you have any advice? Inquiring minds want to know!
Advice? It sounds cliche, but be yourself. Don’t assume that if an interview is going badly that it’s your fault, either. And (particularly for women) be confident and sell yourself. I think we can sometimes be too self-effacing, and it’s important to be totally up on YOU.