Dear Ms. Interviewer,
Take my hand and let’s take a little trip back to Monday June 17 at 12:50pm. You see I so desperately wish to start over. So let’s go back to that low ceiling room with nothing but two black chairs and that 3 x 3 table that barely had enough room for my folder and yours.
Once again you can start off by saying..
“So tell me about yourself.”
and instead of giving you that awkward Tina Fey stare and then word vomiting all over your newly carpeted floors..
I would tell you that I’m more than just one page of mildly written evaluations and titles of former success.
I would tell you that i’m the daughter of two brave souls who dropped their hometown prosperity to move to a country unknown and take a gamble at the trials of five new ones.
I would tell you how joyful I would find it to walk into a room of 3ft tall troublesome faces each and every day.
I would tell you how I firmly agree that collaboration is key to success. I believe that one person can most certainly bring a good idea to the table, but only a team can take away a great one.
I would tell you how I avidly serve as a supporting hand for those who spend nearly all of their lives getting knocked down and shut out without ever realizing that they were never supposed to have a chance in the first place.
I would tell you that my greatest weaknesses is my ability to build people up with the highest of confidence in themselves, while still finding it hard to give myself reasons to jump.
I would tell you how I’m a magnet for distraction, but I always find a way to wind each moment back in for the bigger picture.
I would tell you that I secretly enjoy traveling alone on long bus rides because it forces me to take time to myself while still being productive.
I would tell you that I am the owner of a playlist that shuffles from Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down to A Tribe Called Quest, Rufio to Funkmaster Flex, Amy Winehouse to the tramped out divas of disney, and endless amounts of you tube videos because I believe that people create amazing things when they think no one is listening… and when I’m really stressed… I blast this playlist and clean like there’s no tomorrow.
and lastly, I would tell you how the day I quit trying to tame my long, frizzy and out of control curls was the day my reflection became a little bit clearer.
You see I wasn’t able to tell you all of this the moment you wanted to hear it because I was so bottled up with the idea of how an organization that does such amazing work would give me the chance to join their team. The very idea that I would be in the same room of those who have traveled the world and built mountains of aspirations within those who may have thought their lives were only full of unattainable dreams… made me trip over my words, fall into a pit of torment and melt into an awkward pile of disdain with nothing left to do but smile. I wish so badly that I could have spoke to you while diving out of a plane or being chased by a pack of rabid wolves because maybe then the tension wouldn’t have been strung so tight. Regretful as I am… I can only let the wind take over from here.
Sincerely yours,
Mary Anne Matel
Written in 2013
Fun Fact: I was offered the job