Hello everyone, how are you today? Life is a phase. When you finish one phase, you enter another phase; That is how life operates.
My boss told me that examination is to test your ability and when you pass, you move to another step of life. Life is a series of examinations…… you attitude, characters, and behaviors will be tested.
There are times you will be tested unknowingly to you; people around you will be watching everything you are doing. They will tell the result unexpectedly, and you will be shocked when you hear your results. That is when you will know that you have been monitored by people consciously and unconsciously to you.
Last year during our end of the year party, the principal of my school gave me an award for the best teacher in the school. Each one of the teachers stated commenting on my efforts….
“Chris is very active in teaching, punctual and loyal; is the best candidate for the award. When the boss (principal) was talking about the award, I said in my mind that the best person for this award was Chris. I knew he deserved the accolade and I really congratulate him.”- MR Willams
“For a term, Chris never misses a school for a reason, he was the only teacher that was present throughout the third term when I checked through the time book. There was a day when we experienced heavy rainfall in this environment; I could not come out of my house that very day despite the fact that I am living in the staff quarters. When I looked out of my window, I saw Chris in the school premises and I knew that it was only him that was in the school that very day. Therefore, if this award was given to someone else, I would have had double mind about it. We all know the he is the best man for the award. We saw how he worked tirelessly in the school; he is master of his subjects. I love to check on him while he is teaching because he knows how to carry students along. Students are always happy to see him, and I don’t how he do that. I have been in this field for more than 25 years; I have never seen almost all the students are interested in a particular learning. Even the students that do not understand the subject want to know it. it is uncommon for all the students in the class to show interest in a particular subject.” -MR Sunday
“Thank you, Principal, for this award. This is my fourth year in this school, the previous principals in this school do not give awards to the best teacher. This award would make some teachers work very well. If I had known that there would be an award like this, I would have put more effort into it. Chris is my friend; he is very young in this work but understands the work better. He is the master of his subjects because he understands the concept very well. I hardly see him sitting in the staff room, he is always in a class to facilitate learning.” -Kazeem
✅Fear is one of the barriers in an interview. The first interview I did before getting a teaching job. The interviewer looked at me and said to me, tell me about yourself? While presenting myself to the interviewer, I was making blunders and grammatical errors due to fear of inferiority complex. When I saw applicants who were charismatic, elegant, and eloquent; I downgraded myself. I looked at myself and said ‘I can’t make it in this interview.
Please my friends, and people that are reading this post, don’t ever look down on yourself in any condition.
When I heard some applicants that were first-class, well experienced and well dressed. Fear came on me because I said to myself, those first-class candidates would be first choosing before me.
Fear gipped my heart, I could not remember everything I read at home.
Before the interview, I rehearsed what to say more than 10 times. A day to my interview I was practicing what I wanted to say in the interview after I did a lot of research about it.
The interviewer said, “walk me through your CV?” which simply means I should talk about my CV. After I started the university, I graduated from, I was stammering instead of me to say everything about the CV.
The interviewer spent an1 hour on every applicant because we were 5 applicants. I was able to be shortlisted for the interview because my brother from one of the reputable organizations linked me to the manager of that organization. I knew if I was selected, they would give me a car and apartment from one of their buildings.
The interview asked me question, “why should we hire you?” I said I am the best candidate for this position but I could not convince him. I stopped and she said ‘continue’. Fear was all over me, I could not say anything again.
She said, “I am going to give you ten minutes break to relax and come back to the seat. I went to restroom to urinate; check some of the things I wrote down in my jotter.
After I got back to my seat, I could not say anything yet.
She proceeded to next question, “what can you bring to this company?” Since I had read about the company online, I knew what they wanted; therefore, I was able to say reasonable things in this aspect.
She proceeded again, “what is my management style?” I was a little bit sensitive about this question, I was not too flexible nor rigid in my management style. I did not choose a particular management style while answering her; I was trying to explain to her that I used the best management approach to a particular situation.
After she asked me more than ten questions, she told me that the company will contact me soon. After the interview, we were taken to their food vendor, they gave us friend rice, turkey, water and Pepsi. Hmmmm! The food vendor was like a palace, I don’t feel like leaving the company.
After a few days, when my brother called one of the manager in the company, they told him that there were better candidates than me.
HOW I OVERCOME FEAR AND GAIN CONFIDENCE IN INTERVIEW
Since I realized that I need to shape many things in life, I began to think of the best way to overcome my hurdles.
