Interviews are tough stuff. They take the natural human tendency of presenting one’s best self to a whole new level. Luckily, Glynn Middle School prepared me for the job interviews that I will inevitably face as an adult with 8th Grade Interview Day (sike lol). I can describe that day in two words: oh geez. Let us walk through Interview Day with 13-year-old Olivia…

Appearance is key, look super fly. This, of course, meant to emulate powerful businesswomen as seen on TV, so naturally, I insisted on wearing a pencil skirt, blouse, and blazer. Since I was 13 and not 30, I had to make do with my allotted teen wardrobe, so a makeshift “pencil skirt” made from contorting a beloved maroon colored tank top was in order. Oh geez. Pair this with a pretty white blouse and what I referred to as my Harry Potter-esk embellished blazer, and I was ready to nail my interview.

By this age, I was convinced that I was funny, or could at least seem to be funny by quoting Michael Scott, televisions best comedic character. So, my game plan for the interview was to make my interviewee laugh. For some reason, I had convinced myself that if I could do this, I’d be a shoo-in for the make-believe position. With a little help from season three, episode 24, I went in holding back my laughter.

The bald man with piercing blue eyes shook my hand and I shook back. He asked me a few questions that I answered quickly and then he asked THE question, the one I answered without a hint of hesitation… “So, what’s your biggest weakness?” “Well, I work too hard, I care too much, and sometimes I can be too invested in my work.” Bewilderment. Pure and utter confusion is what radiated from old blue. In short, I did not get a callback, but that’s the way it goes sometimes in life. What’s the saying, “You can’t win them all”? I didn’t take the whole ordeal too seriously, albeit I did learn a few lessons that day. I learned that it’s okay to fail sometimes and being able to laugh by yourself is something worth knowing how to do.