Unhatched chickens

Today, I realized a new similarity between job hunting and dating. I knew there were similarities before: the endless mind games, showing your best self at all times, endless mind games, getting to know the other party, and, oh yeah, did I mention mind games? But today I realized that getting a call for an interview is a lot like getting asked on a date: a very complicated emotional maelstrom.

There may be excitement: "I can't believe they are interested in me! This is amazing"

Or anxiety: "What if I say something stupid?"

Panic: "An interview! Way too scary!"

Ambivalence: "Am I really interested?"

Mind-reading attempts: "Does this mean they think I'm qualified? Or just that they didn't get many who were better qualified? Is this a pity interview? They can't really want me, can they?"

And then there is the premature hypothesizing about your future with said company: Trying to envision yourself in a new place, pricing apartments, seeing what Wikipedia has to say about the location, planning moving costs, listing all the websites that would require an address change, wondering about your co-workers, your business cards, the stationary, whether you'll fit in, if you're up to the job that isn't yours and may not ever be, you've just made the first cut, it's JUST AN INTERVIEW for crying out loud!!! Stop planning your potential life! (And don't pretend like you haven't done this.)* 

It's overwhelming and nerve-wracking, stressful and exhausting. (And never helped by impending unemployment). Let's all make it easier on ourselves and take a step back.  Breathe deeply. Refocus. And repeat after me: "This is just an interview, not a lifetime commitment..." 

But feel free to include local grocery stores in your pre-interview research. 

*Of course, this leads to yet another similarity between dating and job hunting: rejection. But I don't think we need to go there.