With ten minutes to spare I had finally found the right road, all I had to do now was find number 58 which wouldn’t be hard considering I could see one end of the road from the other. I walked down the road only to find the numbers only went up to 32 - shit! I was going to be late, I haven’t been to that many interviews but I‘m pretty sure turning up late is frowned upon. Desperately I paced the road a few more times but still the highest number I could find was 32. I now had zero minutes to reach the correct office.
Five minutes later I found it and without really thinking I walked into the offices looking hot and dishevelled and with beads of sweat on my temples. To my surprise there was no reception or any indication of where I should go or who I should talk to; I was just loitering in a random office and no one seemed to be taking any notice. After an awkward few minutes of looking like a sweaty lemon a woman only a few years older than me - and in my opinion too attractive to be human - came over and shook my hand. Now, I don’t do well talking to stunningly beautiful women at the best of times and given my flustered state and clammy hands all I could manage was a nervous laugh and a “hello” in a voice I had never heard my vocal cords produce before. Of all the times to try out new voices this was not it. I felt like I was living the opening chapter to the dummies guide to failing an interview.
I left the interview feeling pretty annoyed at myself. I had failed to produce the perfect interview. I had spent three years at uni pefecting exam techniques, essays, and presentations but all this would be rendered useless by my unconditioned interview skills. My lack of interview prowess in no way affects my ability to do the job and the rest of my credentials should be irresistible, does this mean I have to get interview experience before I get work experience? The problem with this is that as soon as I become a master of interviews I will be employed and thus this new qualification becomes a moot one - you wouldn't even be able to put it on your CV.
In case you couldn't guess - I didn’t get the job.
