Why It’s Worth Doing

Although we might wish that interviews would unfold without biases or complications, inevitably interesting and challenging issues find their way into our lives. You can’t control the opinion of the interviewer, yet you can control how you respond.

Typically, our first instinct is to react with fear and panic: “Oh no! I’m too old / pregnant / stressed to handle this successfully.” Yet in most cases, when we look at the circumstances more objectively, we discover that by communicating our plans and hopes clearly, and by making reasonable requests, situations that once seemed too complicated to sort out unravel themselves easily.

There’s another, even better bonus that comes from learning how to respond effectively to awkward situations: We build confidence in our abilities. “Wow, I solved this sticky problem successfully. I’ll most likely be able to solve the next problem, too!” And by solving one problem after another, we’re able to consistently overcome challenges and move forward in our careers.