To ask for interview advise, I've lost my job because I'm shit!

[RinkeyDinkey]

I've just had to apply for my own job, my manager thought it was a given that I'd breeze the interview despite me telling them again and again how shit I am in an interview. Loads of people applied, someone else got it because my mind went blank in the interview and I just garbled pure garbage. My boss phoned me crying as I couldn't possibly be offered the job now as my score was rock bottom, it was acknowledged that I was the best candidate and can do it stood on my head. My staff are in bits, I can't stop crying, what a mess.

I thought I would be ok this time, I spent weeks and weeks preparing, I had all the acronyms in my head to remember things, it went so badly, I could even do the 'tell us about yourself' properly. I don't really get stressed and was only nervous by the usual standard.

I've now got to find myself another job asap, wtf do I do now if I can't do an interview (it happens every time)?

fox I was seconded

Then don't lose heart - your orginal job should be there for you and if they hav emade that person permanent in that role, then you should get a redundancy package. I know that's not what you were originally posting for, but part of that package (that you can ask for) is for some paid support in interview techniques which might help?

And no worries about drip feeding - i never get that issue. that's how conversations work.. they evolve!

OP it's a stretch but can you appeal the decision on the basis that the interview was set up to make you fail?

^What a stupid suggestion

The thread has some v misplaced not helpful suggestions

No she won’t get any redundancy,as her original substantive post is available
Op has no entitlement to any redundancy as she’s not being made redundant,she’s returning to her post.the post she started with prior to the secondment

So you haven’t lost your job, your just not been made permanent for a temporary position, or they have restructured the business.

However I’m not sure why you think you believe you’ve lost your job what’s makes this role different from all the other roles you covered for the precious 10 years?

I wish you luck in any future interview you have.

You’ve previous bloody autocorrect

I feel your pain OP! I have had some truly awful interviews in my time when my mind just went completely blank and I completely ruined my chances! J think being a bit nervous is a good thing but obviously when it impacts you to such an extent you can't really show them how great you are then it's an issue! I've found that pretending I'm just going for a meeting helps. Would you be as nervous going into a meeting with other people in your sector and explaining what you do and why it works well? For me, it's what's at stake that makes it difficult but if I remind myself that I actually meet new people through work on a regular basis and have discussions about how we could work together, an interview is actually quite similar!

I’m sorry OP what a horrible situation. I hate this interview ‘score’ thing. IMO Its totally inaapropriate for a interview of exisiting staff. I know of several departments where this has happened and they are forced to take the wrong candidate with disastrous consequences. Do you work in the NHS.

As far as interviews go I ended up having some counselling/ interview coaching through my GP as part of MH services, it was really helpful. She gave me a dummy interview first, went over where I went so wrong and coached me on a script for standard interview questions. I literally had to memorise it line by line... but it did work.

My other suggestion would be to try and get an ‘in’ to a company or department in a temporary capacity - much easier in some areas than others- but this can sometimes remove the need for a formal interview and even if they do one - you will already have proved that you can do the job.

Best of luck OP I really hope they see sense and overrule this ridiculus policy.

How then should recruitment be managed?just appoint existing staff in post
What if they’re not best candidate?what if role changes do you simply just retain current post holder?
Face fits or everyone likes someone isn’t a strong enough basis to employ,there needs to be other skills.and unfortunately some candidates are employed on basis of who they know, one of the gang as opposed to being the best candidate
There needs to be a process,transparency. As bad practice,and nepotism promotes a do nothing culture
Interviews are a snapshot,and some candidates excel,some don’t

Report on the morecambe midwifery service highlighted an inward insular culture that didn’t embrace change or innovation. The managers and mw all socialised together. Professional and personal Boundaries blurred

So whilst competency interviewing isn’t infallible it’s attempting to be neutral and transparent

To all the folks saying this only happens in the public sector, I’ve had to reapply for my own job twice in the last 3 years in the private sector. Both cases HR very carefully managed the process as redundancies were happening. Our internal interview process is usually more relaxed but anything where external candidates are involved would include HR and a point scoring sheet, no way the manager could insist on the person they wanted. So I can totally see how this has happened to the OP.
Prior to future interviews I’d probably look into relaxation techniques but also advise them that you suffer from anxiety and ask for any adjustments you think would help - as a pp suggested round a table instead of facing a panel. At uni I was allowed to sit in the front row of exams for example as looking at the ranks of people in front of me made me panic - other people wanted to sit at the back so the invillilator didn’t disturb them.

Seems odd to not be allowed to take notes in. I always take notes with me, answers to tricky questions so I don’t forget them, research on company and role, questions I want to ask, notes on my cv etc. I get really nervous too but have been told I interview really well so I think being prepared is definitely the key.

You poor thing. Are you in a union? USDAW are fantastic and it costs me around £10 monthly. You get help and advice from a rep straight away, they accompany you to meetings and you get free legal costs if you need a solicitor. You've been there over three years so would look into your rights. Good luck.

I'm not sure seeing a union rep would be any help The OP knows she did poorly at interview and someone else did better. There wont be any legal costs as what would a solicitor do?

