Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone: My Experience with In Person Job Applications

The Amal Academy fellowship came with a task which made me a bit afraid but at the same time it made me step out of my comfort zone and do something different, go to a company and tell the receptionist I need to talk to the HR and give my resume and cover letter in person.

The companies I visited were Nishat Denim, Nimir Chemicals, and Sapphire for positions related to SAP, internships, preferably.

What was even harder than the interview? Waiting! In all companies, there was some time interval between when my interview was scheduled and when I would enter the HR office and start the interview process. During this time, I was keep thinking about all kinds of possible questions and the answers I could give which may go wrong. Honestly, the waiting period became much harder than the actual interview.

I found everything easy once inside the HR office. In Nishat Denim, it was Rafique; in Nimir Chemicals, it was Kamal Nasir; and at Sapphire, it was Mudassar. All interviews were done very easily; I could see that they really appreciated that I was coming there in person instead of only applying through email. It was really important for me to send follow-up e-mails afterwards.

The lesson I learned from this experience is that anticipation is nearly always more frightening than the event itself. On one occasion when I sat down face to face with a person, all of my nerves were gone, and I could speak comfortably about myself and my interest in SAP.

For the next time, however, I will try preparing a brief introduction in advance just in case my brain stops working for a moment. This lesson has shown me that sometimes, taking that extra mile really pays off, as long as I literally go in there!