I had an interview once, for a job that I applied for, that was awful. In the past, I have had a fair share of interviews and a wide range of work experience opportunities, but usually, the interviews have been relaxed and casual, relying mainly on personality, as opposed to a strict sense of skill and knowledge.
This interview relied more on skill as opposed to charm, and as I am quite a loud mouth I put my foot in it big time, something that was picked up in early on in the interview and pointed out to me. As a result, I felt nervous and on edge for the remaining questions, something that the interviewer most definitely picked up on. Having never experienced this type of failure before I spiralled into a land of negative thoughts such as ‘I’m never getting a job again’ and ‘I’m rubbish at everything’.
It turns out that I was offered the job, but even when it was offered I felt undeserving and I couldn’t shake those negative feelings.
Luckily I have a hugely successful, and extremely wise, best friend who offered me a ‘big slice of perspective pie’ and told me to fake it until I make it. There are going to be times where I am going to feel completely out of my depth, but in order to survive, I need to at least pretend, even though I may not have a clue. By all accounts, so long as I fake it for long enough eventually it will just happen. I’ve got to shake off the feeling that I am an imposter and just own it.
I am about to enter a period of uncertainty, a time of not feeling good enough, and a time where I am probably going to face relentless rejection.
However, as I start looking for graduate roles, I have a game plan. I’m going to fake it until I make it.
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