When you are going through a situation that is challenging it can be difficult to picture the outcome rather than being nervous. As Andy Teach says “I think that nervousness prior to a job interview is caused mostly by the fact that there’s so much at stake. Getting a job, especially one you really want, can certainly impact your self-worth and general happiness.”  I remember coming home from school during the end of my junior year of high school and having my mom show me the newspaper. “Whole Foods Market opening in Hyannis- First Store on Cape Cod apply online!” As immense food lover’s- my mom and I were both looking forward to this.  However, since I had been looking for a job for months at that point I was definitely more excited! I immediately went online and applied.

I got a call about a week later from a man named Zach, who would turn out to be my future boss. I remember our first phone call like it just happened 10 minutes ago. I kept jumbling my words because I was so excited about receiving the phone call. Zach made a joke about it, which made me already feel more comfortable with this person whom I had never even met before. I made plans to attend a group interview to work in the bakery department.
When the day of the interview came around, I was super nervous all day long. Have you ever had the feeling of something being stuck in your throat and no matter how much water you drink or how many times you swallow it just stays there? Yep, that’s exactly how I felt, it was all I could think about.  Right after school I headed over to the Doubletree hotel. My interview was with a lady with a thick accent who was extremely hard to read. “So what makes you want to work in the bakery department?” Thoughts went through my head like who wouldn't want to work by sweets all day? I don’t even remember half of the answers I gave to this women or even what her name was because of how anxious I felt. When that interview was finished I felt relieved knowing that it was over. Now, I just had to wait and see if I did well enough to get a second interview with the manager to determine if I got the job.

While I was waiting another man came out who called my name to the group of people in the waiting room. I started to stand up, but he started walking over to the area where I was seated before I had to change to.  He told me that my interview was great, but you can’t be 17 and work in the bakery department because they work with knives. Right away I thought to myself are you serious? I use knives all the time at home. What do they think will happen if they let a person who isn't 18 yet use a knife? Do they really think I don’t know which end of it to hold?  I felt my shoulders shrug in disappointment, knowing I would not be able to work there. Before I had the chance to think any more about this disappointment,  Zach came out and introduced himself to me. He told me that he was the head of the customer service department and we had talked on the phone a couple weeks ago. He said they would be glad to take me in this section of the store.

Because of this, I had to go through two more interviews that day. Both interviews went surprisingly well considering how tense I was. “What makes you want to work in a retail job?” Have you ever been asked questions like this? It can be really difficult to think of an intelligent answer on the spot, but I tried my best. Zach made me feel really hopeful by smiling and agreeing with most of the things I was saying. This leveled out my stress and made me a lot more confident with the whole process. This helped my last interview with the manager because at that point I was feeling really positive and determined to work for this company. 

When you’re putting yourself out there to get judged it can be frightful. I think many people including myself kind of go into certain affairs underestimating ourselves. My first job interviews were extremely nerve wracking and a lot of pressure, but all completely worth it. I’ve now had a job at Whole Foods Market for almost 2 years. This job has taught me time management and people skills. It’s really helped me open up and become more comfortable talking to strangers (even the grumpy ones). I learned that it’s okay for a person to be nervous for job interviews and other nail biting situations. They just teach you how to cope with your own stress and anxiety. Through this job I’ve met some great friends and my boyfriend. A Journalist Anna Gray who I read a piece from says “Even if they are entry-level jobs it can be an learning experience that will keep you on track to where you eventually  want to go”  This experience has helped me realize that these types of processes can be unnerving, but ultimately lead great success and happiness.