A few short years ago I was a college senior sending frantic emails and uploading resumes on company websites; as I reflect on that time I realize how many people I know going through that same phase now. Not just college seniors but anyone on the verge of a job change. It can be a little intimidating.
I was recently talking interview time slot strategy with a friend. She is one of six candidates being interviewed for a single position with all of the interviews occurring on the same day (good luck to that bunch of interviewers, because that sounds absolutely exhausting). She selected an interview spot in the middle of the day. She was second-guessing whether she should have picked first to set the bar high or chose the last slot so that she would be the final candidate they hear and be fresh in their minds. Here's the big secret that HR departments everywhere should yell at the top of their lungs in interviews but they don't: congrats, you got an interview, you're already ahead of almost everyone that applied for the job. If you've never applied for a competitive job you don't understand. My last stretch of job searching had me submit almost 200 resumes, many cover letters, get a few interviews, and receive no word on whether or not I got the job. (Pet peeve: after an interview when you never hear from the company again, even after you reach out to see if you got the job! Nothing irks me quite like those people and companies!)
The job market is scary. You never know how many people you are competing against to get an interview in the first place. One of my very first interviews in Des Moines was with Hy-Vee. The interview went very well and in the end they selected a different candidate because she had more experience than me with Outlook Mail (still a little miffed at such a small thing in a simple computer program). However that interview will forever stick with me for a single reason: they congratulated me on getting an interview. They told me they received over 150 applications for the position and were interviewing 8 people. I was special and I appreciated knowing I had what it took to succeed in the job market.
So back to the title of the post. Do you want the first spot, middle spot, or last spot in an interview? It doesn't matter. You are you, you got an interview. You could set the bar high by going first and shining or be the absolute worst candidate in person they meet and committee hopes the caliber of candidates sky rockets after you. Or you could go last and leave a great final memory in the committees' mind. They also could be mentally checked out from interviewing too many people that day or simply have their mind made up by the time they get to you, meaning you don't stand a chance no matter what you say. The middle could go either way, perhaps you are forgotten by the end but eons ahead of the first candidate they met. There is no perfect spot. Say the right things in the interview and let your resume speak for itself. You are great. And if they didn't like your resume in the first place they wouldn't have contacted you to set up an interview in the first place. Honesty and truth can succeed but don't be afraid to talk yourself up; now is not the time to be humble. The perfect slot is just in the interview itself.
Congratulations to all job seekers out there that have an interview coming up, I'm proud of you. If you keep suffering through interviews with no luck, you'll make it. People like your resume and eventually someone will like you in person too. Your time to shine will be here soon.
