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)?

I think competency based interviews are much fairer than some of the examples I read about from the private sector like getting people to sing or otherwise make a fool of themselves. The questions are meant to draw out real experience rather than be hypothetical Eg rather than asking "how would you deal with a difficult customer" they would ask "tell us about a time when you dealt with a difficult customer". All questions will be directly related to the job description. So someone who had already been doing the job should be at a considerable advantage as they have lots of recent relevant experience to draw on. Op, I'm sure your manager will be upset for you as no doubt they were thinking about examples you could have used. To those who say the op should just have been given the job I wonder how you would feel if there was a more senior role created in your team and it was just given to a colleague without an interview and with no chance for you to apply.

Google - Interview Coaching - there is a range of experts who provide a variety of strategies for interviewing successfully for all kinds of jobs.

I have had very similar experience. So, when I applied for the job I had been doing ( after failing horrendously at an interview when I had been given an amazing inspector's report for a different role), I tried a different technique. I rehearsed every version of a question, walking in, sitting down again and again. When I arrived I explained that I get very nervous at interviews. After a nervous start, the rehearsal clicked in, it went well and I got my own job! Reed employment have some very good stuff online. I am sorry you didn't get your job but you will get another good job. Good luck.

If your on a secondment then your contractually entitled to return to your substantive post. Your employer needs to serve the temp notice that you are returning to your job. I don’t know why you are not concentrating on yourself and returning to your job as it’s not really your problem the temp has family. If your employer is going through a restructure you could find you are at risk of redundancy and with over 10 years service you should be ensuring you get any package on offer. Join a trade union fast and raise a grievance into the selection process as you can see the scoring if it’s made anonymous. Don’t be fobbed off with sorry but you scored last. You had the skills and experience so make more enquires. Do not leave your job at any cost, if your public sector you would have 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay and could get a sick note for work stress.

I think competency based interviews are much fairer than some of the examples I read about from the private sector like getting people to sing or otherwise make a fool of themselves. The questions are meant to draw out real experience rather than be hypothetical

Private sector - our recruitment process includes getting people to demonstrate job performance, and carry out critical aspects of the role. We don't want people who know how to do a good sales pitch, we want people who can do a good job.

If people want to progress internally they are required to evidence that they meet the role's competencies, not just talk about them to a panel. Knowing what you're supposed to do and preparing a sales pitch for each point is easy, but we want to see that someone can actually do those things.

I understand why people are defending a points based system compared to the old boys network, etc, but why are you acting like this ineffectual points system is the only alternative to nepotism? Great, it's neutral, but if it also fails to select the best candidates then it's pretty fucking useless too.

No wonder the NHS is fucked if people would rather defend a crap process like this than work to improve and change it to get better outcomes.

Sorry OP, how rotten for you. I’ve skim read so apologies if I’m repeating what pps have suggested, but do google STAR technique. It’s fundamental where public sector interviews are concerned.

And bollox to not taking in notes. I would have some index cards in my pocket with a few trigger words just to remind me of my prepared answers.

Don’t be afraid to ask for the question to be repeated or explained if you don’t get it first time

Don’t answer too quickly in a panic, give yourself a count of three to breathe and organise your thoughts.

Remember they want you to be successful, no-one enjoys an awkward interview, so try and relax into it.

Also, think of this not as a failure but as an opportunity to find a job in new areas you’ll be even better at.

Good luck!

Oh, and we don't do any of that bullshit with getting people to sing...

Sounds rubbish Op but I bet your organisation do not want to lose you so be prepared for some counter offer or could you
Suggest a role/ secondment you might like to do? At your meeting on Monday take a copy of your cv highlighting your achievements and see what they say. Good luck. This could turn out well.

Ask for written feedback if it's too uncomfortable to meet with hr. I find competency interviews very difficult as I always worked as part of a team and the individual me me me approach is really difficult.

My main interview tips are to research the company thoroughly and ensure you have competency based scenarios thought out and ready to go (in STAR format never forgetting the R!) but if you really did that badly you should be asking for thorough feedback, only that will tell you what you need to work on. I'm really sorry, it sounds incredibly frustrating and stressful. I've worked in equally compliant environments, common sense is lost.

I did an insane amount of prepping and spent weeks on it, it is when I walked in it went wrong, mind completely blank

I’ve done this and I think it’s related to the prepping

Interviews I’ve just rocked up to have gone miles better and I get the job every time - prep ones - never - one I nearly walked out on it was so bad

That sucks OP, I would appeal on the grounds that you'd said you'd struggle with the interview, no extra support was offered and you were prejudiced by not being allowed notes.

