Welcome to the “Real World”

My eyes keep glancing at the clock on my car radio—1:45. I have fifteen minutes to get there. As I frantically try to smooth out any wrinkles left in my skirt, the traffic begins to back up like a hair clog in a drain. As soon as I merge onto 440 cars come to a complete stop, as if anything else can go wrong. I don’t even live back home in Raleigh again and already I am starting to hate it.

“Hi Garrett, this is Amanda Adams. I have an interview scheduled for 2:00. Yes, I am going to be a little late, I am stuck in traffic and just wanted to let you all know, but I will get there as soon as possible. Okay thank you so much, Goodbye.”

This is wonderful. My very first job interview and I am going to be late. This isn’t like me; I am usually early for everything. I scramble to make sure my resume looks presentable while at a standstill, and realize the printer was evidently running out of ink. The first half of the print is black, and then fades into a light gray. That looks professional.

As I finally merge onto my exit, I continue to follow the reliable Map Quest directions. I have lived near Raleigh all my life, but I never had to drive around much, so it was all new to me. After traveling ten minutes and not seeing the next road, I panicked. I called my boyfriend in desperation of where to go as tears streamed down my face. Nothing looked familiar and I couldn’t stop anywhere. He calmly told me which turns to make and I was back on track. It is now 2:05. He informs me I still have ten minutes to go before I would arrive at my interview, and I immediately contemplated turning around and going home. This is not the stress I wanted to endure over Thanksgiving break. However, I remembered how fortunate I was to receive a call back from this company—it was a possible job.

I speed walk into the tall, glass building with all the confidence I could dig back up. While riding the elevator I whipped the tears from my eyes and gave myself a pep talk. “You can do this. They want you. Just be yourself.”

My legs began to shake as I approached the door labeled “JRW Marketing Group.” Just then a million questions rushed through my head. What if they don’t like me? What if I am not qualified? What if I freeze when answering a question? What if I throw up in the office? I felt like I was in a dream, wondering aimlessly around the “real world” life.

I quietly walked in and was greeted by a friendly receptionist. Two seconds after I sat down, another guy who looked to be my age came in the door and sat next to me. My stomach dropped. I bet this guy knows what he is doing. I bet his resume is all the same color. Well, at least he was late too.

After anxiously waiting only a few minutes, a man named Mitch introduced himself to us and took me back into his office. I took a deep breath and sat down. He joked with me about how bad traffic is in that part of Raleigh, which relieved some of my guilt for being late. I explained to him how I’ve lived in Wilmington the last four years, and we quickly engaged in a conversation about UNCW and life at the beach. I forgot I was even being interviewed, and my legs stopped shaking. He was down to earth and nice. I realized I wasn’t being judged; Mitch simply wanted to get to know me.

It was business talk from there on, with discussions about what the company is about and what my job would entail. He explained that since it is an entry level job, it involves a three-step interview process, where I would job shadow to learn and observe. The fear of being thrown into a position unaware of my responsibilities frightened me like being trapped in a cage of hungry lions. Mitch explained a few more details concerning the job environment, and it was over. We shook hands and I was still alive. I made it through my first “real world” job interview, and I felt satisfied.

When just finishing school and entering the work force, everything is new. In my case, I assumed I should already know how things work and be able to handle all the pressure. But the interview taught me it doesn’t work that way—it is a continuous learning process. I am thankful I had a positive experience with my first interview, because there will be many more. For the others I will refill the ink cartridge, allow plenty of time for traffic, and most importantly, focus on proving who I am and why I am valuable.