What the Interview Games Taught Me (Besides Emotional Acrobatics and How to Cry Quietly During a Zoom Call)

Let’s be honest: job searching in 2025 feels less like a professional journey and more like a bizarre, corporate-themed version of The Hunger Games. The rules are unclear. The obstacles are random. And somewhere along the way, someone always says, “We’ll be in touch,” right before they vanish like smoke in an HR-approved magic trick.

But one thing I’ve learned from these endless interview games?

You can still get back up.

Even after being ghosted.

Even after rewriting your résumé 19 times.

Even after completing a four-part behavioral assessment that asked if you’d rather be a flamingo or a stapler in a crisis.

You can get back up—with humor. With faith. With the resilience of a sleep-deprived raccoon who’s been through it, knows where the snacks are, and still believes that trash can might contain treasure.

I’ve been there. The rejection. The endless waiting. The “you’re overqualified” emails that somehow hurt more than the “we’ve moved in another direction” ones.

I’ve been told I’m impressive, then ignored.

I’ve done six interviews and a case study just to be passed over for someone’s cousin.

I’ve tried to stay professional while wondering if the Lord Himself might just need to descend from Heaven and submit my application personally.

But even in all that—what I’ve found is this:

Laughter is oxygen.

Faith is fuel.

And getting knocked down doesn’t mean you’ve failed—it just means you’re in the arena.

Because the truth is, this season teaches you more than how to answer “Tell me about yourself” without crying. It teaches you to keep showing up when it’s hard. To find purpose even when you don’t have a paycheck. To believe that God is still working, even in the silence.

And yes, to survive like the raccoon—unbothered, unhinged, and still thriving against all odds.

No one prepares you for the emotional cardio of this process.

No one tells you how weird it gets when you start saying things like, “This is a character-building season,” while holding back tears in a Dollar Tree parking lot.

But here’s what I do know:

You’re not alone.

You’re not forgotten.

And the job doesn’t define your worth—the fact that you keep getting up does.

So if you’re still applying, still refreshing your inbox, still laughing through the chaos—

Congratulations.

You’re winning the Interview Games.

And when you finally get that offer?

Oh, it’s going to hit different.

Because you didn’t just survive the system.

You kept your joy intact.

And that? That’s no small thing.