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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why, if I gave *SUCH* a good interview.,..

30 replies

thegoodishlife · 16/08/2010 09:40

....as they all say I did, they why didn't I get the fecking job?!?

Just having a rant....for the last few weeks I've been on 5 job interviews, all for jobs I could do standing on my head. CV is great, interview is fantastic, yet I don't get the bloody job. Why is this?! Are they just saying I did "ever so well" in my interview to make me feel better!?!

Humph!!!!

//rant over.....

OP posts:
ChippingIn · 16/08/2010 09:44

Sorry to hear it :(

There are just so many people going for jobs now :(

Who knows why you didn't get it - could be someone else had slighty more experience in that industry, could be they put all the 'great' peoples names in a hat?

Why not call and ask - you've nothing to lose!

Original poster
thegoodishlife · 16/08/2010 09:46

The interviewer just called and I asked why, she said she just had too many people who "interviewed well". Cop out or what!!

Where's that chocolate?!?

OP posts:
Onetoomanycornettos · 16/08/2010 10:25

oh dear, I feel for you, my husband has had exactly the same thing, three job interviews (over a bit longer time period) and always pipped at the post. In our sector, it's worse as they are now mainly employing internal candidates (or giving them preferential interviews and have to explicitly show why they are not right for the job) but the jobs are still advertised openly to everyone. It's not a nice time to be out there, and if it's anything like my work, it's not a lie when they say there were several brilliant candidates, we have over 100 for each job now where we were struggling to recruit good people three years ago. Keep going...

SeaTrek · 16/08/2010 10:38

YANBU I think it is quite unfair of interviewers not to be more specific in their feedback.

It sounds like you were good enough to be offered the job if x didn't interview at the same time, too. It would have been more constructive of them though to say how x's skill set better matched their job description etc or maybe come up with one thing that you could improve on.

rubbersoul · 16/08/2010 11:19

It's frustrating isn't it Sad

I went for one job a few months ago which I gave a FANTASTIC interview. It really went that well. Did I get it though? Nope. I was basically told that they didn't think the job in hand would be enough for me and that I should do something postgraduate. I think I pretty much oversold myself for what the actual job required.... You can definately be over qualified/experienced for a job, I know this has affected both myself and people I know

Original poster
thegoodishlife · 16/08/2010 11:23

it's bloody annoying. It's a job I really wanted but all I can do is keep trying I guess.

Bah! :)

OP posts:
violethill · 16/08/2010 11:24

If the reality is that they had several candidates who all interviewed equally well, then they aren't 'copping out', they're being honest.

The job market is tough. The last couple of rounds of interviews I gave, I could have appointed most candidates to the job - they had the skills, qualifications and aptitude to do it. So it comes down to very specific things which make the decision in the end - maybe very specific experience, or just the fact that one person has more recent workplace experience.

If you want to, you could actually ask, 'What did the person who got the job have that I didn't?'. But tbh, the way things are right now, many people are experiencing this.

tribpot · 16/08/2010 11:30

If the interviewer called to tell you you hadn't got the job she probably had a shedload of calls to get through and so maybe didn't have time to give specific feedback? If you called her after you'd been notified this is a bit different.

In either event I think you should either phone or email asking for more specific feedback as you want to make sure you are successful - you feel strongly this is the right move for you, etc etc.

It may be a problem in that you're overqualified and maybe you need to come up with a way of spinning that positively in the interview - maybe saying that although on paper you've done x, y and z you see this as a fantastic opportunity to move sideways into a role that will allow you to develop blah blah blah other skill?

Job-hunting is so incredibly frustrating, I do feel for you.

babybarrister · 16/08/2010 11:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

violethill · 16/08/2010 11:41

Agree with that point babybarrister. You have to be very careful when giving feedback, not to breach the privacy of the successful candidate.

Mahraih · 16/08/2010 12:12

Well ... I work in recruitment. And it is at that stage where we have SO many good candidates, with great degrees, work experience and personalities.

I have certain candidates who keep missing out on jobs, and they are great! Sometimes it's that someone else seemed a marginally better fit for the company or the role, had one more year of experience, etc etc.

The margins really are that tight and I am constantly telling people they did really well, but didn't get it. If we have constructive feedback, believe me, we give it to candidates, because we want to help them. Often, as people have said, revealing the real reason someone did not get a job would involve breaching the privacy of the successful candidate or the company's future plans i.e. 'successful candidate had done a project that directly relates to bla bla bla that this company are doing in terms of strategy bla bla'

But sometimes, the truth is that they were great, but that so was everyone else, and they missed out this time. Good news is that if you are getting interviews and doing well, it is only a matter of time before you get a job!

AllarmBells · 16/08/2010 12:15

Bad luck goodish...but keep cheerful - it only takes one! And it's better than never getting any interviews, where you never get to find out what is going wrong.

