Job Search 13: Dealing with Stress
The wait to hear back from the recruiter is the worst part in many ways. Some might argue that hearing back from an application is the worst, but for me, after each interview, waiting to find out if you made it to the next round is the worst. In this week’s post, I am going to share my experience. The takeaway is that you are not alone. Yes, it is tough. The waiting game is horrible.
During the Interview
I will start by sharing my feelings during the interview loop. In today’s interview world, we have remote interviews that are spread across two days.
What is Nice
Doing back-to-back interviews was never the best test of someone’s performance. So breaking your interviews into two days is really helpful to improve your performance overall. You can prepare between sessions and focus your preparation for each set of interviews differently, reducing your feeling of overwhelm.
What is Less Nice
BUT if you are prone to anxiety and worry, it is very much a double-edged sword. You have to sleep between sessions, but your brain can get stuck in a loop of anxiety between sessions. Or so, that is what happens to me.
What happened to me
My first interview went okay. I had forgotten what it feels like to interview at Amazon. No matter how strong your response is, they will find poking questions to test you. I felt okay about my performance but was fixating on what went wrong. Then, I had an hour's break and my technical interview. I always knew this one would be rough. I am not technical by nature. Ironically, most engineers like working with me and say I am the best PM they have ever worked with, but the reasons given are different. Over time, I have found engineers respect me because I learn enough about the technology to move the product forward but also because I will adjust my plans based on new data, even if it means pivoting from a strongly held belief. I make decisions with imperfect data.
That night, I gave up studying. I sanded down a table. And I had a few drinks.
The next day, I walked in with an attitude, “It will be what it will be.” The interviews went well.
Then The Wait
The next week was hell. It was a holiday weekend, and they had five business days to get back to me. So, I have been waiting for a final call on my interview. My recruiter has been positive, but getting to sleep has been tough.
Again, I shared this to help you understand that stressing is normal. We are all different. And even your coach, who gives tough feedback, feels terrible after an interview.
