By Spencer Peters ’14<\/p>\n
Whew. Breathe in, out, in, out.\u00a0 This leather feels weird on the fabric of my suit; it\u2019s making me sweat. No. Could the sweat be showing through?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m wearing a nice grey suit with a white undershirt and a red tie.\u00a0 I\u2019m set. I look good.\u00a0 An hour ago I slowly dressed myself in front of my bathroom mirror; choosing to tie my tie in a full double Windsor.\u00a0 Was this right? Should I have gone with an Oriental knot, a half Windsor? A bow tie? Do I come across as whimsical, professional, carefree?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m racking my brain as I sit on the unfamiliar leather couch.\u00a0 My suit pulls at the shoulders when I lean down to adjust my resume in my planner on the dark wooden table. I read the words over again and again. \u201cJohn Abernathy\u201d I say in a hushed voice as I read the bolded words in the center of the page.<\/p>\n
I look across the room; the secretary sits with her black rimmed glasses peering down at her skilled hands that glide across the keyboard, incessantly typing. \u00a0\u00a0She just types and types, oblivious to the fear coursing through my every vein.\u00a0 I begin my mental tirade on her unforgiving posture and attitude when I\u2019m summoned back to the room by the sound of her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Griffin will see you now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you so much,\u201d automatically reverberates from my mouth.<\/p>\n
She hits me with a flashing smile and I wonder if it\u2019s a sarcastic, \u2018dead man walking\u2019 smile or one of genuine hope.\u00a0 Before I can begin sorting them out in my head I grab my planner and for the first time notice how sweaty my hands are.\u00a0 No. I only hope that they can dry on my twenty foot walk to the front of the desk of my possible future employer.<\/p>\n
I find the oiled wood handle of the boss\u2019s door, and turn very gently to stay steady.<\/p>\n
The man rises and reaches out his hand.\u00a0 I greet him with a strong dry handshake while I introduce myself.\u00a0 Yes, 1 for 1 on the day with handshakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo tell me about yourself John.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wow. I\u2019ve been preparing for this question.\u00a0 It\u2019s the simplest one and most common too! I got this.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell I guess to start, my name is John Abernathy, I grew up in a very small town and graduated from an even smaller high school.\u00a0 I\u2019m currently enrolled at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN, majoring in chemistry and psychology.\u00a0 I devote a lot of time to my studies and my fraternity.\u00a0 I also play on the football team at Wabash College.\u00a0 And now I\u2019m here seeking a job with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the smile on his face as I finish, I can tell I\u2019ve done my job of scratching the surface of who I am.\u00a0 I\u2019ve done the job required of the question.\u00a0 I sit a little straighter in my chair and shift as to readjust in its uncomfortable seat.\u00a0 I grab my provided water and sip a couple of ounces until he begins in on his next question.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo John, what makes you the best candidate for this job.\u00a0 I can see from your resume that you\u2019ve done a lot in your three years in college.\u201d<\/p>\n
My three years in college. I\u2019m a current junior.\u00a0 How do I wrap those up into a coherent answer?\u00a0 I started drinking in college and have had my share of beers and drunken stories? But why am I thinking about that. Focus. I\u2019ve had significant playing time as safety on the football team, but he doesn\u2019t care about that; he\u2019s looking at my leadership positions.\u00a0 This is mine to blow, so don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell Mr. Griffin. In my three years I\u2019ve had multiple leadership positions, from vice president in my fraternity to president of College Mentors for Kids, and Captain of the football team; I\u2019ve had to supervise and put people on the same page to work efficiently.\u00a0 If I can corral first grade boys fresh out of school, college athletes pushed to the brink, or fraternity guys who can\u2019t agree on anything, I believe that I can be part of a team that wants to work together toward a common goal.\u00a0 I would love being given the chance to try.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaky performance but I think I stuck the landing. Now an image of Nastia Lukin runs through my head of her landing from the balance beam.<\/p>\n
More questions like this trickle by over the course of an hour.\u00a0 I pause to form my responses, sip water to calm my nerves, and constantly keep a straight back and professional posture, even if my back is on fire.<\/p>\n
The last question comes up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is your biggest strength?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stroke my ego in my head a bit. I can outrun anyone in my school at the 40.\u00a0 I date the cutest girls out of anyone in the fraternity.\u00a0 Also, I\u2019m a beast when it comes to Call of Duty.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not what he\u2019s after.\u00a0 What is my biggest strength that would spoon feed this guy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, throughout my life, I\u2019ve always been a very good problem solver.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t mean that in a traditional sense necessarily.\u00a0 If a problem gets put in front of me, regardless of its content and difficulty, I can solve it; usually by unconventional and innovative ways.\u00a0 But there has never been a work related problem that I haven\u2019t been able to solve if I have time.\u00a0 For example, I once was given two days to make a pamphlet for a networking event, complete with contact information and background on the organization.\u00a0 I did this and it was a hit within the office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell that\u2019s all I have for you John.\u00a0 We\u2019ll contact you with our decision next week.\u00a0 Thank you for your time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for the opportunity Mr. Griffin.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking forward to hearing from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walk out of the office with my head held high. I feel as if I could have done more to strengthen his opinion of me.\u00a0 However, now it\u2019s my turn to flash the secretary a smile and let her decide what it means.\u00a0 I hug my planner to my side, button my coat, and walk into the elevator and press the ground floor button.\u00a0 Smiling.<\/p>\n
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