As I write this we’re in the depths of February. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the rain is constant and the sun is scarce. Even though I know spring will eventually come, at this point in the year it always seems like winter will never end. It can feel like that when you’re job searching too..

In my career as a recruiter I’ve done hundreds of screening interviews. I think these first-round interviews are one of the most important parts of the job search process, and also one of the most challenging.

One of the biggest frustrations with job searching is that it can can feel like so much of the process is in someone else’s hands. What we often forget is that the biggest success factor is in our control: coming from a place of confidence.