A great shock at a university mock interview...

As a business professional, I have opportunities to conduct mock interviews with university students, specifically in the hospitality management program.

The first interview that I was to conduct was a young girl that appeared in clothing that at best should only be worn in the privacy of your home, including what appeared to be bedroom slippers. I could not believe that this would be my first interview or that she would show up for a mock interview in the attire that she had on, better yet even go to class like that but that did not impact how I interacted with her. I treated her with respect.

We had the longest conversation ever! She literally is a genius and much smarter than I was, academically speaking, at her current age. We both learned a lot from each other that day. She explained to me that she did not remember that the mock interviews were scheduled for that day and that she was encouraged to show up anyway, so she did. She lived on campus and could have gone to her dorm room to change into something more appropriate but I think that she said she would have been late for the interview. She preferred to be on time.

She will forever stand out in my mind and I really don't remember anyone else that came after her. I remember when I had to do a mock interview in college but forgot that it was scheduled for a particular day. I panicked a bit, especially because my school was not close enough to my home to quickly go there, get clothing, and be back in time. Fortunately for me, I kept clothes and shoes in my car "for just in case type of circumstances" and was able to be presentable for my mock interview.

I share this to say, please be careful in how you judge and approach people based upon their appearances. I have come across people that dress absolutely amazing, with beautiful homes, and cars and can not contribute much value to anyone's life or even a conversation. What you see is what you get with them. I have also met homeless people and drug addicts that suffered devastating experiences in life that have them living less than desirable lives. As I listened to them share how their lives used to be sounded much better than my best days. Some of them are really amazing people that just have not rebound yet.

I share this to say, please approach and treat each person with respect until they give you a good reason not to do so. Even then, you don't have to be disrespectful, you could just walk away. People are valuable beyond their appearances.