The 5-Minute Interview

When Your Gut Knows Before You Do

Have you ever said yes to something you weren’t even sure about, only for the experience to confirm what you already knew ? Yeaa . . .That was me today.

I had an interview and honestly, I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to take the interview, let alone the job if offered. The location was far and I didn’t feel that usual mix of nerves and excitement I get when something feels aligned. But I told myself, “Just do it. At least you’ll have something lined up.”

The Five-Minute Interview

I log on to the call, ready to make a good impression, and the interviewer starts by saying she wants to “cover some ground bases” before we dive into anything else. She runs through the salary, explains the in-person schedule, and then asks:

“Are you able to work some evenings?”

I answer honestly — “ No, I can’t right now. Not at this time of year.”

Her response?

“Okay, well, Let me know if anything changes. It was nice to meet you.”

And that was it. Done. The entire interview lasted maybe five minutes.

Now listen… all of this could’ve been handled in a simple pre-screen email.

The disappointment didn’t come from the interview being short.

It came from me ignoring my gut in the first place.

I already had hesitation.
I didn’t feel the usual pull of excitement.
I wasn’t as invested as I normally am when something feels right.

I said yes when my intuition already told me NO. When we override our intuition like that, we usually end up frustrated and disappointed wondering why we didn’t follow those cues.

Protecting Your Time & Energy

Here’s what I took away from this:

• Trust your gut — if it doesn’t feel aligned, pause before committing.

• Ask the right questions upfront — things like salary, schedule, and expectations shouldn’t be surprises once you’ve shown up. Your job is to interview them too.

• Protect your time — because once it’s spent, you can’t get it back.

Sometimes situations fizzle out quickly because they were never supposed to fit in the first place. And that’s okay. Every “no” clears space for what is meant for you. Today was a reminder you don’t have to accept because its offered to you. Protect your time. Honor your energy and most of all, trust yourself.

Journal promt

Describe a time when something felt ‘off,’ but you went along with it anyway. What signs did you notice early on that it wasn’t an aligned opportunity? How can you better recognize those cues next time?