Job Hunting, And The Inner Toddler
How to be happy when interviewing
When I first got out of college I had a job for 2 weeks, it was awful, so after 2 weeks I quit and became unemployed. My wife was gearing up for her first year as a freshman bio teacher and I was nowhere near getting a new job. It was hard, Full transparency? I was dealing with a strong case of agoraphobia. Leaving the house was a big hurdle for me to get past, same with driving. I’m not sure where it came from, it just kinda started happening but the summer after my final year of college was largely inside my house instead of out in the world job hunting. I have since been “cured” of my previous struggles but I believe that job hunting while agoraphobic gave me a good window into the mind of someone who is afraid to interview.
Job hunting is a struggle, you want a job desperately but what if you get in and hate it? What if you love the company but the compensation just isn’t enough? Going on “Linked In” and hitting the “easy apply” button can sometimes land you an interview, if you have a killer resume, but honestly the returns on that exercise are not that high. Getting a job requires phone calls and emails and networking. Going out and meeting people and listening to them talk about a company for an hour over coffee isn’t the most enjoyable activity in the world, especially if you’re shy or generally uncomfortable. Even the most extraverted and engaged person in the world gets exhausted if you stick them in a one and a half hour interview.
With all of these realities being true, it’s important to keep your mental health in check. You can easily fall into hopelessness on the path to a new job, it’s easy to feel like a punching bag for these companies to try out new sick methods on you “ what’s your biggest weaknesses? How do you resolve conflict?” These are hard questions for a mentally unhealthy person to answer. It’s easy to feel like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, you have found yourself in interview purgatory. But don’t fret, there’s a toddler with you.
Your Inner Toddler
In all of us there is a toddler, he or she is bratty and annoying and scared of everything. They like to be the center of attention and they don’t like to hear the word “no.” I’m sure we can all conjure up images in our minds of this little rugrat. Maybe they are sitting in a grocery cart screaming their head off because they weren’t allowed to get the family size sour patch kids, maybe they are dragging against their parents as they walk into church. Whatever the case, you know the type.
Sadly, this toddler never grows up and never matures; they just sit in your mind and make things about them. I’m sure you’ve heard him or her screaming before, “I don’t want to go to the gym, I wanna stay here and watch tv” or “why are we going to this family activity? It’s always so awkward.” annoying right? Luckily the only thing this kid is good at is making deals and bargains. Which is especially helpful in job hunting. Tell your toddler “alright kid, if you behave and be quiet and patient while I do this interview, then when we get done we are gonna get a treat on the way home and then watch tv for 2 hours. Deal?” and then follow through. A little bit of self care can build a whole lot of inner trust. These little deals creates a light at the end of the interview tunnel, it forces you to make the healthy choice by both progressing through the interview and giving yourself care afterwards, re energizing so you don’t get burnt out. Losing interest and motivation in a job hunt is an all too common occurrence, I have found that this work reward tool has made interviewing a much larger joy than it could have been otherwise. Try these tricks out, let me know if it works for you!
