Why I Hate Job Interviews

My mind went blank. The light from the recessed lighting seemed to burn over my head, causing me to sweat. I had an acute feeling that I was under the blaring lights in an interrogation room. Before I could think, my mouth uttered names. I watched the interrogator - I mean, interviewer - for any signs of suspicion.

You went to McGill? I went there, too.
Really? That's great
Who were your professors for [insert name of class here]?

I rattled off the names of professors whose names came to mind and he immediately confirmed that he remembered those professors as well. Yet, I couldn't help but feel that he was testing me in some way. I almost felt like offering to bring him my law school diplomas, which hang in one of the rooms at my parents' home.

The interview went well and he seemed geniunely interested in hiring me. Despite the outcome, I still hated the whole experience of hand-shaking, forced smiling and the Q & A. Going on job interviews feels like going in for an interrogation. You are asked a lot of questions and you better have some good answers for them. Often the conference room is deceptively welcoming, with a large window and a long, shiny table surrounded by plush chairs. In this case, they even had candy lined up in cermic dishes beckoning you to "relax, take it easy" before they lunge at you with a multitude of questions. Despite the layout of the conference room where the interview takes place, it is still an interrogation.

I hate selling myself. I rarely talk about my "good points" and loathe to have to highlight them to get a job. But I know that this is what I must do at a job interview. And I hate every minute of it.