What the hell are we doing here? We spend months studying at the library, thousands of dollars on caffeine to keep our minds focused and innumerable nights wide awake worrying about tests, quizzes and papers. We put in all of this effort for a solid academic experience and yet it seems that nobody wants to hire an inexperienced college graduate.
Don’t get me wrong, when your résumé reads “Georgetown University” at the tippity-top, you’re bound to get an interview. So you get there early, and the two of you go through some interview foreplay. In reality you are courting him and he is glaring at you, trying to figure out if you’re just like all the other worthless applicants that have tried to woo him over the past few weeks. You sit uncomfortably, palms sweaty, trying to be impressive, all the while knowing there is nothing impressive about you. You’re trying to score a job and he’s trying to find out what you’re actually all about under that expensive suit and those Prada loafers.
I’ve been there. I’m a marketing major in the business school and considered myself a shoe-in for almost all of the jobs I’ve applied for—there was the “Writer, Editor, Proofreader” job for Bermello & Ajamil’s marketing department, the “Presentation Writer” position at Sirius Satellite radio, and most recently the “Financial Services Professional” at The Washington Group. Each time I adapted my interview style to fit what I thought would be well received from the other end, and each time the question came down to thisshy;shy;shy;—”Why are you here?” Only in the most recent interview with The Washington Group did I shed my old habits. I got tired of going through the motions playing the interview game, and I sensed the hiring manager was tired of the same brown-nosing applicants.
So my interviewer asked why he should pick me for the job. In my head I thought: how about the fact that I’ve spent the past 17 years in school? Isn’t that enough to tell you I’m qualified? With about 180 days of classes each year, that’s 3060 days of learning: 16,830 hours of class time. What do I have to show for it, aside from thinning hair and a few pesky college loans? I’ve been waking up at 8 a.m. for 3000 days, cramming material into my brain for arbitrary exams and quizzes, working on amassing some general knowledge so that I can market myself to you, Mr. Boss Man. What else could you be looking for? I’m it. I’m the cat’s meow. I’ve gotten more headaches from school than our president has pronouncing “nuclear,” so don’t even think about writing me off because I couldn’t sum my life up in a few neat little sentences. Then again, the man behind the desk probably won’t take too well to that response.
I’ve come to one conclusion—it all comes down to how bad you want the job. When I was going through the motions I fell through the cracks, I blurred myself in with the rest of the mediocre applicants. I didn’t stand out. In the business world, employers sense a “hungry” applicant like a shark can smell blood. Now most of you are probably thinking, “What does this guy know? He’s in the same boat as me.” And you were right until today. Today I got the job at The Washington Group. Why? Because I wanted this job, I mean really wanted it. I’ve wanted to get into sales for a while, and even though it’s not in New York City, Washington D.C. is the next best thing. So when the question of what I am “all about” came up, I didn’t even think about a right or wrong answer; in fact I don’t even remember what I said.
Going into an interview is very much a test: you either qualify, or you hit the road. We may have no experience, but we have all been in school for almost two decades. We should be hungry to get out there. Whatever job you apply for, I give you one piece of advice: want it. Whoever is interviewing you will see your determination, and will be more willing to overlook your sorry faults. Trust me, I’ve got dozens of them and yet somehow, by the grace of God, my new boss saw something in me worth his money.
