Thriving Scholar — Executive Coaching & Leadership
The Interview I Failed
Jaineel Mistry
This week was an emotionally draining week.
On Monday we got an email that informed us that the school we wanted to send our daughter to, did not give her a spot following her 4+ assessment.
Firstly, it’s crazy to think that 3 year olds have 50 minute assessments to see whether they are a right fit for a school – but I won’t go into that rabbit hole about our education system.
My wife and I spent months prepping her for it and so the decision stung early this week.
We felt deflated, annoyed, and hard done by.
But then it reminded me of the times in my life when things didn’t go as I had wanted them, but it worked out even better than I could even imagine.
Back in 2011, I had just completed a summer placement at Astra Zeneca in Cheshire, the pharmaceutical company. I was applying for my pre-registration place (a year of training as a pharmacist before you qualify).
I applied for a spot at Pfizer, one of the world’s largest pharma companies.
As I sat in Waterloo train station about to head to Sandwich in Kent, I was full of confidence and optimism following my recent experience at Astra Zeneca.
I headed to Kent and stayed the night there. I woke up fresh, ready to give this a good shot.
As I rolled up onto the campus, I was amazed at how big it was. It felt like a village with immaculate buildings. I could definitely work here for a year.
The interview went very well, so I thought.
A week or so later, my dad had to have an emergency operation as he visited family in the East Midlands.
So I found myself in hospital by his bedside in Derby after his op as he was recovering.
As I pull out my phone from my right pocket, and casually opened my email inbox, I see an email from Pfizer stating I was not successful in getting a place.
My heart sank. I felt defeated. My mind tried to make sense of it.
It took me a few days to get over it but as with anything in life, we have to get back up.
And so I did.
Eventually, I got a pre-reg spot at St George’s Hospital in South London.
And you know what?
It was one of the best years of my life. I and 11 other pre-regs had such a great year.
I also met Sandeep, a now close friend of mine who I subsequently went backpacking with across South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
And guess what happened at Pfizer after all of that?
They shut down that whole site in Kent a few months after they interviewed me.
The 4 pre-regs that were selected were left scrambling to find a last minute spot elsewhere.
The lesson here is obvious.
Our life experience teaches us that the Universe is always working out for us.
In the moment, it feels painful, unfair, and unjust.
But life is always working for you.
As Steve Jobs said in his infamous speech, ‘you can only connect the dots looking backwards…’
Where in life do you practice more faith and knowing that, in the grand scheme of things, no matter how rough it is now, life is always working for you.
Have faith and take the next step with certainty and knowing, it IS working out.
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