Hope something comes along soon.

Original poster
thegoodishlife · 16/08/2010 12:16

Thanks for all your replies - I wish I'd asked for more appropriate feedback, but at the same time appreciate that it might have been a breach of confidentiality.

Back to the job hunt I go...

OP posts:
tethersend · 16/08/2010 12:21

Remember too that many positions have internal applicants.

Good luck, the right job will come up soon Smile

upahill · 16/08/2010 12:22

In the past I have always had feed back from interviews that I didn't quite get.
I mean let's face it we know when we have cocked up and it's best to draw a line under those interviews but the ones where you are left wondering what else you could have done are frustrating.

On a few occasions I have been invited back to discuss my interview. It was really informative.

I have been told things such as I have started off confidently but then seemed a bit unsure of myself. Also on questions that I have not expanded my answer.

On one occasion I was told that the other person was the outright winner in all previous interviews until I came along. (yeah , yeah , yeah I thought) She got the job because she was doing something very similar. I was told to look out for other jobs coming up with that firm and they strongly recommend that I apply. A couple of months later I did see a job with them, applied , got it. The lady who got the original job became my boss and close friend. I have moved on but me and her are going out for lunch tomorrow!!

Good luck with future interviews thegoodlife.

upahill · 16/08/2010 12:25

Also don't see how feed back can be a breach of confidentality if it is handled correctly.

The company could say things like ' you were confident in x y and z but we were concerend about your lack of knowledge over a, b and c.

I've never had any trouble getting either face to face or telephone feedback.

babybarrister · 16/08/2010 12:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EldritchCleavage · 16/08/2010 13:07

Agree with babybarrister.

Interviewing is a comparative exercise-it's you against the rest. So your interview was probably very good, as they told you, but someone else's was better. Or, if not better, it was as good and the successful candidate had some other attribute or experience to offer that put him/her ahead of you.

It can be hard to give that feedback without giving away too much information about the successful candidate.

upahill · 16/08/2010 13:20

Surely though the focus of feed back is on how the person performed in the interview not doing a comparison of the successful applicant.

Is is a big deal to be told the person who got the job had more expierence than you in ...(whatever field)?
TBH that would make me feel a bit better.

Apart from being told on one occasion that the person who got the job was already more or less doing it I have never been any the wiser about the successful applicant.
Like I said it has always been about my performace, whether my answers were full enough, whether there were any gaps in my knowledge and so on.

However I'm sure the adage of some you win and some you lose applies to job interviews!

babybarrister · 16/08/2010 13:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

upahill · 16/08/2010 13:46

Baby.......Because it may not just be about relevant expierence. The OP may have had a knowledge gap and if she knows that she will be able to address it for next time she goes for a job in the same field. She may be told that her answers were long winded (ike I did once! BlushShe maybe old that she wasn't quite assertive enough.
Any of these tips are useful tools for the next interview.

She could of course just leave it and hope for the best next time but personally I have had really helpful feedback and the interviewers have told me what they liked about me and what wasn't so great.

Lancelottie · 16/08/2010 13:46

God, we once had to choose between two people who were SO close in ability and background that it came down to 'missed a comma out of his on-site test paper'. If we'd had the funds we would happily have taken both on. If you're getting such good feedback, keep plugging away at it.

Last month I did actually ask, 'What did the person who got the job have that I didn't?'. The answer was that they were in-house and doing the role already. I did try asking whether their old job was available in that case, but no joy!

babybarrister · 16/08/2010 13:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

upahill · 16/08/2010 13:59

I get what you are saying babybarrister but I do think having feed back is a helpful tool and could possibly help her to improve.(if she needs to, she may not of course)

I do get that there are loads of good candidates for jobs at the moment. That's why I would be doing anything I could to make myself that much better.

I got told that I did I really good interview but when I probed that's when I found that my knowledge on a paticular area wasn't as good as I thought. I was able to research and get my self up to speed and re- think ready for the next time I went for an interview.
The interviews have on occasion gone through every question that was asked and showed my responses and what they expected.

I understand that buisness would be overwhelmed if every unsucessful candidate did this to them but not every unsuccessful person would think to ask for this.

Anyway it was just a suggestion and I thought it was worth a shot.

ChippingIn · 16/08/2010 19:23

upahill

I understand what you are saying, but honestly in many, many cases right now there is nothing between the person that got the job and the others that were just as good - sometimes it's really just down to the colour of their eyes!

There are simply too many people applying for jobs who are more than qualified to do them and would have been just as good.

Sometimes you simply have to accept there is nothing further to learn, just that it was 'one of those things'.

Once again - sorry the goodishlife, it's especially crap when it was a job you'd have really liked! It's just a numbers game out there right now :(