Getting Hired.

Faith. Hope. Love. And the greatest of these is LOVE.

Commitment. Competence. Character. And the greatest of these is CHARACTER.

Being a fresh graduate hired by Fortune 500's #9 of the 2010 Top Companies was such an achievement for me, then. Getting an interview call from Fortune 500's #3 of the 2012 Top Companies was another achievement unlocked. Being Business Planning Associate, at 23, for the country's most diversified conglomerate was surreal for me. Handling VisMin operations for the country's top real estate company was way too much my expectations.

Was I competent? Maybe. Was I committed? Very much. Do I have good character? Maybe.

In all my job interviews, I noticed what Human Resources Team and Top Executives are looking for: great character. Nearing college graduation, the most important line that stuck into my head: sell yourself. In any interview, I practiced how selling myself would be like. And in every interview, I didn't get much that chance because the questions of the interviewer were not the same as the ones I rehearsed in my head. I had to go with the flow.

Swimming where the waters will take me during the interview allowed me to show the interviewers my character. No, I'm not a very good person but I believe, I'm not one of the worst, either. Going with the flow allowed me to be more at ease with myself during the interview. I remembered one interview with the AVP and I was so eager to sell myself I couldn't get any chance. The AVP was talking about his son. He was asking me about my love life, etc. The interview ended without me selling myself. I panicked. I went to the room of the VP after, and he looked at my paper with all the comments from HR, the manager and the AVP, read my write-up (my answer to the essay question) and smiled. "Ininterview ka na pala ni Mayo. Ok na.", then smiled again.

I was like: What just happened? Am I hired? Can you please ask me questions? I so wanna sell myself. Fortunately, I got hired. And up until this day, I am wondering what part of the interview made them like me.

So character. Anyone can be as competent as you. Anyone can take masters and graduate just like you. Anyone can work their asses off day and night just like you. But one can never be you.

Just be you - that best version of you.