Do you remember your first job interview?
I sure do, and it was an experience to remember for sure.
Being a recent college graduate, I had attended professional seminars on:
- Writing a Masterpiece of a Resume
- Crafting a Professional Portfolio
- How to Dress to Win Your Interview
- Smart Answers to Popular Interview Questions
I had aced my mock interviews with my advisers, and I purchased the perfect professional outfit.
I was ready to roll. Or so I thought.
During all my preparation and planning for my first career job interview, no one (and I mean no one) had ever mentioned how to handle what happened to me on the Wednesday morning.
Game Day
Arriving early, I had plenty of time to sit quietly in the lobby and gather my thoughts. I was giving myself that last, “You can do this,” pep talk when I heard my name called.
Once the interview started, I began to relax. Question after question, I could tell that I was delivering the exact answers needed.
Confident and pleased with the interview, I reached down to my bag and pulled out my portfolio to share examples to support my claims of exceptional skills and experience.
And then, it happened.
I looked up with my portfolio in hand, ready to share… and the gentleman was sound asleep.
Asleep!
Snoozing. Dozing. Catnapping. Slumbering.
Laid back in his chair. Head cocked back to the side. 100% out!
How was I to know that the gentleman was living with narcolepsy?
I was just a rookie – fresh face out of college, who never once heard:
“If your evaluator falls asleep during your interview, then you need to …”
Shocked and dumbfounded, I sat there.
Tick Tock
Trying my best to think of what to do and how to handle the situation, I watched the clock tick by.
10 minutes. 15 minutes.
At 20 minutes, I started to panic because I sensed that the man was going to wake up soon. And then, what do I do?
Do I pretend nothing happened?
Should I leave before he wakes up?
Do I go tell the secretary outside?
Should I make a noise and try to wake him?
As I sat there trying to formulate a game plan, the gentleman finally slipped a bit in his chair and woke up.
I could tell he was embarrassed as he shared that with his narcolepsy, he was prone to falling sleep, anytime or anywhere.
With my softest smile, I shared with him, “We’re all broken. That’s how the light gets in.”
Winner. Winner. Chicken Dinner.
Humility – one of the many things I didn’t learn from a university or professional seminar.
Humility won me my first career job.
Humility turned what could have been a very awkward situation into one of acceptance and gratitude.
