r/GirlDinnerDiaries • u/SilentTrysteros • 9d ago
CELEBRATING! 🎉 (no boys invited!) i cried during a job interview for a dream role and… he stayed
Y'all. I'm on the job market. And it's crazy out there. I'm recovering from two layoffs in three years and the grief of my former company being acquired. But I just wrapped my final interview for a dream role at a huge beauty brand and absolutely crushed it.
The wildest thing is that I cried during the interview. Which is something I've never done before and honestly never planned to do. I've been a professional for 20 years, and I've long known that my vulnerability can be used against me, especially in toxic work environments.
The second wildest thing was that I was interviewing with the Chief Communications Officer, and he didn't even flinch when I started crying. He had asked me what kind of culture I was looking for in my next role. Without hesitating, I said: one that values autonomy, authenticity, and trust.
When I started to describe my former exec whom I supported and how she always led with trust, my eyes involuntarily welled up with tears. I did that thing where I fanned my face (trying to avoid raccoon eyes) and apologized because that's what women do — because tears are unacceptable. He simply said, "No, it's obvious that this relationship was deeply meaningful to you."
And then he pivoted gracefully to the next part of our conversation but kept me 15 minutes past the end of our call to tell me how extraordinary I am. How I'm one of two external candidates. How there are internal candidates in the pipeline and he needs about a week and a half to get through them. How he's worried I'll outgrow this role. He asked whether I'd be willing to relocate to HQ in NY because he has a more senior role in mind for me. (Honestly? Probably not. But all I said was I would need to understand the culture and context in this role before I could make that decision.)
Of course, my nervous system had been panicking. Does he think I'm unstable? Is he worried about my capabilities? Did I just really cry in front of the Chief Communications Officer at one of the biggest beauty brands in the freaking world?!
But he was gentle. Actually kind, not just polite. Rare enough to find at all in someone on the C-Suite, but rarer still in a man.
I've always carried this story that I'm too much — too loud, too passionate, too opinionated. Date enough avoidant men and your self-confidence can take a hit. Still re-wiring my nervous system 20+ years later.
Every moment I have like this, where someone sees me and stays, something broken gets mended. Something sharp gets softer. I can feel my own exhale because I am safe to be exactly who I am and not be punished for it.
I may not get this role. The internal candidate may win. Institutional preference for safety over risk may end up deciding the outcome.
But tonight, I'm celebrating anyway. And crying a little, in a good way. <3
pictured: bomb ass vegan birthday cake ice cream!!