We've
all gone through it – the moments where you’re seated in some avant-garde lobby
of a PR agency, having the receptionist curiously peer at you and people
passing-by, giving you the “are you supposed to be here?” look. Yet, the only
thing that you can think of at that moment is: “Have I underdressed or
overdressed?”, “Is there a piece of sandwich stuck in between my teeth?” or the
dreaded “Did I forget to bring something?!”
Maybe
you have forgotten something at home. It’s perhaps the most crucial thing needed
for the interview. It’s only the same thing that got you here in the first
place. It’s your confidence.
I
started out my application process with only one goal in mind. I wanted to intern
Kuala Lumpur’s most sought after PR Agency. This narrowed my choices to only
three – G2 PR, Milk PR and BrandThink (based on my personal opinion). On the
onset of things, I was quite jittery. I’m not one that handles rejection quite
well and being rejected by your dream placement is certainly not a ‘Dear Diary’ entry that I look forward to
writing.
One
of the first things I did was to actually ask some of my friends who were
already in the industry. Some stories horrified me – screaming matches, office
politics and having no life outside of work, at all. Most of the stories were polite,
while others were glowing testimonials of how these companies were the best
platforms to start your career form.
I
am naively positive.
I
began drafting a resumé on Microsoft Word and put in things I thought was
relevant. It turned out to be a six-pager with all sorts of nonsense inside. I tweaked
this down until it was two pages. I sat back and admired my work. It took me
half-a-day to accomplish this. The formatting was in place. My font choice was
awesome. All the pertinent information was in.
I
threw it away.
To
be honest, it looked run-of-the-mill. If I were the employer, I wouldn't be
instantly attracted to it. In short, I wasn't confident that this piece of
document conveyed who I really am, as a person. I went back to the drawing
board, this time using a graphic design programme. I spent a longer time
developing the resumé, but I was satisfied.
I sent it all out via e-mail and prayed for a
response. By the end of the week I had two interviews scheduled and one
placement offer. I was ecstatic but still weary. It’s still that flirty text
you send to your prospective beau at the beginning of a relationship. You still
need to do well on your first date.
That’s
how I took my interview as, my first date. I needed to gauge how she dresses
and know her likes and dislikes. I needed to play it cool and not be overly
enthusiastic. The most important thing that you have to remember is that they’re
already attracted to you. They just want to get to know you a bit better. Be
confident because you need to persuade them that you are the right man for the
job.
I hope that helps!
Zahir Zaini
Curtin Miri
14575097
No comments:
Post a Comment