Nailed the Interview but Not the Job?

A 22-year-old girl bought her first suit and pair of work-appropriate high heels for a ridiculously important job interview at an international advertising firm in downtown Milwaukee. This was her first big interview – ever.

It was a morning appointment, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. The girl arrived downtown at 8:15 a.m., found parking, and readied herself for the interview. She thought she had a really good shot at getting this position. It was going to be so exciting. She had just graduated college, and she was ready to start living the dream.

She felt good. She had stopped at Einstein Bros. Bagels for a hot cup of coffee and a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter. No empty stomach, no real nerves – she was ready.

At 8:25 a.m., she walked into the 15th floor office where she had the interview. She waited in the sitting area for the manager to retrieve her, and then she followed the woman into her office. She answered all the questions flawlessly. The manager even called in a colleague to meet this great girl – everything was going so well!

After an hour-long interview, the girl thanked both interviewers, and they walked her out. She walked to her car beaming, ready to go home and write thank-you emails to both women she had just met. As she got in the driver’s seat, she turned the rear-view mirror so she could look at herself, thinking how confident she was about the interview.

When she looked in the mirror, she noticed something weird smack-dab in the middle of her chin. It looked like a giant, pus-filled pimple – so GROSS! She touched it, and realized what it was – a glob of peanut butter – from the bagel earlier that morning. Oh. My. God. It had been on her chin throughout the entire interview! The girl was completely mortified, and any confidence she had had about getting the job flew right out the window.

Hadn’t she looked in the mirror the exact same way right before she got out of her car? How had she missed this? She wiped the peanut butter off her chin, and all she could do was shake her head and smile. She shook it off – whatever, she thought. Lesson learned.

She didn’t get the job – not even a second interview. The second colleague had probably been brought in to see the mess on her face so the two women could laugh about it later.

To this day, every interview she has, the girl doesn’t eat beforehand. And she always critically inspects herself in the mirror – more than once. This is the first time she’s ever told this story, and I hope you think it’s as horrifyingly funny as I do.

I wasn’t kidding when I said ‘lesson learned.’ All it takes is one snafu – I’ll never forget that. It was awful at the time, but I really did shake it off almost immediately. And I am totally convinced that’s part of the reason I didn’t get a call back.

Don’t underestimate the power of presentation. How you look matters – a lot. Obviously there are several other things I’ve learned since that first interview.

• Breath mints are a must. Remember those Altoid Smalls commercials with the job interview? Yeah, never forget about that!

• Don’t be too cocky, and don’t get too comfortable. With all the young companies out there with the 25- and 35-year-old CEOs, it’s easy to think you’re talking to your college buddy during an interview. You aren’t. They still look for professionalism, even if there’s a company beer pong tournament every quarter.

• Ask for the job. Always finish your interview by asking about the next steps. Interviewers are more impressed if they can tell you truly want the position.

• Research the company before your interview – this can take your further than you might think.

• Write a thank you note, and not just one. If you interview with multiple people, write a personalized note or email to each one.

Since the peanut butter, I’ve had several other rather entertaining mishaps during job interviews – from running the interview myself (I got that job) to having three interviews and thinking it was totally nailed, but then not getting the job.

The last thing I can say is never get your hopes up too high. Even if you think you totally nailed it and there’s no way another candidate is better suited for the position, trust me. There is. You might not get it, no matter how excellent you are.

Moving from Mom and Dad’s into a Friend’s Place – Could It Be Worse?

Being in your 20s these days is getting harder and harder – and it’s partly because of the economy, but partly because we’re a generation full of many spoiled kids. Now, I don’t mean spoiled in a bad way – we aren’t all total jerks or anything – but a lot of us get what we want a lot of the time, and our parents still do everything they can to make sure that happens, even if we’re 24 and already purchasing our own home.

I know several people who have moved back in with their parents after college or after being laid-off from a job. I myself have come very close to doing so – but I’ve been lucky enough to hang by a thread and keep an apartment (always with a roommate) on my own. (Shout out to Obama, for the extra unemployment money!)

As a freelance writer/social media consultant, the possibility of camping out at Mom and Dad’s is never too far from my mind – so this is a topic that definitely hits close to home (bad pun definitely intended).

I recently had a long conversation with a friend of mine who has had a roller coaster of a professional life since graduating college a few years ago. He’s been back with his parents twice, been let-go from two different jobs, and traveled halfway across the world and back. He’s lived in three time zones in the last three years and has had five different jobs.

This friend called me last night, frustrated because after a recent five-month stint of living with his parents, a friend of his offered for him to move into the house he just purchased. Seems like a great idea, right?

For some of us, this would be an obvious decision – a total no-brainer. Get out of your parents house as soon as possible. Take the easiest, earliest option that presents itself. Makes sense. Well, it makes sense until you do it – then realize you’ve moved in with your spoiled friend. Not a jerk – at all. Just kind of helpless – and allows/expects his parents to do everything for him – at the age of 27.

Now all my friend wants to do is go home after work and play video games and watch inappropriate comedy that only people in their 20s and early 30s find entertaining – but because someone else’s parents are now hovering around his house doing odd tasks at odd times of the day, he feels uncomfortable living his life.

At that point, you have to just wish you’d stayed with your own parents, because at least you can kind of blow them off. When it’s someone else’s family, you have no choice but to bend over backwards with courtesy and helpfulness – even though you have your own darn life to live.

This situation really just speaks to our generation. I have to say, my parents might be guilty of the same thing if I bought a house in my home town. They would want to help as much as possible – my mom would want to take charge of every project, and honestly, I think I’d let her do it. Hell, if I have an excuse to be lazy and let mom take care of it, why not?

On the other hand, I’m too independent to let someone else make such decisions for me, and, much like my own mother, I’m a bit of a control freak. So maybe my situation would be different. I don’t know – but I do know that this situation isn’t at all surprising to me, and it could happen to any one of us at any time.

So if you’re living with your parents and you’re ready to pull out your hair or slip an Ambien into their morning coffee so they leave you alone all day – count your blessings. At least you’re comfortable being yourself in your home, and remember, regardless of your current situation, something could always be worse.