After completing my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program, the next item on my list was to find a job. "Even if the pay isn't great," I thought, "as long as it can cover my bills, I would be okay with it." There was no room for complaints.
While browsing through my social media, I came across a message from a friend.
"What could this be?" I muttered to myself as I opened the message.
It turned out to be a flyer with the caption "We are hiring." That immediately caught my attention, and after spending some time reviewing the details, I decided to apply for the job. It was something I believed I could do, even without prior experience.
"I just finished applying for the role," I replied to my friend.
I waited for a supportive response, but instead, she sent a random funny emoji that seemed out of context. I chose to let it slide.
Every day, without fail, I checked my email. Even while sleeping, something would wake me up, urging me to "check your mail." I always complied.
As days turned into weeks, I kept checking my inbox until one fateful day, my phone rang.
"Hello. My name is Joy Amos, and I'm calling from Stockgap Limited. Am I speaking to Miss Tarila Young?" the caller asked.
"Yes, ma," I replied in the softest tone I could muster.
"You have been scheduled for an interview tomorrow. Will you be available?" she asked.
"I would be available, ma," I responded, excitement bubbling in my voice.
Immediately, I turned to Google and searched for tips on how to prepare for an interview, as this was my first official one, and I wanted it to go perfectly. That night, I immersed myself in studying until midnight and finally decided to get some rest to look fresh for the interview the next day.
The day arrived faster than expected. I woke up feeling bright and full of energy, saying to myself, "It's time to shine, baby!" After my shower, I prepared a light breakfast since I wasn’t sure how long I would be at the interview. I made some coffee, but as I held the cup, my hands shook, and suddenly, the coffee slipped from my grasp and shattered on the floor.
I quickly grabbed a brush to sweep up the broken glass and tossed it in the bin. After losing my appetite for coffee, I opted for bread and butter. Once I finished breakfast, it was time to iron my clothes and make sure I looked presentable.
I plugged in the iron and began to press my outfit, but I suddenly remembered that I hadn't informed the electricity supply company about my interview. Before I knew it, the power went out. I stood there with my hands on my hips, trying to think of what to do next.
"What am I going to wear now?" I muttered to myself, feeling lost.
As I considered alternative outfits, I stumbled upon a dress I hadn’t worn since I bought it. The best part was that it didn’t need ironing, so I quickly put it on along with a pair of heels. I applied some makeup to ensure I didn’t look like I’d just had a rough morning.
Finally ready to leave the house, I stood at the doorstep, contemplating if I had forgotten anything. As seconds turned into minutes, I realized I had everything I needed in my bag. I walked slowly to find a cab, and luckily, I found a vehicle to take me to my destination. However, on our way, the driver ran out of petrol and had to stop at a petrol station to refuel. Sitting there, I felt restless, replaying the events of the morning in my mind.
After a few minutes, we arrived at the interview venue. I was greeted by the receptionist, who offered me a seat to wait for the interviewers. While sitting, I let my eyes wander and observed my surroundings. When the interviewers arrived, I was called in first.
As I entered the boardroom, I felt my legs shaking, and my heart began to race faster than usual. There were three people seated with laptops facing me. "Now this is serious," I thought to myself.
"Please have a seat," the only woman among them said.
I sat down, and the questions began to flow. Everything was going smoothly until one of the interviewers asked, "Why should we employ you?" This was the first time I had heard this question, and all eyes were on me as I scrambled to formulate a response.
"Because I need to pay some bills," was my inappropriate internal response.
"Don't worry, we will get back to you," the interviewers said.
I thanked them, knowing I had messed up, and left feeling disappointed. I called my friend and shared everything that had happened. She reassured me to be patient and to have faith in myself, so I decided to follow her advice.
Before heading to bed, I checked my email again, and to my surprise, I received a message from the company stating that I had been accepted to participate in their trainee program. I screamed and jumped out of bed.
"Maybe today isn’t so bad after all," I said with newfound excitement.
Thanks for reading 🧡
The joy at last will surely make you forget you ever had a rough day to start with.
Yeah. The after joy is what matters.
Thanks for your nice comment dear!
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STOPThat you were still hired after you were not able to give a satisfactory answer to the 'Why should we hire you?" question was a miracle. It was good reading it.
Omo, to date, I don't have a specific answer to that question. But then I'm learning how to answer it in case it comes up again in the near future.
Thanks for stopping by my post
Hi dearest, I have a question because I also will soon finish with my NYSC. How do you study for an interview? Do you study based on the company's area of specialization or your course of study or current affairs? I have absolutely no idea.
Well, I don't have much experience though, but then from the few interviews I've had, they ask based on the role you are applying for. While some eternal questions do come in sometimes, like about the company.
oh, that makes sense. Thank you dear!
You are welcome.
Are you on discord?
No, not yet. It's a very confusing space for me but someday, I'll dedicate time to understanding it. 😂
I can help you navigate through it
See, they brought light just as I was about to reply this comment. 😂😂 You're such an angel, that would be amazing. Thank you!
How do we get started?
Typical Nigerian life. 😂😂
I'm glad you were eventually accepted! Our minds can play tricks on us sometimes and the feeling of failure is even more sinking and convincing after having such a terrible start to the day. I'm really glad it worked out well after-all.
Thank you for sharing!
And often when it steps in, we forget about the positive aspect of it.
Nigerian nepa is not to be trusted at all😀 😄
I haven't attended many job interviews and waiting for employment mail, but one thing I'm sure of is, I don't give too much concern to the interviewers. As long as the questions are based on what the job is all about, I don't fidget and if they move on to current affairs question, na them sabi😅.
I have conducted interviews on people and one spot marks are awarded is the confidence of the person... even if the person didn't get the answer.
Thank God for you.
Hope you got the job after the training and they posted you?
Some of the questions they ask can be very annoying though. You and current affairs are not related 😆
Yeah. I got the role, though I thought I wasn't gonna get it but then God so kind i got it.
The way I frown at current affairs ehhhn. I don't know why they must involve it in unnecessary situations.
Congratulations! You still work with them?
It's a pleasant moment to know that you finally got the job after stress you went through. What a good turn out.
Yeah. In the end, it was great that's what life is about sometimes.
Thanks for stopping by my post.
After so many mishaps you had a fateful end to the day with good news, Many times not everything is as bad as it seems, there is always a light of hope.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Excellent day.
Hello @young-tari. This is your second submission in a row that has flagged very high for AI influence. The rules were shared with you in a comment last time as a reminder of what is not allowed in The Ink Well. Kindly confirm if you used AI to generate this story and your last one, and if not, what editing software you are using and to what extent. Thank you, The Ink Well Team.
This is not an AI-generated post; it's something I experienced two years before my very first official interview. I wrote everything myself and used Grammarly to improve on it.
I don't know why all my post on Inkwell keeps coming up like this.
This here is the problem. You may only use Grammarly for light editing which includes spelling and punctuation corrections, and light grammar corrections eg: using the correct form of the verb. You may not use the advanced AI functionality of Grammarly to rephrase, improve, or create better fluency in your piece as this means that the end result contains writing significantly different from your own. You still need to use your own words. The more you read, the more you write, and the more feedback you take on board, the more you will see organic development and improvement in your writing :-) Kindly refrain from using these advanced features of Grammarly. You may find editing in Google Docs to be a better option for you if you still find this explanation unclear.
Its clear. Thank you