Have you really lost nothing when failing a job interview?

Planet_Switzerland

Years ago I would have said if I went for a job interview and didn't get the job it wasn't the end of the world because I'm in the same position I was before. Now I'm not so sure.


I've been with my company many years but the last 2 years have been completely unbearable and it keeps getting worse. This time last year I was annoyed that I was yet to get another job despite several interviews.


A year later, and after 14 first interviews and 7 second interviews I still don't have a new job. It feels like my whole year has revolved around job interviews and I have nothing to show for it. All that time preparing, putting together presentations etc, cancelling other plans in order to do it, all wasted. Another year stuck in my current job.


I love changing jobs but hate the whole recruitment process but I'm getting the worst of both worlds.

Pajaro

I hate to say it but you are coming across wrong in interviews.

This is speaking as someone who has recently always got the job after being invited to a face to to face interview. Years ago I needed 3/4 interviews in a company before I got the job.

The only advice I can give to you is to try to figure out the kind of person that the company is looking for and then be that person - even if it means pretending a little.

It is difficult for me to give you specific advise unless you are able to tell me what kind of field you are in, how far along you are in your career and the size of company that you are interviewing for.

Dox

Go on doing the same thing and you'll get the same outcome.

Have you had any interview coaching? It's easy to assume that because you've had lots of practice and been successful in the past, you must be ok now. That's obviously not the case, so it may be worth considering.

Presumably you've asked for feedback from the interviews you've had? It often is bland and unhelpful, but sometimes there are genuinely helpful comments if you can swallow and act on them.

Jonathan_Kelvin

Planet_Switzerland wrote: »

Years ago I would have said if I went for a job interview and didn't get the job it wasn't the end of the world because I'm in the same position I was before. Now I'm not so sure.


I've been with my company many years but the last 2 years have been completely unbearable and it keeps getting worse. This time last year I was annoyed that I was yet to get another job despite several interviews.

A year later, and after 14 first interviews and 7 second interviews I still don't have a new job. It feels like my whole year has revolved around job interviews and I have nothing to show for it. All that time preparing, putting together presentations etc, cancelling other plans in order to do it, all wasted. Another year stuck in my current job.

I love changing jobs but hate the whole recruitment process but I'm getting the worst of both worlds.

Each failure gives you new information. Sometimes you leave having been unable to answer a simple question, sometimes you stumble over explaining a point in your CV, and sometimes you realise that a bit more research would have stopped you applying in the first place.

This means that every one gives you something to help you in the future.

Even if you leave with no explicit new knowledge, you leave having had some interview practice, which always helps for the next one.

What has gone wrong in the seven that you failed at the first step, and the seven that you failed at the second? Are there any commonalities, any points that you feel you made the same mistake on more than once, or did you walk out of each thinking “I smashed that!”?

General_Grant

Has time and practice made a difference? That is, for instance, are you moving on to a second interview more often recently compared with a year ago?

Dox

Jonathan_Kelvin wrote: »

Even if you leave with no explicit new knowledge, you leave having had some interview practice, which always helps for the next one.

Although not, as my old golf coach used to put it, if you are simply practising making mistakes!

Savvy_Sue

Planet_Switzerland wrote: »

-Asked if I used a specific bit of software in my day to day job which I didn't, they stopped interview there and then saying they'd only consider people who use that software day to day

Now that is a shame: that they didn't ask that question earlier, and / or filter for it before interview. But in hindsight, was there a possible answer along the lines of "I've come across that software, of course, and believe it's similar to X, which I have used regularly, although I've not used the one you ask about."

I say this because DH's opinion is that a good programmer will programme well in any language, and a sloppy one will programme sloppily in any language, but you're better off teaching the good programmer a new language rather than employing a sloppy one. I realise you may not be a programmer, but if you can communicate THAT kind of message in a similar situation, it may help?

I learned my word processing skills back in the days before MSOffice was ubiquitous, and I actually learned What A Word Processor Can Do before ever being introduced to a recognisable Office suite. My view was: this is what I need to do, I know this program can do this, I just have to work out how to do this.

So my first interview for a 'proper' job post children, the practical test required me to draw up a table in Word, which I had never used before, and I had no clue how to do it, and I was under time pressure. Fortunately the practical test came before the interview, and I explained that my table didn't have lines drawn around it for the reasons given above, however in the office situation I'd work out how to do it, or if necessary for an internal document I'd draw the grid in with a ruler! Got the job so must have done something right ...

ReadingTim

Planet_Switzerland wrote: »

A year later, and after 14 first interviews and 7 second interviews I still don't have a new job. It feels like my whole year has revolved around job interviews and I have nothing to show for it. All that time preparing, putting together presentations etc, cancelling other plans in order to do it, all wasted. Another year stuck in my current job.

Whilst all of that is undoubtedly demoralising, you're never going to be offered a job you don't apply and interview for; so to a certain extent you're simply going to have to suck it up - you've got to be in it to win it, after all!

PasturesNew

When you walk in they might already know who/what they are looking for and might instantly decide "it's not you".

As they interview others, they might be adding to their candidate wishlist, so it started as "yours", but another candidate did/said something that wasn't on their list and now they want that too....

It's a bit like dating, you might think you know what you want, but 2 minutes in and you've decided the person last night was taller, or you shared interests, or they noticed your nice eyes... and this one's not matching up to them, even though you'd gone into that date assuming they'd be a bit arrogant

Truth is, in a lot of cases, they want to be "picked by you" so they don't have to make a decision.... which means it will go to be most nimble people-manipulator and/or social liar

TBagpuss

Its dispiriting to try so hard and not get anywhere, but it sounds as though you are getting interviews and getting positive feedback, so it may be that you've mostly had bad luck, in that while you were good, they had an internal candidate, or someone who was even better, or internal issues, which meant you didn't get the job.

It may be worth looking into getting some support. Do you know a anyone who has experience in hiring in your field, who would be willing to review your CV and a sample cover letter and give you feedback?

Or consider whether you feel professional support to do a practice interview and offer pointers on how you come across, might help.

As an employer, when we are interviewing sometimes you do get several candidates who are all good fits, so it can mean someone is rejected not because they are not good enough, or did badly in the interview, but simply because another candidate had something a bit extra that gave them the edge.

Given how expensive agency fees are, if we have two equally good candidates, one who applied direct and one via an agency, we are likely to pick the one who applied direct - obviously this only comes into play where they are both equally good in other respects, but it is worth applying direct where you can.