God showed up in my interview!
The other day, I had a job interview in a long line of interviews and background checks for a position that I’m applying for. This interview was the standard “getting to know you” type, where the interviewers wanted to see if I was a good fit for that job and department. I prepared for it with the time I had, and was focused as I could be.
I usually center myself by thinking first of what it means to be spiritually ready, then mentally ready, and finally, what it looks like to be physically prepared. Spiritually, my mind was set on getting out of God’s way. I wanted there to be less of me so that He could become greater (John 3:30). That way, He would receive the ultimate glory. Mentally, I reminded myself to be calm and confident with my answers at the ready. And physically, I set myself up for success by controlling my breathing, rate of speech, and posture.
As the interview rolled around, much of it was exactly as expected: “Tell me about yourself” and “Why do you want this job?” However, the last question of the interview was, “Tell us about a time you faced a challenge and how you overcame it.” With my mind set on getting out of God’s way so that He could get attention and glory, I heard the Spirit tell me to speak to my faith. So I answered the question by speaking to my last few years of collegiate sports and how difficult they were for me.
For context, I ran track and field, and I took it very seriously. From the workouts to the sleep and nutrition, I always made sure to do everything “right”–to an obsessive extent, even. However, even when I did everything by the book, those last two years, I was met with poor performance after poor performance. This tested my faith like nothing ever had. And to overcome this challenge, I learned that I had to trust God with every part of me, every step of the way. And while I wish I could say that this lesson helped me to turn my last two seasons of track around, that is not what happened. I ended my collegiate career on a bittersweet note, and life moved on.
And as I spoke of these challenges in my interview, I heard the Spirit tell me to talk about how He helped me through them. And so I used the opportunity to outright proclaim my faith in God and explain that trusting Him was how I overcame the challenge. Then, to my surprise, both of my interviewers came out and spoke about their faith in God and how it has helped them overcome insurmountable challenges in their own careers. It made for a rather beautiful moment in what was supposed to be a professional setting.
I left the spot feeling encouraged and thankful to God. And, I am happy to say that I made it to the next round of interviews! Praise Him for His faithfulness!
