Personal Experience Essay On First Job Inteview: How I Became A Snowboard Instructor

My First Job

I never planned on becoming a snowboard instructor. It was a random day in October when I stumbled upon a poster hanging in my school for a job fair at the local ski hill. I didn't know what to make of it, and I debated even going. Just days before I had discussed getting a job with my family.

They didn't outright reject the idea, but they cautioned me not to get my hopes up if I didn't get hired anywhere.

They told me I was only sixteen, and that would limit my options, and maybe it would be better if I waited a year or two until I was ready. It was apparent that they didn't have any faith in me as far as the job search went. A part of me knew their argument made sense, I was young and inexperienced in pretty much everything. Still, a larger part of me knew that I was ready to try, and I couldn't have lived with myself if I had passed up an opportunity to apply for a dream job like this.

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I walked into the job fair with my hands shaking. All of my faith had flown out the window on the drive there. I printed my name neatly on the paper and waited to be called for my interview. The longer I sat the more fear began to eat at my resolve. There was no longer a reel of positive thoughts running through my head but rather an endless commentary of doubts.

Would I mess up? What if I embarrass myself? Am I even good enough at snowboarding? What if they're right and I'm not ready?

As I sat there pondering my fate I reminded myself why I was there. I loved snowboarding, and I wanted to share that passion. I was responsible, and a friendly person that could handle this responsibility. All of these assurances evaporated as soon as I saw a man walking toward me clipboard in hand. “Noelle?” “Is there a Noelle here?” I tentatively raised my hand and he ushered me forward.

We began with vague pleasantries and simple questions like where I went to school. My heart was beating a million miles a minute but I was still okay. Then, he asked what I assumed he thought as the dealmaker or breaker question, “Why do you want to be a snowboard instructor?”

My mind froze, but that didn't matter. By the time I had conjured a logical answer in my head my heart had already spoken for me, explaining my passion for the sport and my genuine interest in continuing the sport for the next generation of snowboarders. As soon as I began to explain my heartfelt interest in the job the rest began to flow easily. The exchange continued on amicably with few pauses, and the questions seemed to only become easier. Eventually the interview ended due to time constraints, and not some massive error on my part. I shook his hand and left with the vague assurance that I would know in a few weeks if I had the job.

I may have left that lodge that day not knowing if I succeeded in getting the job, but I left knowing that I had succeeded in something. I had overcome my families belief that I was not ready, and instilled in myself the belief that I could do great things, so long as I believed in myself and genuinely wanted it. That one simple interview inspired a confidence in me completely independent of others, the way true self-confidence should be.