I was LATE to my DREAM Internship Interview. Here’s How I still Got the Job:

Let’s backtrack for a minute. It was my junior year of college. The MOST IMPORTANT year to get a big internship. For my broadcast career, I needed a good internship to have a chance at a good job. I had applications out everywhere but the one I wanted (in my mind it was the one I needed) was at KDKA in Pittsburgh. KDKA was the only television station in the city to offer internships. There were two spots and everyone wanted one. KDKA appealed to me because I could live at home and it provided hands-on experience. I wouldn’t be running coffee orders; I would be out in the field getting real experience. 

I applied and heard nothing. Cue the anxiety. I debated taking another internship. I called KDKA. They said they haven’t filtered through all of the applications yet. Do I just accept another one to be safe? Nope. I turned down every single offer to wait for the chance of even getting a call from KDKA. My stomach physically hurt to think of the idea I wouldn’t have an internship for my junior year. After the semester had ended, I figured KDKA had already filled the spots. Feeling defeated, I took a job as a cocktail waitress.

During the first week at the new job, I got THE call. It was the call to come in for an interview. I couldn’t believe it. I HAD to get this internship. I literally didn’t have another option. I studied up for DAYS, every possible thing I could. I did mock interviews. I even bought a brand new suit jacket. 

Cue the big day. Here we go. Everything had to be PERFECT. I left my house TWO HOURS EARLY. It took 45 minutes to get into the city. Factor in 20 minutes to park and maybe 15 minutes to get inside of the building. If you know anything about math, you know I still had plenty of time left. That gave me time for any road bumps. Plus, I needed to be in the waiting room at least 15 minutes early. 

There was traffic getting into the city. Ok no big deal, I had factored that in. The GPS was routing me the quickest way to the station; PERFECT. Little did I know, the station was right in the heart of the city. All of a sudden, I saw a notification to get off at the next exit. Ok? Then, the GPS rerouted me because of construction. Ok no worries. Why does the GPS now want me to take this bridge? Whatever, the GPS knows this area better than I do. But wait, now I’m driving away from the city? Panic set in. Cars were honking at me to speed up. Where was I at? I couldn’t even see the city. I needed to pull over. I retyped the address back in. The GPS wouldn’t calculate a route. What? This can’t be happening to me. No, No, No. 20 minutes until my interview. I’m supposed to be getting ready to WALK IN to the building right now. They’re going to think I’m so unprepared. 

Tears welled up in my eyes. I spent an hour perfecting my makeup; I can’t ruin it. I felt hopeless. Why is this happening to me? Why can’t I just have something go my way? I was looking for someone to blame. My mom for not driving me? 'This isn't worth it,' I thought. I’m not meant to be happy. I should know my place. I put on my turn signal to get in the lane to go back home. 

I hate when that feeling comes over me. It’s not the first time and it definitely won't be the last. It’s like I have this little devil on my shoulder telling me I’m not worth it. I’m not worth anything to anyone. A voice SCREAMING that I will always be nothing. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t give into that voice sometimes. 

In that moment, one of those thoughts was that I had nothing left to lose. So I fixated on that for a second. I literally didn’t have anything left to lose. So why not go to the interview late? Just try. So I did. I wiped the running mascara from my face and prayed the GPS could get me through the last few miles. 

My interview was supposed to start 5 minutes ago. I pulled into the nearest parking garage and of course, paid top dollar because of it. I SPRINTED to the building and busted through the doors to the waiting room. I definitely wasn’t that calm and collected girl I had envisioned. I immediately began apologizing to the secretary and tried to explain the GPS issues. She said they would interview me after the next girl. 

There were 2 other candidates in the waiting room. I felt like both of them were laughing at me inside of their heads. I knew I looked like a mess. Their first thought was probably that they won’t have to worry about me as competition. I felt like that too. What was I going to say? I missed my original slot time. Do I lie? From my personal experience, and if this ever happens to you, do NOT lie. The only thing you can do is be honest. We are all human. 

A woman called my name to come back. I could have sworn my heart was beating through my chest. I was so nervous. My mind was jumbled and my makeup was ruined. I was led into a huge conference room where two women were waiting for me. Here we go. 

I immediately apologized for being late. It’s rude to not acknowledge it. I explained how I left two hours early and my GPS took me on a rat race. There was construction and I had never driven through this part of the city. I concluded with a joke about how GPS’s will be the death of me. That was it. I couldn’t fixate on it any longer. I had to redeem myself. I think that’s something we all tend to do. We fixate on things that need to be let go. We dwell on what can't be changed instead of moving forward.

I needed a clear head space to answer these questions. I took a deep breath. Time to be confident. I'm a big proponent of faking it til' ya make it. No one wants an employee that will cave under pressure. Especially as a girl, I don't ever want to be perceived as weak. The women started rattling off questions. I answered the first question in the same rehearsed way I had a million times before in my bedroom mirror. I sounded stiff. This isn't me. No one wants a robot. 

"How do you break down complex information for viewers?"

A week prior, I was explaining Brexit to my friends. I compared it to the band One Direction breaking up. Absolutely DO NOT bring up One Direction during a job interview that your career depends on, Michelle.

Here we go. YOLO.

"Have you ever heard of the band One Direction? Well, they just recently broke up...."

By this point, these women have interviewed 100 candidates before me. I'm sure they've heard every generic scripted response in the book. I had to give them something to remember me by (aside from being extremely late to the interview). I needed to make my interview worth their time. 

There's absolutely a balance between being personable and being professional. The best thing you can do during an interview is find the balance. Look for opportunities where your personality can shine. Playing it safe doesn't always put you ahead. It makes you blend in.

I left the interview confident, which was weird considering I went in trying not to cry. A week later, I got the position. Two of us were hired as interns. They interviewed over 200 candidates. Yup, the girl who was late ended up getting the job. 

Stuff happens. It's more important to focus on how we handle it. I believe this to be true; sometimes our biggest enemy can be our own doubt. Focus on what you're good at and who you are as a person. Lastly, don't let ANYONE, including your own fears, knock you down.