We all know that job searching is fraught. It's stressful, full of rejection, and relatively high-stakes. I came up with this spread earlier this week before a job interview, looking for something to help me ground myself. This isn't a spread about finding a job, or general work-related questions; I designed it specifically to help calm my nerves before my interview! If interview jitters are something you face, maybe this spread can help.
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Here are the four cards I pulled for my spread. See the descriptions below.
CARD 1: The Querent
Representing me at this moment, the six of swords shows a small boat with obscured figures gliding away. This card reminds me that at this point in my life, I'm not searching for highly visible status-oriented work. In fact, over the last few months, I realized that stability is one of my highest priorities for the workplace.
CARD 2: What grounds you
I like to read court cards as a point of view, or motto. The king of wands makes his decisions based on his passions, but such passion is tempered by his experience. I year ago, I felt more like the knight of wands: Exuberant, forward-thinking, and spontaneous. The king uses this very same energy to drive him, but he looks back on the lessons he's learned over his life. This attitude keeps his decisions sincere and practical. I'm reminded that, however this interview turns out, I have learned a lot in my journey, and that is worth something.
CARD 3: Something to calm you
Right before I go in for an interview--like when I'm sitting in the lobby, waiting, sipping on my coffee--is when I start to lose focus. The immediacy of it overwhelms me a bit, and I feel myself getting worked up. At that point, I need something to just calm me down. I'm never really happy to see the Emperor, as he represents some values that don't resonate with me (authority, paternalism). In this context, though, he reminds me that I am the only expert in my unique personal experience. However my interviewers choose to evaluate me, I know that I am the authority on my own life.
CARD 4: Something to give you confidence
Now that you're grounded and calm, you're ready for a confidence boost! I'll admit I was a bit surprised to see the placid seven of pentacles. He is quietly waiting for his crops to ripen, knowing that there's nothing more he can do at this point but wait for the harvest. There's reassurance in knowing that you've already put the work in, and that it's time to let it all play out. He reminds me that my confidence doesn't have to take the form of being showy, and that calmly letting things unfold is its own power.
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After I finished this spread, I took out my notebook that I bring to job interviews. I wrote a little summary of my spread, so that I could look down and read it if I started to get nervous. Based on the four cards, I noted:
I am seeking calm. Experience tempers my passion. I am the expert on my decisions. Confidence may manifest as patience.
It's too soon to know the results of the interview, but experientially, I can say that doing this spread beforehand definitely helped ground me in the confidence of my values. Could you see yourself doing a spread like this before a job interview? Do you even get job interview jitters? Are there other parts of the job-search process that you think tarot could help you with? Let us know in the comments!
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