An interview at Intel? Marsha was beside herself with eagerness and anxiety. Having majored in computer science, she was finishing her senior year at University of New Mexico with an eye on employment at Intel.
Intel was one of the largest industries and employers in the Albuquerque area, so getting an interview with them so quickly really excited her. As a subscriber to the “Social Effectiveness Gur’s Tips” e-zine, she felt prepared. had researched the company to know all she could about their philosophy, product line, innovations, and place in the industry. She had also read Wendy Gelberg’s book, “The Successful Introvert: How to Enhance Your Job Search and Advance Your Career” to ready herself with intelligent answers to typical interview questions. As a result, she felt confident she could put her best foot forward in presenting and promoting herself.
Her appointment was for 1:30 p.m. Class ended at 11 a.m. so she had time to have a quick lunch with friends and still comfortably get to the Rio Rancho installation on Rt. 528, on the west side of Albuquerque. Knowing time would be short, Marsha had dressed for her interview first thing that morning. She was wearing what she hoped would be her navy blue good luck “power” suit.
At the Village Inn, across from Intel, Marsha and her friends sat in a booth across from the pastry counter. Marsha removed her jacket and carefully placed several napkins on her lap to keep herself spot-free. Her friends ordered burgers and fries, but, as a precaution, she ordered a salad instead.
They were having a good time until Liz, Marsha’s best friend, tried to put some ketchup on her fries. The red condiment resisted Liz’s gentle urgings. Finally Liz whacked the bottom. Suddenly, the ketchup exploded from the bottle in a sputtering blob. Marsha’s white blouse was strafed by a bloody-looking shotgun pattern.
A horrified gasp rose from the group. Liz was beside herself, apologizing repeatedly, asking if she could do something … anything. Marsha tried to smile, excused herself, squeezed out of the booth, and raced for the restroom. Soap and water and scrubbing with a paper towel still left obvious pink dots on her now-clingy, wet blouse front.
Anxiety punched her in the gut and wrapped its tightening fingers around her throat. What was she going to do? There was no time to go back to her apartment in Albuquerque. None of her girlfriends had on anything which could substitute appropriately for the blouse. And a blouse-less, plunging jacket neckline was not going to earn her the kind of points she wanted. On the other hand, she could not cancel this important and hard-earned interview.
Marsha knew that in any first meeting she would be judged by many things. She would be judged by how she moved, talked, made eye contact, and appeared in general. However, she also knew that a seeming weakness in one area of her presentation could be countered by a seeming strength in another. Her less than ideal appearance theoretically could be successfully countered by how she handled the stained blouse in the interview.
On her drive around Intel’s parking lot looking for a parking space, Marsha knew she had two choices. She could show embarrassment or anger and make a big deal out of the stain. Or she could casually make reference to it then dismiss it as inconsequential in order to talk about important interview topics. Knowing she would look anxious or immature, less like a confident and competent candidate if she let herself focus on the stain, with heart pounding she started to give herself an internal pep talk.
Having a pep talk with yourself is imperative. Consider it to contain positive affirmations, but affirmations that are securely anchored in your own experience. They need to be concrete and specific so your mind cannot simply reject them.
What you say to yourself can have a tremendous impact on how you present yourself, promote yourself, and show that your experience and talents match their requirement. Your thoughts determine your emotion which, in turn, strongly influences your behavior so you’re in a better position to ace the interview.
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