Did you ever think that late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon could offer sage advice regarding getting your next call? While Fallon didn’t use his late night platform to discuss seeking a pastoral call, an online video of Fallon interviewing Nicole Kidman certainly made a very practical point. You can find the video here. In a nutshell, Kidman told Fallon a story about when she was single and she came over to his apartment. Fallon remembered the whole incident and recounted his side of the story. She came over, he bought some cheese, they talked a little, and then she left. End of story, right? Wrong.
Kidman told her side of the story. She informed Fallon that she was romantically interested in him at the time. She arranged to come over to his apartment with a friend because she wanted to get to know him. Fallon set out crackers and cheese, was dressed like a slob, and was more interested in playing video games than conversing with Kidman. To say the least, Fallon was stunned! He had no clue that Kidman was interested in him and, in a sense, that they were on an informal date. Fallon was clueless that Kidman was basically interviewing him. Kidman saw that Fallon was clueless and figured out that he wasn’t for her and she moved on. There’s definitely a life lesson here.
I have tried to make this point with students. My point is, you are always on your next job interview whether you realize it or not. I counsel students always to be presentable—shower (use soap), shave, comb your hair, and dress well. You don’t have to wear a suit every day, though it probably wouldn’t hurt. Why go to all of this trouble? Why not show up like it’s beach day? Why shower, shave, and comb your hair? What’s wrong with flip-flops, shorts, a wrinkled t-shirt, and a low-slung sock hat barely above the rims of your ultra-hip sunglasses? The simple answer is, you never know who’s watching.
Professors regularly watch and evaluate students, in and out of class. We regularly get e-mails from churches looking for intern candidates and potential pastors. There are often local area pastors on campus looking for interns or they know of churches looking for pastors. There might be someone from a search committee who happens to be on campus. What will they see? Will they see someone and think, “Wow, this guy could be our next pastor,” or will it be, “Yikes, this guy looks like he’s got a really bad case of bedhead this morning.”
The truth of the matter is, people judge books by their cover all the time, whether it’s fair or not. And, people are always making evaluations all the time about the people around them. What type of an impression will you make? In the end, your desire should be to make a good impression, not because you’re looking to promote yourself but because you’re living coram Deo, before God. Always do what you can to put your best foot forward because of whom we serve. But also recognize that, whether you realize it or not, you’re on the interview for your next job.