(18, WA, USA) Maira - Interview Day

Clothes flew out of my closet. “This is too ugly, this is too casual, and this is too bright,” I said in agony. My bed had countless articles of clothing splayed across it and green, red, blue, yellow, grey, and black-colored clothing intermixed with my white sheets. I had carelessly tossed hangers all over my bedroom floor. This outfit needed to be perfect. I had tirelessly scrolled through Indeed for the past two weeks applying to every job I saw, and I curated a resume to showcase my talents. Everyone is looking for employees, yet no one is willing to hire me. It is insanely difficult to find a place inclined to hire a sixteen-year-old with no work experience, and that is why this interview needed to go perfectly. After at least twenty minutes of endless searching, I came out with a black crew neck and a green plaid skirt. Still casual but a little more dressy, and it seemed put together enough to do the job. Going to the closest mirror, I applied a thin layer of cushion foundation that would cover my redness. Next was concealer to cover up the dark circles I had gotten from worrying. After, I applied a pink blush to the apples of my cheeks to bring a nice glow to my face. For eyeshadow, I used a cream shade to coat my lid and a darker tan to define the sides of my eyes. I topped off the look with some mascara and lip gloss. I pulled half of my hair into a small ponytail to give off a more mature look. “Great, now I look the part!” “Okay, keys check, resume check, wallet check, I am ready to go.” I hopped into my black Hyundai Accent. My heart raced throughout the drive. The sun was almost blinding as I lowered my sun visor. As I inched closer and closer to my destination, the nerves seemed to take over. At every stop light, I tapped on the steering wheel. My anxiety seemed to be taking over. I parked and re-parked my car at least three times just to delay my entrance. I pulled out my phone to see that it was only 11:45 and the interview was at noon. I had fifteen minutes to pull myself together. I checked my reflection in my rearview one last time to ensure I looked decent. I took multiple deep breaths to calm myself down as I walked toward the food court. The area contained five restaurants and tables arranged throughout the space. I walked past an array of different people. The mall was bustling at total capacity this morning. I sat at a nearby table, waiting for the line to slow down before appearing for the interview. In the noisy atmosphere, my head began to spin all the words I heard slurred together. After calming my eyes for a few seconds, I stood slowly, thinking I could do this. I walked towards the store with the white and yellow neon sign. “Hi! I’m here for an interview,” I said with a soft smile. “Okay, have a seat at that table, and I will be right out. Would you like anything to drink?” The lady said kindly.“Sure, I’ll have a lemonade. Thank you!” My feet carried themselves over to the table; Her politeness had calmed my nerves. I saw her walk over with the drinks in hand. She was on the shorter side and had a short black bob. She seemed to be more mature, around her 40s. “Hi, my name is Young, and you must be Maira. I’m one of the owners and will be doing your interview today.” “Yes, I am; it is nice to meet you!” Young had a compelling way of speaking. Her voice projected across the room. She asked if I had ever ordered at Subway before to see if I had any background knowledge. I had and explained to her my favorite sandwich was the Veggie Delite. I told her I enjoyed fast-paced work environments because I disliked being bored. We seemed to both relate to this, making my heart stop pounding out of my chest. “This location receives many customers because it is inside the food court. You will do way less standing around than at the other Subways in the area. It is also way more entertaining than retail jobs” I felt more at ease now my legs were no longer shaky. She continued talking and stated that this job had less prep than other fast food restaurants like Mcdonald's or Wendy's. She said it would be the most straightforward food job to complete if I was interested in the others.“How many hours are you looking to work a week?” She asked. “Around 20 to 30 hours,” I replied. “Okay perfect!” She continued talking about how the only challenging aspect was memorizing the meats and learning how to do the cleaning properly. Young informed me that if I got hired, “you must complete a University of Subway training course and obtain a food workers card.” The pay was 15 dollars an hour plus tips which would lead to me eventually making more than I would have at the other jobs I applied for. “Okay, do you have any questions for me?” Young said. “I do not think I do,” I replied. “Great, I will talk to the manager, and you should know the results by tonight.” “Thank you so much!” I said with relief washing over me. At 8 o’clock, I received the news that I had gotten the job. Four months later, I am still working at Subway and gained communication and customer service skills that I would never have had. Before I started this job, I was timid and reserved. The near-constant interactions with strangers pushed me out of my shell into the real world. The kindness of my coworkers and their knowledge have added to my repertoire. Dealing with customers makes you appreciate the workers you never acknowledged before.