The weather wasn’t the best that night; it was really cold; the kind of cold that sends shivers to the core, and depressing. We almost gave up and thought of staying at home, but we were very keen to have the scary experience that we could only get at a horrific place like Blantyre.

There were only five of us. We packed our stuff, which would sustain us during that night. While I was packing, I had the idea of bringing an Ouija board, just for fun. I had never really used it before, so I decided I would use it now. I hadn’t told my friends yet; I wanted it to be a surprise. For a short time.

The time came. For the first time I saw that church through my car window. It looked like a really old building with branches growing out of the windows. I looked pale [how do you know?], and I wasn’t feeling good, but I didn’t want to disappoint my friends.

When I arrived I suddenly saw something. It wasn’t anything [anything what?], it was more like a tall black figure that reminded of my late mother. I suddenly felt depressed and suicidal [one or the other, not both -- tautology] after seeing that figure; it brought me fear and weakness, and tears slowly dropped from my eyes to my cheekbones.

Then it was gone.

My friends had just arrived with joyful faces, ready to start the adventure. I still thought it was a bad idea, but, again, didn’t want to disappoint my friends. Soon we were walking towards the gate on the old, abandoned-looking curve [what is this? A curved what?], and at the sides were unlit candles which increased my trepidation.

The gate was closed. There was nothing to grab onto to climb over it. The only way we could go was through the graveyard. My friend, Sean, was shivering with fear. I could see gooseflesh on his hand, which gave me a clue that I wasn’t the one feeling scared. [he could have been shivering with cold, yes? What other clues were there that he was fearful rather than cold?]

We found a spot where we could set up our tent. It was beside a cremate [what is this? Something burnt?] where it had the only dry area for our camping site. While we set up the tent I showed my Ouija board to my friends. They found it really interesting as they had read stories about it online.

The disaster started when my torch stopped working.”

Well, done, a nice start! Sometimes your sentences are a little complex. You also have a tendency to use the same word several times, e.g. “fear”. If you use “fearful” once, try using “scared” the next time.

For example, one of my tendencies is that I often don’t go the “extra mile”. If somebody asks me to deliver 50, I deliver 50… not less, not more. This tendency of mine is something I’ve been working on a lot in the past years and I’ve discovered that, if I’m in the right environment, where there are other ambitious people who tend to give more than what required, I tend to feel the competition and go the extra mile myself. My father understood this since I was a child: when I went to swimming competitions as a kid, he always put me in competition with older kids; if I was with kids of my same age, I would barely win the game and not set a good time. Swimming with older kids, I would probably not win, but I would swim faster and make a better time!

All I’m trying to say is that, whatever answer you give them about your weaknesses, show them that:
1) they’re not set in stone, but they’re just tendencies that can be countered by taking proper measures
2) you’re already taking proper measures (be specific, with examples)

Hope this helps.

I have worked at law firms as a paralegal and if this is how the interview went then I don’t think it would be a good fit for you from what you have described. I don’t think it would affect your daughter because it sounds like she’s already an “outcast.”

Do a balance sheet of what would be positive about the job and what would be a negative. Sleep on it and see if you feel the same way about it the next day. Don’t let your husband push you into taking a job which may make you completely miserable, and may not last very long if the lawyers do not think you are doing a good job and “fitting in.”

Your intuition is telling something and you need to listen. If it was really a job you feel that you could excel at, and you really wanted to work with this woman, then you probably would not have written this question.

You should know that law firms usually pay well and provide good benefits, HOWEVER, sometimes money isn’t everything. If you take this job, know that you will need a good reference from your boss to get hired at any other law firm – in other words, if it does not go well, your chances of being hired by another firm is slim to none.

Also, if you take this job you will need to have a professional wardrobe, and will need to have a high standard of personal grooming. It is a formal work environment and you will need to look the part. Consider the cost of taking this job: transportation, lunches, clothes, dry cleaning, day care, hairdresser, nail salon, etc. How much will be left after you pay for all the “image” and necessary expenses? She has chutzpa for telling you to dye your hair and improve your wardrobe, and even if it is true, this is an indication of what she will be like to work for — no tact, rude and controlling.

Do you have any other options for employment? Could you ask the woman if you could start part-time to see if it “would be a fit for them and for you”? After a month you could tell them if you want the full-time position.

Good Luck!