06/03/2026: Tell Me About Yourself
Sometimes, my tendency to overthink gets in the way. As I write this, I know that’s an understatement; my overactive brain always gets in the way. It’s just who I am.
I had my first job interview in almost five years yesterday, and I’ve been replaying it in my mind ever since. I’m sure that I looked better than I felt and sounded more prepared than I thought, but the power of the mind to manipulate my memory and let doubt creep in is strong. People that know me understand how much I struggle with self-doubt on a daily basis. Some days, my confidence wins, but other days I succumb to the discouraging narrative that runs through my head that I’m not doing my best or that there’s someone out there more capable than me that outshines me in situations where I struggle to thrive.
I’ve known for a long time that I’m not like everyone else; I don’t think like others, and I also don’t sell myself as well as others can. I’ve learned that though I struggle with these things, I can be articulate and thoughtful once I have time to digest information and put a pen to paper—my seemingly reserved nature is actually a result of me being thoughtful and considerate of how I respond before I do so too rashly or even too arrogantly. Throw these struggles together into an interview setting, and tell me how I’m supposed to present myself well enough to be given a decent shot.
When I’m asked to tell people about myself, my first instinct is to ask if the questioning party has all day to talk about who I really am and what opportunities and experiences have shaped me into the person sitting across from them at the conference table. But I know what they really want is an award-winning speech that highlights the mediocre jobs that overlooked and exploited me that I’m supposed to have positive raving opinions about. I have to feel guilty for a five-year career gap, because pursuing my own creative dreams couldn’t possibly require the discipline and the dedication that a retail or corporate job does.
It just feels like my identity has to rely solely on the company I worked for, like I haven’t developed skills on my own or I haven’t grown outside the influence of that job. I know that’s not true, but I also know that an interview is no place to show people who you really are unless your whole identity is work, and the ambition and drive that’s required to do that work. I just wish it didn’t take me so long to convey who I am with spoken words.
If I could write about who I am, and all the ways I believe I could thrive in a position that aligns with a skillset that could be recognized and that could make a real impact, then I know I would feel more confident that I left it all in the interview room when I walked out the door. But I’ll have to settle for hoping that who I am is visible beneath the ramblings of someone who just doesn’t exclusively identify with what her resume says about her, and I’ll have to hope that this still matters.
If only I could have listed “Healing Journey” on the top to fill that noticeable career gap that is such a topic of intrigue and mystery for everyone. It makes the work I’ve done on myself to figure out who I am and what I really want out of my life and work seem like it doesn’t matter at all, when that might be the most meaningful work I’ve ever done in my life.
I just hope that I managed to shine through my objective accomplishments and hard skills and leave some kind of lasting impression behind that not only says, “I am human,” but also sends the message that I am worthy of success—career gap or not. I hope I conveyed that I’m still searching for a place I belong and can make a difference, and that I won’t rest until I find something that aligns with these core values.