AIBU - what was the point of interviewing me?!

[RosieAnne123]

I had a job interview for an area of nursing that I don't have direct experience in, but when I called enquiring about the job, the manager said it was suitable for nurses new to that field and encouraged my application.

I found out today that I did not get the job because there were other candidates with more experience. I asked for feedback regarding how I did at the interview and what I can improve upon, and the lady said that I was "really bubbly, so lovely and friendly at the interview and I displayed a through knowledge of that field of nursing" but that there were other candidates with more experience. I just feel like what was the point in interviewing me, if no wonder how well I did at the interview, they still would have chosen someone with more experience anyway?!

YABU, don't dwell on it, think of it as practice for a different job. If there was other candidates who had experience but weren't as good, you may still have got the job.

There was a vacancy in our team and from the CV's there was a clear front runner. However they didn't match what they said on their CV at interview and someone else was awarded the job.
The simple fact is you never know until the interviews are over.

Always try and take the positives from experiences like this, however disappointed you are. You had interview practice, that is a positive. You clearly impressed, it's just you got pipped to the post on this occasion.

This happens all the time in nursing. People known to the team will already been chosen but they have to advertise the role externally.

I applied for a job that did not need any experience as training would be given.
I had a similar sort of experience, so spent my own time applying and attending interview.
I didn’t get the job and asked for feedback, they gave the job to someone with experience ! Which in my mind means they gave it to someone who already had the job but they interviewed others to make up the numbers and make it look all above board.

This happens at every job interview.You have to be interviewed and everything is weighed up afterwards. The more expert candidates might have come across badly in which case you may have been given the chance. In this case they had more experience AND interviewed well.

Experienced not expert.

@DuckbilledSplatterPuff my DD has experienced the same thing.

People get so snarky about interviews when they dont get the job

Yes, because if you've taken time off work (which for me also means money as if I don't work i don't get paid), spent time researching the company, practising your STAR examples, with the employer thinking 'not enough experience' is adequate feedback when they clearly had someone else in mind . . . Yes it generally does make people snarky with all the time and money spent.

They didn't know how the other nurses would perform at interview. If the more experienced nurses came across as unpersonable or incompetent in some way then they'd have chosen you despite lack of experience but as it turns out since there was someone with more experience who also performed well at interview they got the job. Sounds fair enough.

Its all tick boxing op, you need to answer the questions correctly that is all.
their hands are often tied
you need to talk about transferable skills

This happens all the time in nursing.People known to the team will already been chosen but they have to advertise the role externally

⬆️ Simply not true

I’m not a nurse, but I’ve seen external candidates appointed when internal applied

Sometimes people who on paper seem brilliant are revealed by the interview as hopeless. I've interviewed people who seem to have the right experience but who turned out on interview not to have bothered to find out anything about our organisation and what it did. As a school governor, we called in someone for interview for an assistant head whose paper application was brilliant, but when he turned up he seemed to be struggling to keep awake and demonstrated no interest in children whatsoever. So if you had been against candidates like that, I suspect you'd have been welcomed with open arms.

There was someone better than you expeirence in advantageous but doesn't garantee a job.

@user1493423934

People get so snarky about interviews when they dont get the job

Yes, because if you've taken time off work (which for me also means money as if I don't work i don't get paid), spent time researching the company, practising your STAR examples, with the employer thinking 'not enough experience' is adequate feedback when they clearly had someone else in mind . . . Yes it generally does make people snarky with all the time and money spent.

You seriously think you are owed a job because you turned up for an interview ? like all the other candidates 😂

Ive interviewed a million times for the NHS and it is never a foregone conclusion.
Its points based, everything has to be clearly documented and candidates have the right to view their notes which are held for 6 months after the interviews.
Ive always appointed the best candidate on the day, causing a few ruffled feathers if the internal applicant didnt get it.
Thats the biggest issue really, people think
"I deserve it, next in line etc"
and so they dont prepare.
It really isnt decided before hand and it is a defence mechanism to think this.
You just weren't the best candidate on the day.
I would also take feedback gracefully.
Recently 2 people turned down a job due to relocations/ change of partners job and the 3rd candidate got it.
Never bad mouth the panel either

All interviews are good practice, and a learning experience for you.

YABU It is pretty typical not to shortlist until the deadline for applications has passed so no one is going to know who else has applied until then. If your lack of experience was going to automatically disqualify you then of course you should be told but it was never going to be an asset, just something that wasnt necessarily an insurmountable obstacle to employment.

@DuckbilledSplatterPuff can you get your dd some advice on how to fill in application forms, there is a real skill in them. She needs to be thinking about how she can plug gaps in her experience and evidencing well the things she does have experience of, but the first job is always the hardest.

I didn't get my first secretarial job because I had no experience. All I could do was type. Fair enough.

A month later I was called in because the "experienced" person was mostly experienced in wine and inappropriate behaviour.

So it can be worthwhile.