My Calvin Johnson Blog

Mr. Mill Lennial, "I never felt more confident as I approached my interviewer, Mr. Blindstudents (Mr. B), in an attempt to land my dream job within their company called Today's Current Economy, Inc. I had always wanted this job from before I could remember.

My credentials were superb, and I knew of the substantial power of my subconscious mind to visualize the desired result of what I wanted already to be in existence. I already had envisioned myself working with the company, from what I did and how I felt, down to the very shoes I wore to work everyday!

I had already envisioned Mr. B saying to me, "you're hired", before I even shook his hand to begin my interview. I knew my desired outcome to be definite and inevitable. This fact made me fearless. However, what I didn't know was that my interview would go so horrible for all the right reasons, and almost cost me my life-long dream! What I didn't know, was what it really took to land that job within Today's Current Economy, Inc. Who would've thought that my splendid credentials and accomplishments on its lonesome proved to be the attempted murderers who almost killed my dream. Here's how my interview went...

Mr. B, "Welcome Mr. Lennial, glad you could make it, and on time as well. Impressive."
Mill, "Thank you very much for providing me with the opportunity to be here. It has always been my dream to work with you guys."
Mr. B, "Really? Wow!"

At this point I'm figuring that I have this interview in the bag. We sat down at a large round brown table, and I briefly glanced around the room at the tons of pictures, filled with words, hanging on the walls. If I had paid better attention to these pictures at the time, the interview would have gone a lot smoother. Mr. B sat back in his chair, loosened his tie, and crossed his feet on the table as if he were about to go to sleep! As I anxiously waited in silence for two minutes of eternity, the interview then continued...

Mr. B, "Okay Mill. Your appearance got you pass the most important part of this interview, the first five seconds. Now being that you're a college graduate, and you're here right now, you're obviously not a part of the 60% of college interns who automatically land full time jobs. So I'm going to ask you one question. If I love your answer, you're hired, and if I don't like your answer, you're dismissed. My question for you is... what makes you qualified to work with us?"

What?! That's it!? Oh I got this.

Mill, "Well Mr. B, I am a college graduate with a Masters in this company's field of work."
Mr. B, "Yawn!"
Mill, "I received straight A's throughout my entire collegiate career, and graduated with honors with a 4.0!"
Mr. B, "Yawn!"
Mill, "I am also a proud member of a prestigious fraternity with a well documented history."
Mr. B, "Yawn!"
Mill, "I have letters of recommendation from top professors at my university. I also have one of the top IQ levels within my entire generation in the United States."
Mr. B, "How cute. Yawn!"
Mill, "I've wanted this since childhood, and I have a few months of experience in this field of work."
Mr. B, "Yawn! Yawn! Okay I've heard enough you're dismissed."

I was dumbfounded.

Mill, "Huh? Wait. What do you mean dismissed? I risked everything to be here and land this job!"

As I said that, he looked up at me and told me something that changed my life. He told me what the entire Educational System, throughout all my years of high school and college, somehow forgot to mention.

Mr. B stated, "Mill, look at these pictures of words on the wall. Persistence, hard work, dedication, strength, motivation, integrity, loyalty, faith, courage. These are what will guarantee you any job. The problem is many of you students pursue college like you pursue high school, with the assumption that real success on one level guarantees you success on the next. What guarantees you success on any level is success in life, in yourself.

You hear the whole 'just Get A Degree then Get A Job' talk so much that you forget what's now necessary in today's world to not only excel and be successful, but to land that job to begin with, which is to also Get A Life In The Process! Your credentials are quite impressive, but it doesn't show me you can succeed on this level, which is the real world.

Your straight A's show me that you're simply a bookworm who studied all the time and aced tests. Welcome to the real world. Your Masters degree is an extraordinary accomplishment, but if we can hire someone for a much cheaper salary, who brings more of these words on the wall to the table than just a degree, he/she will always get the job whether or not they've even attended college! Welcome to the real world. Your IQ level shows me that you're smart. That's it. Having great ideas are just fractions however, it's matching ideas with greatness which is everlasting. Welcome to the real world.

I've instantly hired high school dropouts who came in here, walked around the room, and explained to me why each of the words in these pictures applied to their characters. You must realize that in the successful suit of business, degrees and intelligence are good looks, but they are never a perfect fit without the shoes, socks, tie, belt, etc. Those accessories are persistence, hard work, dedication, strength, motivation, integrity, loyalty, faith, and courage for starters. A man is made up of the accessories he wears.

Our company's, Today's Current Economy, Inc., motto comes from our 30th President Calvin Coolidge which states 'Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.'"

My heart sank. I was about to cry until Mr. B got up and walked towards the pictures and said,

"Now allow me to inform you why You're Hired! You showed persistence and determination when you job shadowed one of our executives and came in our office nine times this week asking for an interview. Your credentials do show me that you are a hard worker. You showed courage and strength by staying in the office and challenging my decision after I said that you were dismissed.

You showed motivation by continuing to pursue your passion to work with us ever since childhood, and not listening to society which usually drifts people away from their passions. You showed respect for us with your appearance. You showed faith with your confident demeanor. It is because of these reasons why you are perfectly qualified to work with Today's Current Economy, Inc. Congratulations Mr. Mill Lennial!"

The interview that almost cost me my dream instead made it a reality!