Nervous, shaking, and distracted, that’s how I feel whenever I have to participate in an interview. While I may not have much interview experience, I always learn something about myself and my mistakes each time I do one. Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to be interviewed for a few student part-time positions on campus.
One of the positions I interviewed for was the Student Coordinator role for the food pantry program. The hiring process was competitive. Before this interview, I had only ever been interviewed by one or two people at a time, so this was my first time facing a panel of three interviewers. To be fair, I didn’t prepare myself well enough for that interview, even though I was confident that I was one of the stronger candidates. My work experience and qualifications, at least on paper, seemed to check all the boxes they were looking for. The responsibilities of the role included organizing the food pantry, purchasing food, and managing inventory systems.
I was shocked by almost every question they asked. The questions weren’t necessarily difficult, but many of them were situational, and I needed to provide clear examples and explain how I would apply my skills in this job.
Despite my unclear answers, the interviewers tried to make the atmosphere less intense and stressful. They listened actively and took notes as I spoke. One of the interviewers, apparently the one I would have worked under if I got the job, seemed confused by most of my answers, even though her questions were clear. The interview was well-structured, with no unnecessary or distracting questions. Everything they asked aligned with the job requirements and tested the skills they were looking for in a candidate.
For example, one question asked how I would go about grocery shopping. Looking back, I realize that the answer I gave wasn’t what they were hoping to hear. Even though I had experience running a youth cooking academy, my response didn’t satisfy the interviewers. In the end, I think that interview helped the hiring team filter out mediocre candidates and find the true gem they were looking for. Obviously, I didn’t get the job.