Job Search Interview Emotions: 2 (of many) Challenges that can Cause a Meltdown

I recently had a job interview and went through the frustration of job search interview emotions. Bleh!

I know, I know. I’m not supposed to interview for jobs. I run JibberJobber. I’m the CEO. And I have some big short-term and long-term goals with JibberJobber. What the heck am I doing in a job interview?!?

Frankly, there is one company that I’m interested in. I’ve said for years it’s the only company that I’d LOVE to work for. And I got referred to the hiring manager and recruiter by someone pretty high up for a job that sounded really, really cool. Like, it was written just for me!

I’ve gotten JibberJobber to a point where it doesn’t have to be a full-time job for me. It could be… there is plenty of work for me to do. But it doesn’t have to be. And if “dream job” at “dream company” comes my way, why not at least entertain it?

Since I left Bamboo, I have not been looking for a job. I’ve been plenty busy with the revenue streams I have. From creating Pluralsight courses to everything with JibberJobber to rentals to other stuff, I’m busy.

I also don’t financially need a job because of the revenue streams I’ve created. I’m not wealthy, but I’m not as financially destitute as I was back in 2006 when I lost, in one job loss, 100% of my income.

Anyway, this amazing opportunity came up. And I spent time on it.

I had four interviews. Two on a Friday, two the following Monday.

I had a lot of emotions. A lot more than I thought I would.

Even though I was extremely flattered to be recommended for this job, I was nervous. Would I be good enough? Would I be chosen?

If I got the job, would I go through three months of “impostor syndrome” again, like I did at Bamboo?

How would I take care of my other commitments? Would I need to put some things on hold? Was this the right thing for me to do for my long-term goals?

Was this the right thing for me? For my family? For our future?

What if I got this dream job and it went away, like Bamboo did?

With each interview I was more encouraged. Getting invited to the process, and having interviews go well, and learning about the benefits… it was all so cool. One of the things I miss most about Bamboo was just having friends at work. Not that I don’t have friends, but there’s something about coworker camaraderie.

The excitement and hope were growing. The worry about whether this was the right decision or not was also growing. I knew there would be some big changes if I got this job.

The reason I’m writing this post is to share with you that the crazy job search interview emotions you experience in this process are NORMAL.

You might not be an emotional person, or not used to all of the intense emotions all crammed into a few days. But as a job seeker, this is NORMAL.

The results of the interview process can be life changing. You can’t go through the process nonchalantly. I think it is impossible.

Job Search Interview Emotions: 2 Problems

First, I start to do the job, before I’m hired. I strategize my 90 day startup period and think about what I’ll do. I can go pretty deep on this. I get emotionally involved too early.

Second, I start to mentally spend my new income. In this case, I thought “I could eliminate my personal debt in X years instead of Y years!” Something very appealing to me. I can go very deep on this, too.

Either of those will add to, or multiply, the job search interview emotions. It’s crazy.

And it’s normal.

I don’t have a good answer for you, but I do want you to know that if you go through the emotional roller-coaster you are not nuts. You are normal.

In case you are wondering, in the end I got passed over for someone else. 

Which only added one more ride through the weird and unpredictable job search interview emotions roller-coaster.