Was it something I said?

So a few weeks ago – 29 days ago, to be exact – I had what seemed to be a very promising interview with what seemed to be a very interesting PR company. I thought I had done fairly well, and they told me they’d get back to me within a week and a half or so.

Clearly, something went terribly, terribly wrong. I haven’t heard from them since.

Granted, it’s not unusual (at least in my experience… is it just me?) for a company to mysteriously forget all about you after you’ve come in for an interview. With thingz bein’ the way thingz is and with jobs in such high demand, sometimes, I suppose, one of the many interviewees is bound to fall through the cracks.

But get this – they had called ME to come in for an interview, and they said they were only interviewing three people. Whatever crack I stepped in must’ve been a big one, ‘cause it seems like, given the situation, I should have been a little harder to overlook.

Talk about the cold shoulder. Did I have something in my teeth? Did I look fat in my skirt suit? Was it something I said?

Weeelllllllll….. yeah, it might have been something I said.

Listen up, all you job-hunters. This is something we’ve all heard about 8 million times and eventually you just go “WE EFFING KNOW, OKAY?!” But… I thought I knew too. Always, ALWAYS know WHY you’re interviewing somewhere and WHAT that place does, lest you run into this situation:

PR Man: So, Marika, why this company? What about what we do in PR intrigues you?
Marika: [stunned silence as I try to remember what the HELL a PR company does] Well… I mean, you know, politics has been fun, but PR is… well… I mean…
PR Man: So basically, you’re just looking for another job?
Marika: [sighs, resigned] Basically.

I looked the part. I smiled, made eye contact. and was well-spoken (for the most part). I had my resume, I had my neat little portfolio. I’d researched the company, I knew who ran every department, I knew who all their clients were… but I had no idea what they actually DID for those clients... whoops.

My advice: well, just don’t do that. Easy enough, right?