As a pre-medicine undergraduate, I feel as though I am constantly interviewing for one position or another. Whether it be a new research position or a competitive volunteer opportunity, I have had my fair share of interviews. While some of these interviews have gone markedly better than others, the major feeling that I experienced during the interviews was always the same: nervous. Why? In most cases, my prior experience held me up as a viable candidate. I always prepared for my interviews, equipping myself with the background knowledge required to not only know what I was getting in to, but to be able to speak intelligently on any topic that could potentially be thrown my way. After all, the only reason for an interview is to advocate for yourself as the the best, and most qualified, person for a job. Obviously, the best way to perform this feat is confidently and professionally. However, I often found that my nerves impeded my capacity to advocate for myself to the best of my ability.

Throughout my freshman year, I developed a passion for public health that was cultivated by my joining of a club called ENCompass: Empowering Neighborhoods of Columbus. As a member of the executive board of the club, I was recently recruited to help with multiple interviews for the upcoming application cycle. While I am currently finishing up the process of interviewing potential members, it is very worthwhile to reflect on the difference between being the interviewee and being the person that conducts the interview. During my first interview, I found myself silently laughing when I realized that I was just as nervous as the person who I was interviewing. I asked all the standard questions, she provided a myriad of well thought out answers and we both went on our way. It is funny to think that she clearly spent a lot of time filling out an application, reading our website, and preparing for the interview to sit down with me and my co-interviewer. After all, we were all undergraduates, we were all just people. I realized that this idea was so lost on me when I interview. While maintaining professionalism is clearly important in any interview setting, it is also important to keep in mind that the person who is interviewing you is also human. The person you are interviewing with also goes home at the end of the day and lives their respective life. Most times when interviewing, there will be an experience gap, age gap, or some sort of difference that qualifies one person to be the interviewer and one to be the interviewee; however, it is important to not get lost on this gap. The reason for the interview is to advocate for yourself as a professional, and there is no reason to get lost in nerves when, after all, both you and the interviewer are one in the same: just people. From the best way to begin any interview to maintaining the right amount of eye contact, I have learned so many other practical things that I will apply in future interviews of my own. However, I have to maintain that the most helpful thing I that have drawn from this process is an increased comfort in an interview setting.