Talking about job interviews and how to deal with them has always been a hot topic among young adults, and now I can see why. Yup, today I gave my first ever job interview and needless to say, it was probably one of the most memorable moments of my life.

Entering the premises itself, is a battle of its own. You are constantly being distracted by your own fear and anxiety and all these random questions that pop into your head about how are you going to present yourself in front of the interviewer, especially if you are the youngest among all the other employees.

"You are so young!", is literally the first thing my interviewer told me.

If you don't feel like you are ready enough, you might even become extremely conscious of your attire, your voice, your body language, or any little detail about you that might give out a wrong image, which makes you hesitate and appear nervous and unfitting for the job.

But for me, fortunately, things went pretty great and honestly better than I expected, and I guess the reason behind that is I tried not thinking about it too much because I knew that once I start overthinking, I won't be able to stop and it will just make a mess of my mind making me unable to present myself in the way I want.

So, without thinking too much, I just went for it and hoped for the best and surprisingly, I felt really confident and "normal". I used to be the one who in a situation like this, would usually start to sweat a lot, get uncomfortable, and make it hard for myself to speak up. But now, seeing myself today in that interview, I'm really proud of myself actually.

I did notice and learn a few things from that interview which I want to share with you guys.

Perseverance Is The Key

In the very first few minutes of my interview, I was told that it might be hard for them to hire me because they were looking for a full-time employee and I was available only for part-time as I do have to attend my college lectures in the morning.

But I didn't just get up and leave, no, I persisted. I told them of how passionate and serious I am about this job and how writing is something that I hold very dear. This was enough for the interviewer to talk to her seniors about it and give me a chance to prove myself.

"Hell yeah", I said to myself. This minor accomplishment added to my confidence and made me feel even more ready to give that test. Honestly, I'm still surprised that I didn't feel nervous between all of this, though, it did feel like a dream for a moment because it all seemed too good to be true, lol.

Confidence Is Irresistible

It's quite an obvious fact that confidence is really attractive. Seeing a confident person, sparks this strange curiosity in you and a desire to know more about that person, and though I'm pretty sure my interviewer wasn't interested in knowing more about my personal life, I could see that my tone of voice did have an effect on her.

That's the thing about confidence: it's irresistible. I know it may not be as valuable as your work experience or qualifications, but it definitely helps in giving out a lasting impression and increases your chance of being remembered.

Know Your Worth

Now comes the tricky part. You see, when discussing salary, especially in the case of freshers who have close to no experience, companies tend to play it smart. They offer you a salary much lower than you expect, but tell you that it will rise once you gain a little experience in about a few months.

I knew something like this was undoubtedly coming my way too, and after some discussions, it did. Instead of being difficult, I sincerely asked my interviewer, "Can I get that in writing?" because it's always better to have a written evidence than a verbal promise.

I was not even afraid to give a straight no for an answer if the salary didn't fit my minimum requirements. I did some calculations a few hours before the interview and I had already decided what is the lowest I can afford to take and that's why I was able to make myself very clear when discussing salaries.

"You stubborn kid," the interviewer told me in a humorous manner.

End Note:

All in all, it was definitely a really different and unique experience for me and I don't know for sure if I will get the job or not, but I have a really good feeling about this one. Let's see how it turns out. Whatever it may be, I'll make sure to let you guys know, or maybe even make a post about it, who knows?

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Continue reading:

What I Learned From My First Job Interview - Life Advice For College Students

Perseverance Is The Key

Confidence Is Irresistible

Know Your Worth

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