So, I think I've posted before about being unsure about what I want to do, coming out of college. I have some good general ideas, but have had trouble nailing it to a specific career path. This really killed me in a recent interview - I did everything good and by the numbers, but the real killer was that I couldn't talk up enough why I wanted this particular role.
And the truth is... I'm not dying to break into anything exactly. Rather, I want to learn what it is I want to be doing on-the-job, by actually getting out there and working and getting to know the field better.
I'm not asking for advice on how to choose a job. I can think of different routes I'd like to go down. I'm just wondering how I can communicate honestly when I do have this inherent uncertainty about where I'm going.
I can't speak for anyone
I can't speak for anyone else, and I've hired someone to fill a mgmt. position fresh out of university, but I hire based on passion and potential. Experience helps, but I'll take potential over it any day. Part of potential, for me, is the candidate conveying that they're interested in being a part of my organization for the foreseeable future. Too many candidates, particularly young ones, show no interest in committing to any position or business for any longer than it requires to enable them to move upwards and outwards. I don't expect my hires to work for me forever. (As a matter of fact I don't want them to. I want them to be promoted with in my organization because they've learned how to use, and share, their passion and potential.) I expect them to show a genuine desire to be part of my organization and what we do, and stick with us for the long term. I want to see a commitment to knowing, understanding and delivering on our mission and vision.
You don't have to commit to a specific position or career path. You do have to commit to what a business represents and is trying to deliver. I suspect that what you're conveying is that you want a job, one that will pay the bills and hopefully create opportunities for you to better your situation. Recruiters/interviewers aren't interested in what they can do for you but what you can do for them. Now and down the road. Training and developing you takes time and money. If it appears you're just going to take that, then move on, forget being the successful candidate.
I won't presume to know what's in your mind, but will suggest that in the future you research the businesses you apply to and find out what they're about. Go into your interviews and let them know that you care about what they're offering; that you want to be an integral part of delivering it and have the education/experience; desire and potential to do so any way possible (as long as it's legal and ethical).
You titled your post, "Lack of enthusiasm..." Now that all of the above has been said, lack of enthusiasm, not lack of certainty about what you want to do professionally, is going to rule you out every time.
Thanks for the
Thanks for the feedback!
Yeah, since posting this I've chatted with a friend of mine who follows MT and another who doesn't, and they both agree with pretty much what you've said here.
Upon introspecting on it more, I was actually fairly dedicated to the position going in. I was enthusiastic and all gung-ho and ready to kick butt. But as the interview wore on, I realised the job wasn't quite exactly what I thought I was getting into. It was a *lot* more about number crunching and data verification than I had been led to believe. Even for an entry level position, it was more than I suppose I could pretend to be enthusiastic about. My thinking was, "Ok, fine, I'll be really committed to this and do an awesome job, just so I can get the opportunity to do even better stuff with you as I progress", but I think even that wasn't enough. There simply are people for whom, I suppose, this role was actually a lot more inspiring!
I was prepared to talk about how I was excited about what I could do to help them... but... yeah... I think I just ended up getting a bit side-swiped, and what I thought I would be doing for them was different than what the job ended up being.