The Interview Process

One of the most difficult parts about going to interviews is the feeling that I'm not being entirely honest. They say that the job of the interviewee is to sell herself (figuratively speaking of course. The literal selling of oneself is illegal in most states except Nevada). That's well and good, but I don't want to be accused of false advertising.

For example, I say that I am hard-working, diligent, dependable etc., but the reality is I like to believe I am these things; I often fall short. That honesty, however, doesn't work so well during the interview process.

"Meghan, would you say you are detail-oriented?"

"Well, I would say that I can pay attention to details, like when I re-read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and compared its to The Half Blood Prince and I really picked up on some nuances that I missed before - oh, you mean like, accounting and math and stuff. No, that's boring. "

One of the things I learned in my last job is the importance of managing customers' expectations, such as quickly squashing the notion that they can hire a contractor to remodel their entire home for only thirty-five grand. I feel I should somehow incorporate this principle into my interviews so I can make sure I'm as good a fit as possible for a new company.

"To be frank, I'm really not interested in putting in an ounce of overtime, thank you."

"No, I wouldn't describe myself as a 'team player.'"

"Sure I'm friendly, but only after I've had my 3rd shot of espresso, ya know what I mean?"

On the other hand, I do want to be able to pay my mortgage, so perhaps the real expectations I should be setting are the ones for myself. I can be hard-working! I can be diligent! I can be dependable! Just not for less than $35,000 a year, okay?