Interviews: Presenting the Best You
I’m definitely no expert on interview strategies or anything, but I have been through quite a few in the last couple of months. I’ve been able to learn from these experiences and thought I would share them here for anyone else who’s in the job search right now.
I never knew interviews could be so hard and draining! There were a few interviews I did that left me feeling drained and worn through. Between the stress of making sure you have everything prepared for the interview, answering probing questions (I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow so how am I supposed to tell you the details of my 5 year plan?), and making sure you leave the best impression… Phew! It’s no wonder many people dread interviews!
I think another thing that leaves us feeling stressed after interviews is wondering if we answered everything right. Did we say what they wanted to hear? After all, getting them to like us (and hire us!) is the point, right?
I would actually say that they answer to that is no. But it’s a little more complicated than that. Or is it actually more simple?
Many of us are people pleasers. Of course we want others to like us! But sometimes that leads to us being fake to others.
Maybe we answer questions by formulating our answers to be what we think they want to hear
Maybe we exaggerate our abilities just a bit or totally downplay our weaknesses
Maybe we mask our real personality by trying to be extra friendly or excited
It might be only “slightly” bending the truth. It might be what the world tells you to do to make sure you have a better chance of landing the job.
But that’s not the kind of life the Bible calls us to or the kind of witness we should be as Christ followers.
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”
“Guard your tongue from profanity,
and no more lying through your teeth.”
“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
I’m convinced that if you’re really seeking to get a job that you feel the Lord is leading you to, then the best thing you can do in an interview is be yourself!
If the Lord is leading you to a specific job, then it will be perfect for you because of:
The personality He has planted in you and the character traits that have developed in you and grown out of knowing Him and His Word
The experiences He’s walked you through and all the mistakes you’ve made and learned from
The specific gifts and passions He’s given to you
It’s as simple as this:
If you do your part in desiring to become more like Jesus, serving and loving Him and seeking to do His will, then you are a worker approved. If God wants you to have that job, nothing can stop you from getting it!
Take Joseph for example.
*Side note: Joseph is probably my favorite person in the Bible
(You can read about him in Genesis 37-50).
Joseph went through many terribly hard things in his life, including being sold by his own brothers into slavery and being falsely accused by the family he had served faithfully for many years. Because of those accusations, Joseph was wrongly imprisoned for three years.
During his time in prison, Joseph met two men: a cupbearer and baker who had each served in Pharaoh’s household. Both suffered from dreams that they could not understand. Joseph was able to interpret their dreams because God gave him discernment and his interpretations came to pass: the cupbearer was reinstated in Pharaoh’s house and the baker was put to death. A while after the cupbearer left prison, he remembered Joseph when Pharaoh himself had dreams that he couldn’t understand.
Joseph was taken out of the prison to see if he could interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. God again gave Joseph discernment, and he knew that Egypt would prosper greatly for seven years before suffering from a terrible famine for seven years. I can just imagine some of the thoughts that went through Joseph’s mind when he was questioned by the most powerful man in Egypt: the man that had the power to either free Joseph, imprison him again or even kill him if Joseph’s answers didn’t satisfy him.
Maybe Joseph wondered if he should try to say what he thought Pharaoh wanted to hear. Who wants to hear that their country is about to be ruined? He could have just told Pharaoh that good times were ahead and left out the not so pleasant part about famine and suffering and all that.
Maybe Joseph thought about exaggerating the good news and softening the bad news: “Great news Pharaoh, you’re about to experience wealth and prosperity the likes of which this land has never known! Oh, and, well, also there is going to be a bit of a famine after the seven good years, but nothing to worry about oh most powerful Pharaoh!”
Or Jospeh could have acted like the power to interpret dreams was all his. He could have tried to act confident and controlling, hinting that he would be a great person to put in charge of the land.
But Joseph didn’t do any of those things. He told Pharaoh that God was the one who gives the power to interpret dreams. He explained what the Lord had shown him the dreams meant and offered honest and wise advice about what to do in response to the revelation.
Pharaoh didn’t just keep Joseph out of prison, he promoted Joseph to the highest office of the land! Now I’d say that interview went pretty well!
And it was all because of Joseph’s obedience to the Lord and his willingness to speak truthfully and present himself honestly.
So BE YOURSELF! Don’t be afraid to speak truthfully in your interview (and all conversations you have!). Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words to say. I can tell you from experience that He always comes through in the most amazing ways possible - leaving you no doubt that He was the One who did it.
Interview Prep and Tips
After all the interviews I’ve done I think I’ve learned quite a bit. Here are some (hopefully) helpful tips for how to prepare for and ace an interview!
#1 Saturate Yourself in God’s Promises
Have a set of verses written down that remind you that God wants the best for you and that He will bring it about. Now that’s real confidence!
When I was in the season of interviews and seeking to know and do God’s will, I prayed through Psalm 139. There are so many other scriptures that tell us that the Lord sees, He provides, He directs, and He blesses.
#2 Circle the Opportunity in Prayer
I’ve been reading Mark Batterson’s book Draw the Circle which talks a ton about the importance of prayer and the power that it gives us in Jesus. We have direct access to God and our prayers move His heart!
Before any interview I also recruited a bunch of people that were close to me to pray over each of the opportunities for which I interviewed, and I KNOW their prayers made a difference!
#3 On the Day: Get Ready for Anything
Because of Covid, many of my interviews were video calls. I always made sure that an hour before the scheduled time my computer was working and connected to the internet (which saved my hide for one of the interviews when our apartment wifi connection was out!). I also made sure that I had the company’s website up on a tab as well as my resume, portfolio and website.
Also make sure you know how to use the interview platform, whatever it is. Know how to connect and how to share your screen.
#4 Write Down Some Questions to Ask
I know this is something that other people recommend for successful interviews and I found that it was very helpful as well. Not only does it let the interviewers see that you are sincerely interested in the company, it also gives you a chance to make more connections if you ask them to share from their personal experience.
Two questions that I often asked my interviewers were:
How did you end up at this company?
What does a typical day of work look like for you at this company?
#5 Go Into Your Interview With Confidence & Joy!
You have One who goes before you and watches behind, One who hems you in on each side and takes you by the hand showing you, “this is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21, 41:13). Trust that His Spirit within you will direct you what to say. Be the person God has created you to be and answer their questions honestly as best as you can.
#6 Take Time to Pray Afterwards
Even if the interview goes super well and you feel amazing, take the time to just breathe and thank the Lord for speaking through you. This can help to settle your mind and stop you from worrying before you think to start! Ask the Lord to help you trust Him while you wait to hear back.
#7 Wait in Prayer and Expectancy
Remember that God always comes through! God knows if you are supposed to get this job and He will make a way for the right thing to come about.
If you don’t get the job, share your disappointment with the Lord. He knows how you feel and can comfort you. My mom always says that when it seems like we’re being rejected it’s actually God redirecting us. We don’t know what’s best for us, only God knows that. A friend of mine faced 35 no’s before she got the one right yes and she is now the most successful business person I know!
The Lord prepares us and blesses us in the waiting. He can see to the end and you will get the perfect job for you at the perfect time!
Trust Him.