OP, if it helps at all, the colleague who went through exactly the same as you found that her next interview was nowhere near as frightening. She knew what to expect and there was no brain freeze. Oh and she got the job. Am sure it will be the same for you, best of luck!

Such a shame that interviews are based on points. The right people for the job in my workplace have lost out to poorer candidates because of this.

Employers need to be fair to everyone. As a recruiter it is frustrating if someone who you know is good freezes in the interview. In that situation I do what I can to help them relax, give prompts where I can etc. But ultimately I can only score what they tell me. Usually there are 3 people on the panel who score independently and then we average scores. So I can't just give inflated scores across the board without it looking really odd. If the scores are close then we may give the benefit of the doubt to a preferred candidate but I've been in situations where the top scorer is 30 or 40 points above and there just isn't enough wriggle room. I do sympathise with Op but equally it is frustrating if you apply for a job and then it's obvious was a waste of time because someone else had been lined up for it. Agree with people who are saying to take in notes. I don't mind this at all so long as they are just a few bulleted prompts and not fully drafted answers that they read out. Also agree about jotting down the question during the interview particularly if quite a long one. Remember that most interviewers want you to do well. We've been on the other side of the table ourselves so know how nerve wracking it can be.

Sign up with an agency = no interviews

Sign up with an agency = no interviews

That has never happened to me. I've always still had to have an interview, even if it was through an agency.

Yes, most of my jobs have been through agencies (I do interim work so I change jobs a lot) and have always had an interview - admittedly a slightly lighter process than the norm, but I've always had at least one. But the most recent job I got, I had three - then after starting I applied for a permanent job and had two more interviews, with the same people, who also happen to be the people I work with daily, and only two months after my previous interview.

OP I hope you can get it sorted.

I failed a competency interview recently too. I had been doing the job well on temporary promotion for over 2 years but due to restructuring had to reapply.
I Completely failed - I was allowed to bring notes in but they asked the questions in such an odd way that none of my notes fit the bill and I waffled really badly. Feedback said I was unprepared but I am just shit at interview!

So whilst competency interviewing isn’t infallible it’s attempting to be neutral and transparent

Yes, but as has been shown many times on this thread, it very often leads to unsuitable people getting the jobs, simply because they interview well.

Perhaps the recruitment process should be looked at again, and a different system put in place, where the best person for the job, does get it, with the interview just being part of the process, so if they fluff that up, they still have a chance?

It's obvious that the current system doesn't work very well, and it's discriminatory to people who are very anxious doing interviews.

Similar thing happened to me years ago. Did a job for 2 years as a temp and did it exceptionally well. I was interviewed by 3 people with completely irrelevant questions and didn’t get the position. Turns out the GM’s son-in-law got the job. They soon came running back to me when the lazy arse refused the job as he realised the role was very technical and he was a dumb ass!
I moved on and up very quickly elsewhere.

I’m a great believer in Karma!
Good luck OP 💐

Like you, I messed up interviews for jobs that my manager knew I could do. Then someone advised me to find and join my local Toastmasters group so I could practise speaking in public, could handle and answer interview questions even silly ones they sometimes ask.
I found a local Toastmasters - it's a group of ordinary people, needing or wanting to speak in front of others. They meet every couple of weeks for two hours. You might give a 5 minutes speech that you've prepared from a list you're given as you learn. The spontaneous "Table Topic" speeches are the ones that help for interviews. Some one has a list of topics to speak on for between one and two minutes, and calls someone out to speak - no other warning than "speak about ... xyz..." and your name.
We help each other. We peer-review. We clap each other just for standing up.

The next time I had an interview, I got the job, and I've been b* good since. Even my manager said my interviewing was so much better.
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toastmasterclub.org/
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PS: example of silly question my manager asked me at an interview
"Can you explain this difficult concept in 50 words?"
"No."
It's a closed question and the answer is yes or no. Do not reply like this in an interview

We weren't allowed to take notes in, it would be a game changer
No use to you now but would you have been allowed to take a blank piece of paper and pen in?
My colleagues did this last year and once the interview started they jotted a few buzz words down and later said that it did it helped them to focus and remember things
Was you explicity told you wasn't allowed to take notes in. We were told that an interview was a two way process not an interrogation!

Ive always believed that face to face interviws where candidates are put u der this sort of pressure are not really fair or useful
I have interviewed candidates that have breezed through interviews said sll the right things but when it came to the job wow what an uter let dow
OP chin up ..

OP haven’t read all of advice on the thread so apologies if duplicating.

1. I allow candidates notes when I’m interviewing. I want to see the best they have to offer so have no problems with them using these as prompts. Worth checking ahead of any interviews you have.
2. Less is more. Answer the questions as succinctly as possible. The amount of people I’ve interviewed that waffle and make the same point over and over again is unbelievable.
3. Let your personality shine through. They are also assessing how you would fit into the team as well as your skills. (Easier said than done when you are nervous!) Be genuine.
4. Practice, practice, practice. Get professional help if you can afford it. When I was being made redundant in a previous role I went along for interviews for jobs just for the practice sometimes.

Good luck!