Please don’t let one single unanswered email shape up how you feel about everything you did this week
You may have sent the application and followed up and had the interview and still be heading into Friday with absolutely nothing useful to tell the people who keep asking ‘Have you heard anything yet?’
And yes you’re allowed to find that question wildly irritating even when somebody asks it with only love for you
Waiting can make you forget that you’ve done things this week that took effort and nerve and way out of your warm cushy comfort zone which had a fair bit of talking yourself into it
You called somebody you hadn’t spoken to in years
You practised an answer out loud and finally found a way to explain the work you’ve always struggled to describe
You asked a proper question in the interview instead of smiling and saying everything sounded just lovely
Those things count even if nobody has offered you a job by Friday afternoon
Before you close the laptop take five minutes and write down one thing you handled better this week and what you did to make that happen
Be specific because ‘I felt more confident’ won’t give you much to use next time
‘I took a breath before answering and chose an example that actually matched the question’ gives you something you can do again
So does ‘I explained what I did without apologising for talking about myself’
That’s useful interview prep because you’re working out what helps you instead of spending the weekend picking apart everything you wish you’d said differently
You can still have things to improve and give yourself credit for the work you’ve already done
After years of being capable at work it can feel awful to find yourself waiting for somebody else to recognise what you bring but their reply time doesn’t wipe out your experiences
Your dog can spend an entire walk trying to persuade you to let her carry home a branch bigger than she is and still arrive home delighted because she got the walk and the sniffing and the time with you
She doesn’t write off the whole afternoon because you said no to the branch
That’s The Dog Code this Friday
Notice what went well and take something useful from it and then give yourself permission to enjoy the weekend while a few things stay unfinished
Your life is not a dress rehearsal so live like someone left the gate open
You may have sent the application and followed up and had the interview and still be heading into Friday with absolutely nothing useful to tell the people who keep asking ‘Have you heard anything yet?’
And yes you’re allowed to find that question wildly irritating even when somebody asks it with only love for you
Waiting can make you forget that you’ve done things this week that took effort and nerve and way out of your warm cushy comfort zone which had a fair bit of talking yourself into it
You called somebody you hadn’t spoken to in years
You practised an answer out loud and finally found a way to explain the work you’ve always struggled to describe
You asked a proper question in the interview instead of smiling and saying everything sounded just lovely
Those things count even if nobody has offered you a job by Friday afternoon
Before you close the laptop take five minutes and write down one thing you handled better this week and what you did to make that happen
Be specific because ‘I felt more confident’ won’t give you much to use next time
‘I took a breath before answering and chose an example that actually matched the question’ gives you something you can do again
So does ‘I explained what I did without apologising for talking about myself’
That’s useful interview prep because you’re working out what helps you instead of spending the weekend picking apart everything you wish you’d said differently
You can still have things to improve and give yourself credit for the work you’ve already done
After years of being capable at work it can feel awful to find yourself waiting for somebody else to recognise what you bring but their reply time doesn’t wipe out your experiences
Your dog can spend an entire walk trying to persuade you to let her carry home a branch bigger than she is and still arrive home delighted because she got the walk and the sniffing and the time with you
She doesn’t write off the whole afternoon because you said no to the branch
That’s The Dog Code this Friday
Notice what went well and take something useful from it and then give yourself permission to enjoy the weekend while a few things stay unfinished
Your life is not a dress rehearsal so live like someone left the gate open
Build on what went well in your next interview
The Dog Code gives you practical ways to stay calm, listen closely and explain your value when the questions get difficult
Get The Dog Code - AUD$7