I was able to figure out the best ways to overcome my fear and gain confidence in an interview.
They are: 👉👉
✅✅Built my confidence: I realized building confidence requires one to speak boldly in public. I began to engaged in church programs where I was given assignments to perform like reading bible and talking for 5 minutes. I also engaged in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) where I talked to audience about particular things such as diseases, menstrual hygiene, family planning, to mention a few.
The beginning was very tough for me, but I continued doing it because I really wanted to get rid of fear; I knew fear was my greatest challenge.
It got to a certain stage, it was very easy for me to face the public and speak with confidence and boldness. I was invited by many NGO’s and I have talked with many bosses in NGO’s.
Fear was no longer my greatest weakness; I had this mindset that since I have talked to many bosses in NGO’s and I did not fear, I cannot fear any interviewers again. That was how I gained confidence
✅✅Smiling: before I got the work I am doing right now; The interviewer asked me, why are you smiling?”.
I answered him, I feel happy, relaxed and confident while smiling and I kept on smiling with her; I don’t feel worried or any anxiety even though I failed here today, I will answer all your questions with a smile.
He wanted me to panic while doing the interview; I understood that and I made sure I panicked. Instead of me panicking, I was confident.
While I was answering his questions, I was smiling; given him sincere answers. I didn’t panic like the first one I did. even though I needed the job desperately; I was so confident, elegant and my mind was at rest.
After a week, I was emailed from the ministry that they offered me an appointment even when I did not meet all the criteria.
✅✅Preparation: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” -Benjamin. I planned rigorously; I did research about the ministry. The moment I received an email from the ministry that I had an interview with them: that was when I started gathering information about the ministry; 💯I gathered a lot of information through online and offline research. I knew that the information I gathered was enough to convince my interviewer.
Three days to the interview, I read the interview materials and likely questions for at least 8 hours a day, used my sibling as interviewer and wrote some questions to asked me; stood like an applicant and answered all those questions.
✅✅Dressing: I realized that I needed to dress because I read that dressing is also a factor. I didn’t Dress like previous interview which I wore T-shirt and trouser. I wore my suit, tie, and shoes. I used my roll on and perfume.
A friend of mine that saw me while I was going for the interview said, “👨❤️👨Chris you look so stunning and elegant”.
I felt comfortable and relaxed with the outfit because it looked good on me. When I saw multitudes of applicants in the office, I didn’t look inferior. I shook hands with other applicants, asked them questions and played with them as if I was already working in the ministry. Before the commencement of the interview, I entered an office, asked her questions which I could not do before. I had never seen her before, nor did I know her; I was curious to ask some questions and someone directed me to her office.
✅✅Why doing interview, your sitting positions matter, your speech matter, where you look is also very important: there are many sitting positions but I love to sit with my hands on my laps. Don’t feel too comfortable in that chair even when you are overconfident. Make sure you sit to impress you interview.👉👉❌❌ Don’t sit as if you are in your sitting room; go with sitting ethics while doing the interview❌❌. Your sitting posture matters to the interviewer-how you sit and where you put your hands.
Your look when doing an interview is also very important: during the previous interview I did, I could not look at the face of the interviewer because of fear. The interviewers want to see your confidence, your impression, your body language while you are selling yourself to them.
Look at the interviewer’s face with confidence and smile, and speak with boldness.✅✅❌❌ Please don’t look at him/her like someone who is having challenges❌❌; everyone has challenges, put your challenges aside and face your present. Don’t let your weakness wean you down in the face of the interviewer. The interviewer may conclude that if you are given the job, your challenges will not make you productive- thinking of your challenges most of the time while in the office.
✅✅Coming in and going out is very important: when you enter the office, do not turn back to the interviewer to lock the door. Face him/her and lock the door.
Greet him, and allow him/her to offer you a seat, do not seat without offering you a seat. If he/she did not offer you a seat, stand and wait for him to offer you; and if he does not, remain standing until he/she offers you a seat.
If he gives you handshake, you are good to offer him/her you hand; but don’t be the one that first offer him/her handshake.
Let him/she be the one asking you anything such as CV before you present it.
You can also share your experience in the comment section, I want to learn from everyone.
I stand up for success, and success is not achieved by merely making mouth, No room for laziness, no room for idleness.
Thank you for reading my post.
