Among my classes this year is a course that ranks among some of the most arbitrary classes I have taken. It is FYE; First Year Experience. All freshmen are forced to take it. In this class so far, we have learned how to multitask (multitasking is impossible), how to write (taught in English), and how to speak to an audience (taught in Speech). The other day, we invested an hour’s worth of our time into discussing resumes and job interviews. It was probably one of the most relevant topics that we have discussed if I’m being honest. However, I have a particular dislike for the topic of job interviews. Here’s why:
The interviewee is basically powerless. When applying for a job interview, they submit themselves to the biases, prejudices, and personal muses of the interviewer. Sure, they can prepare all they want, but in the end, the decision isn’t theirs.
Getting an interview also means that you are relying on other people. First, to accept your application, then to hire you, and, if it works out, to provide your paychecks. Relying on other people isn’t necessarily a bad thing. No one is completely self-sufficient. However, relying on other people can be extremely inconvenient. This is because other people are generally unreliable. I’ll make a separate post on this in the future, but the main idea to grasp is that everyone is looking out for their own self-interest. If their own self-interest involves screwing you over, then there’s nothing you can do about it.
Speaking of being screwed over, many people don’t like their 9-5 jobs. The ones where they spend eternity in traffic to get to. Then either slave away the day, or do nothing all day, and get paid the same amount. The ones where they don’t like their coworkers and their boss is a jerk. The same ones that they work for forty years before retiring. Or at least this what I hear a lot.
This entire process starts with the job interview. It is the first instance where you will prepare endlessly and work hard, and stress out for someone who you don’t like and doesn’t care about you. It’s like your initiation into the rat race.
If that is what you're looking for, then go ahead and apply for as many job interviews as you can. However, if you are like me, then you most likely feel something wrong with the mindset associated with resumes and job interviews. It’s going to all this trouble for other people. You are trying to receive validation from someone else to get something that you don’t really want. It doesn’t make sense.
There are numerous better options available. I have never done a job interview in my life, and hopefully I won’t have too. It is not that I am too good for job interviews. Their proposition beats not having income and I could do it if the opportunity was too good to turn down (or if life forced it upon me, obviously). It’s just that I know what I want from life, and job interviews represent the complete opposite direction.
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