Consider The Context
Alright, let’s pull back the curtain on this whole interviewing circus for a moment.
Everywhere you turn, every LinkedIn post, every career guru is singing the same tired refrain to interviewees: Be confident.
But that’s akin to telling a fish to just keep swimming. It’s over-simplistic and largely unhelpful. And here’s why.
It’s easy to strut into an interview room with swagger when you’re currently employed, your bank account’s looking healthy, and, worst case, if you bomb that interview, you’ve still got a desk and a paycheck waiting for you. The stakes, while high, aren’t existential. It’s like playing poker with the house’s money.
But what about those individuals for whom the interview is not just a step to a better job, but a lifeline? Think of the individual who’s been handed their walking papers, who’s watched their unemployment benefits dry up, and is now staring at a stack of bills with no obvious means to pay them. Every question they answer, every move they make in that interview room, is underscored by a very real and pressing fear: the need to provide, to survive. It’s not about flourishing for them; it’s about making it to the next month.
Their once-booming confidence might now be replaced by a quiet desperation. That doesn’t mean they’re any less capable, talented, or hard-working than Mr. or Ms. Confidence strutting in with their glossy resume. It just means life’s dealt them a rougher hand at that moment.
So, to all the interviewers out there: a little empathy wouldn’t kill you. Recognize the whole person sitting across from you, not just their current circumstances. Consider the weight of what they might be carrying and remember that everyone’s fighting a battle you may not see. Before you judge their performance or write them off based on their “lack of confidence,” take a damn second. Consider the context. Be human.
