Marta had been searching for a new job for three months. Every morning, she would become more hopeful when she checked her email, but most days she would receive only automatic rejection messages. The constant disappointment made her become tired, and some evenings she would become angry with herself for not being good enough.

Last Tuesday, something changed. She received an email from a company she really wanted to work for. They wanted to interview her! Marta had to fetch her best suit from the dry cleaner’s and obtain a new notebook for the interview. She spent the whole evening trying to understand the company’s business model and preparing answers to common questions.

The interview was scheduled for 4 PM, but Marta arrived at the office thirty minutes early. She was so nervous that she couldn’t successfully communicate her ideas at first. The hiring manager noticed this and told her to relax. “Just try to successfully communicate what you know,” he said with a smile. After that, the conversation became better. Marta managed to have a good relationship with the interviewer, and she felt confident about her answers.

When Marta returned home, she was exhausted but happy. Her friend Tom called to ask how it went. “I think it went well,” she told him. “I’ll receive their decision next week.” Tom congratulated her and said, “You should recover from all that stress now. Let’s go out and celebrate!”

The next few days were difficult. Marta tried to continue doing her normal routine, but she kept thinking about the interview. She couldn’t finally do the housework she had been planning to do for weeks. Every time her phone rang, she hoped it was the company. On Friday afternoon, just as it was starting to become dark outside, she received the call she’d been waiting for. They offered her the job! She would earn more money than in her previous position, and the benefits were excellent. Marta immediately called her parents to share the good news. After months of rejection, things were finally becoming better.