Just fake it

My boyfriend was recently interviewing for jobs at large Law Firms, and at the end of one interview, he was told he could pose a question.

“Well,” he asked, “What exactly do you DO? I mean, I’ve taken classes and I know all the terminology, but once I’m alone in the office… What do I DO?”

The senior partner at the end of the long interview table smiled.

“You know, that’s a great question. On my first day twenty five years ago a secretary led me into my very own office. I was left alone at my desk, given a huge pile of papers, and she closed the door. Now I was thinking: What on earth do I DO with these documents???”

Well, that’s me right now. While I’m not a Lawyer, starting in any profession can be daunting. No matter how well educated you are, or how much experience you’ve had, nothing quite compares to that first day of work in a new environment.

So, what do you do? Just grin and go along with it. Smile and nod, even when you don’t know what the hell they’re talking about… quietly take note of any words or terminology that you’ll immediately Google search when they leave the room.

Just fake it, smile – even when you feel like crying because you just spilled coffee on your boss- because eventually, it’ll be fine.

And just remember. Even the big boss was once sitting alone in a room, asking himself, but- what do I really DO?!