Interviews: the bane of every college senior’s existence. (Well, unless you were lucky enough to have an offer from the summer already. If that’s the case, please stop complaining about all the work you have to do). Ever since the career fair in September, in addition to my full load of coursework, I have had to take on the challenge of applying, interviewing, following-up and waiting for an answer, over and over again. As exciting as the job search may seem from the outside (especially to those already employed), it is nothing more than a stressful, fun-sucking period of time full of anxiety of the unknown. Interviews and resumes, in my opinion, are terrible indicators of a candidate’s real personality and skill set; so why are they basically the only factors involved in getting a job that could last a lifetime?
In an interview, a candidate is not his or her normal self. The person has had fair warning for the event, prepared robotic answers and put on a persona that fits into whatever job they are applying for. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is possible to express yourself accurately and to naturally be a good fit for a role, but I would argue that for the most part candidates are putting on somewhat of a show during interviews. I mean, who can tell me they seriously walk around wearing suits, heels and ties on a regular basis?
As for the resume . . . can you honestly tell me every single detail on that piece of paper is 100 percent accurate? Whether you added an extra-curricular that you signed up for at activities night and never actually went to or you exaggerated the dates of some role, you probably fudged some of those facts. I imagine companies expect it these days. Do they really believe that every single student “spearheaded” new projects, even in their minimal intern role? Once again, I’m not saying that no one accomplished the things written on their resumes. I just doubt that everyone did absolutely everything their resumes claim they did.
You may think I sound bitter, and that’s because I probably am. Going through the interview process of putting myself on display while constantly being judged with a microscope can be exhausting. It can raise confidence and then shoot it right down with a rejection. It builds up hope and anticipation that very likely could be lost in a week.
Very similar to my senior year of high school when I had no idea where I would be living the next year, I have no clue what’s in stock for me next year. I have my ideal scenario, but we can’t always get what we want, so I am prepared for anything. Just like the day I got into Notre Dame, the day I get an offer from the perfect job in my target city will be one of the best days of my life. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Contact Maddie Daly at mdaly6@nd.edu
