Rejected even with interview questions in advance. What now

[ASDnocareer]

I work in public sector and was just rejected at final interview stage for an internal role. Previously rejected for other internal roles too, despite always meeting objectives etc. This time I really thought I had a chance as I’d done the same type of role previously but at another company, arguably with more responsibility.

I have autism and after asking, the interviewer agreed to send all candidates questions in advance. I first prepped my answers myself, and then asked ChatGPT if my sample answers answered the question and used STAR correctly. ChatGPT proposed tweaks I thought helped with polishing up the structure but then for interview I tried to say it in my own words but keep structure.

Still received yet another rejection.

My feedback was to speak slower and not overwhelm with detail, also to use STAR.
^I thought I’d always been using STAR funnily enough, have known about it since interviewing for uni internship (which I landed), ChatGPT also helped confirm that I was using STAR. I’m not sure why they didn’t think I was using STAR.

I just really don’t know what to do now, I’ve been rejected many times before but this one has stung so badly, because I did this role before in private sector. I’m genuinely terrified that I won’t get a better paid job. My wage does not cover my living costs, have had no heating all winter, and sometimes skip meals.
Have paid for CV review (more affordable than career coach which are so expensive), on a mentoring scheme, good performance reviews, joined network groups but none of it has been enough for me to find a job above admin level, despite having a degree and no CV gaps.

Try a coach
I help my clients with this type of practice - and practice does make perfect

Don't be disheartened
It wasn't for you :)

I'd also say it's really worth having a proper conversation with the recruiting manager in advance if you can. It means you can find out more about the role (and if you genuinely want it) and they can find out more about you. It gives you a chance to chat away in a more relaxed environment and means you're more relaxed at interview. It also gives a chance to properly talk them through your CV history - in a way you sometimes don't have the chance to in skills based interviews. I think then the examples you give in interview tend to make much more sense because they're fitting into what they already know about you.

100% this

As a very experienced interviewer, I find that the most common error with STAR is candidates can stick to it too rigidly and a) can’t deviate naturally if you ask a follow up question and b) not show any of their personality because they are too focussed on STAR

Please don't worry. It happens to us all. You'll get there.

I recommend trying to be more informal at the end when they ask if you have any questions for them. Try asking them about their experience working for the company, whether they like working there, how long they've been there etc. People love talking about themselves, especially when they've been asking other people questions all day. If you can get a little bit of a friendly chat going, it'll build rapport and they'll remember you on a good note.

It's also handy to ask the interviewers about what they think of their jobs - if they don't have anything particularly good to say, you might not actually want to work there.

This could be where I’m falling down too as when I passed some interviews in the past, I don’t recall intensely stressing about STAR to this extent but still landed role. However when you get offered a role, you don’t then get feedback so I’m not sure if previous roles offered because no other candidates applied, whether I did better or worse for STAR, or if they thought I was bad at STAR but other skills made up for that.

It’s so confusing to then be told in this feedback to use STAR when I’ve never obsessed over it more when preparing for another role. They seemed to think I had never thought to use STAR🥲 when it’s all my my head has though of this month.

You were good but someone else was better? It's not always 'about you', it can be about them.

So I've interviewed people (am also public sector) who do a good job using STAR but.... the actual example is not great. So compared to other candidate that lets them down.
Are your examples good in themselves? For example if it's to demonstrate being proactive, is it an example of where you sent an email to someone unsolicited or an example of where you spotted a problem about to unfold and intervened to stop it from happening.
The STAR is the structure but the examples need to be compelling. ChatGPT may not distinguish between really good and less good examples if they both demonstrate the capability

One of things I remind people is that however well you interview someone else may perform better on the day.

Being rejected does not necessarily mean you are unsuitable or doing anything wrong.

@CarnivorousHipPain Thank you! I think I’m okay with this, have asked similar questions and I find the only thing I don’t completely mess up at interviews is establishing rapport. A previous internal role I got rejected, the interviewer still offered an alternative lower scale role. Not what I wanted, but I presume she did that because I came across friendly.
I’m just not too sure if it counts for enough at my company, they don’t make their scoring criteria public other than “use STAR” (ironically when I’ve spent the most effort on STAR I’ve been rejected few internal roles in a row, versus other interviews had less rejection when I stressed less about STAR)

Despite the autism I think I’m decent at informal conversations, eg made adult friends from scratch

I suppose when the questions were shared ahead with everyone, everyone was able to get ready and perform decently.
We don't know the experience of the other candidates, so maybe someone had the same or even higher relevance.

They are selecting one candidate in the end, so not getting the job doesn't mean you did anything specific wrong, just not being the best fit in the group.

