To ask where I'm going wrong in interviews

[interviewdramaqueen]

I was given an interview for an internal position at my company. It is a new position and there are about 4 vacancies. The position is basically the job I do now but now being 'recognised' as a position in its own right.
Now we have various KPIs and I have sat for the last 2 years in the top 3 of the company (this isn't a brag but important for context in the fact that this new role has been marketed as for those top performers).
The interviews are split into 3 parts. We had a computer based knowledge test which I passed with flying colours and then on Thursday had a knowledge/why do you think you are suited for this role interview.
I spent the whole week preparing for this interview (only found out at that point), ran through my examples and reasoning with my manager (who gave some tips and said it all looked really good) then went through having the interview rescheduled because the interviewing manager 'forgot' they had interviews that day. When the interview started basically everything I had prepared for came up and I felt confident in my answers (well as confident as you can be). I was cut off on multiple occasions with the interviewing manager saying 'that's perfect I think you've answered the question there' which was infuriating but so be it (to confirm there is a timer set for when you are giving your answers and I was cut off at about 2.5 mins - maximum to aim for is 4/5).
On Friday I received a call from the hiring managers boss to say they weren't impressed with my performance and I wasn't coming across well in interviews. They said that I should have prepared and not just 'winged' it and that although the job is for top performers it doesn't matter if I give a bad interview. She went on to say that it was obvious I hadn't prepared and gave some tips about what to do next time which ended in 'if the interviewer is cutting you off to say they've got enough positives that is a great sign'. I then said but I was cut off multiple times to which she said 'oh well this is the feedback I was told' and basically I flunked it.
She then told me that due to my performance I would be given the final round interview but warned not to 'wing it again' and to try harder.

Now clearly something went wrong and that's fine but I don't understand what happened. I was confident in my answers and cut off being told they had enough material to cover the question. I work my arse off for this company and to be told I 'winged' it was a massive kick in the teeth. It's worth noting that I didn't receive any feedback from the interviewing manager who called every other candidate personally. It is the sort of company where they already know who they want for the roles before interviews even happen.

I feel really dejected and in a bad place for this final round. I spoke with my manager who couldn't understand how it could have gone so wrong with the examples used and questions asked (questions published to management following interviews). They have suggested it's to 'keep me on my toes' but I don't believe that.

This is a natural progression role for me as I say I do the job anyway just without the formal recognition at the moment and I don't know how it could have gone so wrong! They are pretty standard questions for our company so you can prepare in advance but to be told I didn't prepare is a joke.
Think this is just a rant but it's just so upsetting and frustrating!

Sounds like either the interviewer was shit and not listened and not recorded
/fedback what you said, properly.

Or maybe your delivery was a bit rambling and came across as though you were just winging it.

Its really impossible for us to say, tbh. I think they need to be more specific about why you seemed to be winging it.

Sadly, OP, there can be some political motivation/gamesmanship that influences the hiring & firing at a lot of companies.
So now you know that they want to play games, you know what to do.
(Don't tell anyone you are doing this, least of all your manager.)
Polish up your CV, get some more skills, (if you can) and apply for a job elsewhere.
If you get shortlisted then of course you'll have to tell your line manager, because you'll need a reference.
If she expresses surprise then just smile sweetly and say that you aren't sure what they want from you anymore, so have decided go try for employment elsewhere.
Good luck.

Are you 100% they’ve not muddled you with someone else??
Your recounting does not tally with theirs.
Can you talk to anyone else to find you more specifically what you did wrong?? Before the final interview?

@Fromthedarkside it is very much political. Mark naively presumed that performing in the top 3 would be enough to warrant me as a serious candidate but apparently not. It's a shame as it's a really good family focused company so I wouldn't jump ship until I was sure I could find an equally suited role. DH said if I don't get the role I just start doing what is in my job description and no more and stop being called upon when urgent tasks come in so that's an option to.
I just need to learn to say no!

This could be as simple as they have mixed you up with another candidate and given you their feedback. I would query this.

• I naively!

@Smartiepants79 @AdalineStephen my manager told me to do this which I did and I was told it was defo me.
My manager asked for feedback on me as well and was told the same thing as I was. Manager sat me down and asked me if I had used the examples we had discussed before hand which I had so they are at a loss.
They did then say to me that 'it's typical of this hiring manager to play games' so maybe it's that.