Ignore those disbelieving or saying you were managed out. It's civil service through and through. Similar happened to a family member decades ago. She was so good at her job they upgraded it and created a new role which HR seemed so advanced that the applicant needed a drgree, which she didn't have so got a new boss who was so embarrassed to be a boss in name only that they created a second post, which HR also graded at needing a degree..... The second person was useless and insisted on doing things their way and costing a shit ton of money when they got it wrong. Family member utterly crushed and ended up retiring early on I'll health

I would appeal on the grounds that you'd said you'd struggle with the interview, no extra support was offered and you were prejudiced by not being allowed notes.

It's not for an employer to provide support for an interview (unless you might struggle due to disability), and it's not prejudicial not to allow notes if the rule is applied across the board.

My thoughts:
a) Try not to worry. These things happen. Be positive, move forward & don't beat yourself up - move on & broaden your horizons
b) Why no notes? Surely you are allowed a notepad & pen in the interview. Just write prompt word on the prior page that you write on so you can easily refer to jog your memory when needed: the interviewer will just think you are prepared & taking it seriously.
c) Speak to HR about the situation & get to the bottom of it. If you failed a tick box exercise then that's a shame but it is how things rock & roll these days. If it's something else, they have a duty to share this with you, especially if they expect you to stay in the company & at least you will be aware of it for next time
Good luck! :-)

Sorry to hear your interview outcome wasn’s as hoped, OP. I used to get very confused in interviews, as I didn’t understand why the interviews asked certain questions, or the angle of answer they wanted from me. What changed this was reading an excellent book called ‘Why You?’ by James Reed, the founder of Reed employment agency. I highly recommend this book - it has lots of detailed examples of competency questions, and others, and is very explicit in the reasoning behind why employers ask the questions, and what the interviewers/employer want from the candidate.

True, but the employer owes a duty of care to the employee and she's already said she would struggle with this so either allowing all candidates to take in notes or supporting their employee pre interview to practice would seem reasonable.

I have a portfolio that I take to every interview. It's just a folder but I have all of my certificates in there and also include examples of resources and reports I've written, spreadsheets etc, personal references, emails saying how great I am and all those sorts of things. It's helpful when answering questions to be able to show evidence of what I've done - you could fairly easily create some notes to go into that which would work as interview resources and exemplars rather than notes, it could work to help bring you out of the freeze when in an interview?

The duty of care does not extend to helping with interviews! Appealing or putting in a grievance for such reasons would just show a candidate to be a poor loser. They've acknowledged that they didn't perform well and they're going to take steps to make sure they do better next time, let's not put them in a situation that makes them look bad to an employer who currently respects them.

If you have been told you were the best candidate then think I would be questioning why not given the job. Or you have been fobbed off. An interview is only a part of a selection process, you experience and performance should also be considered. If you feel that you have been given a genuine answer you could raise the issue with HR.

It's a bonkers system and it doesn't always get the best candidate for the job , unless the job is having an interview everyday . I swear part of the recruitment problems in this country are down to this , my daughter works in the NHS and several times they have been let down by their "perfect candidate "

An interview is only a part of a selection process, you experience and performance should also be considered

Not in the situation where the appointment is based on a competency based interview.

The system has a lot of pros and a lot of cons.

But if that is the system the employer uses, then that's non negotiable unfortunately.

Oh OP... I feel so sorry for you. I'm awful in interviews too, my mind goes blank. And all those ridiculous questions make me wonder if I'm autistic, because I genuinely don't understand them. I once got a job even though I messed up the interview because I was the first person to score 100% in their exam. I genuinely believe when one door closes, another one opens. I hope that when you get your redundancy, you get an even better job.

There's no chance of anything changing on appeal, unless there's discrimination. And performing poorly doesn't come into that category. And I don't think duty of care quite extends to this scenario either!

Anoukspirit - I defend competency based interviewing because in my experience it works. I've appointed over 50 staff in the last 2 years and our external and internal appointments have been very successful. We have some performance issues in the team but these relate almost entirely to original members of the team who were slotted in to posts, without interview, in a restructure 6 years ago.
Generally, when an internal person has applied for a post that their manager doesn't think they are ready for that has been evidenced in their interview. As previously mentioned, very occasionally there is someone who performs well in their role but freezes in interview. I wouldn't change our mostly effective recruitment process though just for those few instances.

Interview coach? A good one can really help you on how to approach, prepare for and deliver an interview. It takes practice to interview well - especially if public sector job where questions are set and its about competencies etc.