Just bloody crap at interviews

[Finaj]

I'm trying to find a new job. I nearly always get shortlisted but cannot pull it out the bag at interview. Feedback on most ocassions is in short supply apart from there was another candidate who demonstrated their skills better.

It doesn't help that my memory is crap (Adhd) but I prepare like mad and try to think of everything they may ask me.

I'm pretty senior, have job with lots of responsibility where I have achieved a lot and interviewers tell me they like me and could see me fitting in their organisation. But none of this is translating into a job offer.

Help pls, I feel so stupid, stuck and demotivated.

You sound like a really good candidate op... You might not be getting the role(s) due to other reasons (lots of people looking for work bc of covid/redundancies everywhere atm).

Would you maybe ask for some reasonable adaptations at interview for adhd... E.g. a notepad for jogging your memory? That kind of thing?

I have a long term mh condition and have to ask for a couple of changes that work for me. Don't know if that's helpful for you.

May be a bit more experienced poster will have some advice that helps
Good luck Xx

Thanks Laundrydragon, good suggestion. I'm really embarrassed about my ADHD so never disclose it.

When I interviewed a candidate recently they asked to receive the questions in advance as part of their reasonable adjustments and I thought how sensible!

Is it mainly the memory that’s hard, or is it thinking you how to answer potential questions?

It's both. It takes me a little while to process what they are asking and then I struggle to remember an example that meets the question.

If the question links into one of my pre-prepared answers, all good. If not, I'm not quick at putting story, for want of a better description, together and presenting it in a neat format. My executive processing is pants. I have lots of workarounds I have developed for my day to day life, but haven't got their with interviews.

Just take your notepad with you and use it during your interview.

I've found it helpful to prepare by looking at projects I've worked on in the past and breaking that experience down into topics.

You often get asked to give examples of certain skill sets or situations. A list of these to choose from can help jog your memory.

It's tough out there at the moment - do whatever you can to help yourself. You should be proud of yourself for getting called to interview. There are lots of reasons why you don't get a job offer. Good luck with your next interview.

You should be able to bring notes with you without having to disclose your ADHD. It's good practice to keep notes and have them to refer to on the job so they'll probably take that as a positive that you brought notes. Honestly I'm surprised it's not more common. I don't think any employers are actually trying to test your memory.

I definitely wouldn't mind if someone brought notes when I was interviewing them. I wouldn't ask why or even really think twice about it. It's so normal to bring notes into a meeting.

If you do that though, make sure you still make lots of eye contact.

You have my sympathy OP because I am exactly the same. Exactly. Also ADHD, also have lots of workarounds in daily life but it goes to pot in interviews.

Ok, I read a book recently that was pretty good. It had so many sample questions and what the interviewer was really wanting to know. It wouldn’t help with the remembering, but it might help to have a wider pool of pre prepared examples you can draw from. Why You?: 101 Interview Questions You'll Never Fear Again www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0241297133/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_KRN3ASPNM0N91FM128DD?tag=mumsnetforu03-21