They have either mixed you up with someone else or there are some shenanigans going on. I don't think you did anything wrong.

Can you ask to see a copy of the interview notes where they recorded your answers? Say you don't feel the feedback reflected your experience.

God, I had a similar interview. When I asked for feedback it didn't match my experience at all. I'm sure they had someone internal they wanted to appoint.

W+Also, what a waste of everyone's time to spend so long on the interview process, all that will give them is someone who is very good at interviews.

Is this a job you could do at another company?

If the person you spoke to wasn’t on the panel it does sound like they could have got your feedback mixed up with someone else.

Either that or there’s politics going on.

If it’s any help, I had a similar experience this year. I was in exactly the right position to go for a particular promotion, I’d passed the interview but not been successful before (this is a civil service thing, so someone else did better) and then passed for a second time but again wasn’t promoted. I’d also done a temporary promotion (so cover for someone) in the meantime.

No reason why I shouldn’t have got the job, and the person who got it had less experience by far, and wouldn’t have expected promotion at all.

I ended up applying to a different department on level transfer, going there and then having an interview for promotion on my first day. And I got the job!

Hmm. I think your post, with all the mention of "I do the job anyway" and passing the first round "with flying colours" is revealing as to how you came across in interview. I interview a lot and it's rare that panel members cut off good answers mid-flow, which suggests you weren't getting to the point. Answers need to be structured with strong examples of what you did, why you did it, what the outcome was, and the "so what " - ie how it contributed to corporate objectives or whatever. The fact that your answers were described as "winging it" suggests to me you were unclear. This is good feedback - take it on the chin.

I know what you want to believe is that you gave a good interview and were done out of the job for some other reason, but that's not likely. When someone internal is good but we don't appoint, you don't make up did about them giving crap interviews, you simply explain they were appointable but someone else was stronger. The fact they haven't done this, but have given you clear feedback - that chimes with the attitude in your OP - is something you could consider and work on before your next interview.

@trailrunner85 it's hard because I did pass with 'flying colours' I scored 100%!
I also do the job anyway! Basically without drip feeding my job has some aspects which are highly complex and urgent. There are only certain people who know what to do with certain areas myself and 1 other being them. Basically the new role has been created to ringfence these urgent and complex tasks. Hopefully that makes sense.

I didn't feel I was rambling. We are told to use the STAR technique but I may well have been so will try and work on that but feel if I go to the point I'd be told there wasn't enough detail (something which is stressed)

Also for more context it's an internal only position so no external candidates to 'contend' with

If you're using STAR, are you focusing enough on the right points?

It sounds ridiculous. You already do the job anyway, you scored perfectly; all this forced process is just daft.

This 👆with bells on. You need to leave. If everything you say is true then you’ll easily get something better elsewhere. Good luck.

Are you saying, the hiring managers boss = an external agency ?That she hadn't met you ?

If so, I'd suspect she got the names ID's crossed and was giving you feedback about some one else's performance.

I'd tell your line manager the feedback seemed so totally unmatched you wonder if there was a mistake, and ask them to check. You might save the company an expensive bill and employment mistake.

I'm a big believer in taking feedback on board graciously and constructively and trying to learn from it but there are some situations where there are politics outside your knowledge and control and this does sound like one of them. Their reasons for not giving you the job sound like bullshit.

Sometimes there are internal reasons why its hard to justify promoting someone which are not your fault.

I would be tempted to start looking elsewhere tbh.

I'm fantastic at my job and I could do the next level up without blinking but I'm crap at interviews so it will never happen.

Don't forget that once you get to interview you and the rest of the candidates are pretty much on level pegging so it all comes down (where I work) to how you perform at the interview.

It is the case occasionally - it's happened to me once - that there's a preferred candidate and no-one else will get a look in (and I resent it like hell as it's a total waste of time and energy for everyone else) but don't make the mistake of thinking automatically that this is what's happened here. Forget how qualified you are for the job and really think about how you did in your interview.

Forget how qualified you are for the job and really think about how you did in your interview.

This. Absolutely, completely and utterly this.

I used to believe I was crap at interviews. I probably was, and was frustrated by my lack of progress. About 18 months ago I made a concerted effort to stop "cruising" at my level and get a new job.

It took 5 interviews. I learnt something about interview technique, or refined my "spiel" every time. I asked for feedback every time and took action as appropriate. Then my "dream job" came up - and I smashed it!