Disappointed and embarrassed at interview

[FlippingFishes24]

I have been working in the same company for 20+years gaining 1 promotion in this time. Recently a further promotion came up and applied. Had an interview and it was disastrous, couldn't answer any of the questions and was physically shaking. Haven't got the job, which in theory I should have as I am so well experienced and could do the job very well. I'm so embarrassed that I was like that. Should I apologise to the people that interviewed me as I proper screwed up and coukd see their disappointment in me.

Ouch, sorry you’ve had such an awful experience. Given you’re still working in the same company, I think you should reach out to them and just explain that you were extremely nervous, and don’t feel like you put the best version of yourself forwards.

And try and be kind to yourself over the weekend.

do you know the interviewers well?

i would have thought that if two decades experience at the company, any interview was more of a formality than anything else if they wanted you to have the job?

Absolutely not in our organisation. We have to be able to independently "prove" they are best for the job via interview scoring. But I think this is a prevailing attitude of old and isn't helpful. For a start, it makes the interviewee feel shit if they haven't got it and makes them think they aren't well regarded at work, which probably isn't true.

but if the interviewer was the interviewee’s manager for two decades and knew how capable they were but they had a tendency to get very nervous…. then you would absolutely cut them slack.

you just would

I wouldn't apologise to the interviewers, but I would ask for feedback. And then, before your next interview, practice practice practice! Could you get a mentor at work who can help you with development? Mentors are great because they understand the company, are supportive but also distant enough that it's not like practicing with friends/family

As an interviewer, it's always awful watching someone you know is good underperform at interview, you want them turn things around so much, but there is very little you can practically do to help. I'd imagine they'd be happy to go through feedback with you. (Ask for it via email if you'd rather not go through it f2f)

@whichfan - nice in theory, but a lot of interviews you need to score points by mentioning specific phrases/ key points. If op didn't make these outlined phrases she would not have scored the pints to pass to next stage. You can't magic the points up, that's nepotism.

You can certainly manipulate the scoring if you have a very strong member of your team with two decades experience in front of you… who gets very nervous in situations.

2 decades of trust and respect…. easily manipulate scoring

Sorry youve had a bad interview it happens to everyone at some point. Also OP you've been there 20 years, if your a strong performer I agree an interview sould be a formality they know you perform, so why judge that over a 45 minutes interview. They could interview someone who does a great interview and turns out to be shit - happens a lot.

I wouldn't be upset at yourself OP I'd be fed up of the company and looking for a new job. Head up x

That's awful @whichfan. I feel for the op just if she did not perform in the interview she would not have scored enough points.

what’s awful?!

That’s not how it works. If there are others being interviewed, you can only select the best candidate based on the recruitment process.

Manipulating the score to make the interviewee score higher !

@Soontobe60 - agree, try tellinv@whichfan though

She hasn't said it was her manager who interviewed her. In my org, if it's your manager interviewing you, there also needs to be an independent manager (or HR, but that's rare) and your interview scores are done independently and then you need to agree afterwards. The independent scripts are stored in the HR system, along with the collated scores. Discrepancies are picked up on.

And yes, i'd cut her some slack, but if she completely fell apart, I can't score her interview answers on what she didn't say. Cut some slack means things like:
Asking additional prompting questions to get the answer I know they interviewee knows
Giving more time to answer
Rephrasing a question repeatedly and ignoring an answer going off track
Perhaps pausing an interview part way through so they can go and gather their thoughts

It has to be fair for all candidates though, so I offer an element of slack to anyone who seems very nervous. Interviews are a skill to learn.

on the basis of 2 decades of experience and knowing for a fact that this member of your team would do a stonkingly good job in the role… hell yes

@whichfan - are you familiar with formal recruitment processes? Op will not have been the only candidate, you can't make up scores.

i have done exactly that

member of my team, i had worked with for 8 years. More than capable but had a tic that got much worse when stressed. Could barely make out answers.

We manipulated the scoring

2 years later… and he’s done a superb job

@whichfan did you read @Butterflyfern - she explains it well.

of course you bloomin can

Could you contact the interviewers, asking for feedback but also acknowledging your nerves affected you badly so you didn't expect to be successful, and you're looking for feedback so that you can improve your performance in future interviews.

not making up scores
being very gentle with the scoring shall we say

actively looking for points

So three people on the panel made up scoring so their colleague got the job?

this would be a very sensible approach

not made up

but we were all looking for points, very hard!