Very true, but probability tells me it’s not the case for me if I have multiple rejections at final stage for internal roles. Even though the internal roles I applied for were vastly different, my company has a similar interview structure regardless and they don’t ask role specific q’s. The fact that their feedback was to use STAR as if I’m someone who has never heard of it, I must be answering q’s pretty badly rather than it being a close call.
I don’t know who I was up against, but the chances of someone else also having 2-3 years experience of doing the same role in the same industry at higher level of responsibility before seems less likely. For starters, that type of person probably wouldn’t be interviewing for something they’re technically overqualified for. Some of my friends have successfully moved to jobs at higher levels of responsibility which they’ve not yet done, when they’ve instead only done the step below for a year or less. As I’m such a bad interviewer I’m having to interview for roles I’m already qualified for, only to still be deemed unsuitable because of my poor interview skills rather than lack of overall experience.
I don’t work at Civil Service, but as an example I’m working similar scale to AO despite working similar SEO level at previous private company. I’m now unsuccessfully interviewing for similar HEO level roles internally.

I've limited knowledge on this stuff but the bit about ChatGTP caught my attention. It comes across as cheating.

I suppose when the questions were shared ahead with everyone, everyone was able to get ready and perform decently.

That's a good point - especially if you used AI to formulate your answers, OP. Is it possible that others used similar examples?

I also agree to focus strongest on the AR - interviewers want to know you get results. And don't forget E (anything else) it's a good way to add extra value to your answer.

I'm autistic, only recently diagnosed. Looking back there were odd things about my life- not all negative. I got every single job I was ever interview for, I had no idea how or why. Later i set up my own business, again, every job I pitched for, I got, bar one which I over- priced. It was bizarre, my luck was legendary amongst friends. However, beneath the bravado, I couldn't handle the pressure, the 'luck' only added to my confusion that people would 'find me out,' though I had no idea what they might find out.

If that sounds like bragging, we'll, it's not. I can't get a job at all now. I've been trying for years. I've kept busy, very busy. I'm highly qualified and my past experience is top notch. The disparity only added to the confusion - I literally can't even get a minimum wage job. I got my asd diagnosis and it all fell into place. I masked to the point I could 'read' what people wanted and mirror it back. I spent my life doing that until the pressure to keep it up became intolerable. I simply can't do it now, I can't even remember how to. Sorry to derail OP. My point is all this 'bring your whole self to work' is utter bullshit. They want you to be normal, and if not normal, pretend to be normal. It's depressing but it's them OP, not you and I'm sorry I don't have the answer. Many of us spend our lives trying to 'get it right.' I suspect your fine, more than fine. Maybe there's an employer who might see that.

Have you got a friend who has interview panel experience? Can you get them to do a mock interview with you and get their feedback.

I've done this for a friend (who was also autistic). I found his main issue was that his answers just weren't concise enough and would drift on tangents. As an interviewer, this made it difficult for me to identify the key points (the STAR) in his examples.

I also wonder if you over-rehearsed and it came across as a bit unnatural and less believable?(chat gpt may also have contributed here)

The model I used for my STAR was a sentence on the situation, maybe 2-3 bullet points on why it was challenging and what my key considerations were, at least 3 actions I took, including an example of a challenge that cropped up during and how I adapted to that, for results a balance of quantitative impact, some qualitative impact like feedback from colleagues, and some wider impact that it had in laying the foundations for something else that happened, impact for the team etc. Those I felt were my strongest examples.

Maybe challenge yourself on the S part - you can only pick 2 things to set the scene so which will you pick.

Stalking the interviewers on LinkedIn can also be good.

From what I've observed, it's always harder to get internal roles than external. I think they pretty much always know who they want, even though they interview other people for the sake of it.

Don't stick around for a company that doesn't value you enough, is my advice.

I would consider AI to be cheating - and it’s so damn obvious when people have used it to help them in interviews. And even if it’s not technically (but let’s be honest, it is - like kids using it to write their coursework) cheating, good candidates don’t need AI to help them create their answers at the end of the day. If you have to resort to using AI to formulate your answers and testing them, then you’re not a good candidate

DH and I are both in the public sector. I’ve been helping interview for G7 jobs recently in my dept, and the people getting them are giving 6/7 answers - there are so few jobs atm that even candidates far too qualified can’t get them, let alone people who need AI to help them write their answers.

Sorry if that sounds blunt, but I think pretty poorly of people who do this.

I think it's probably this.

Can appreciate how frustrating this would feel. You’ve good advice - take it and I’m sure in no time you will celebrate getting that promotion. I’m Grade 6, public sector, regular interviewer - hope below helps you land it!

You mentioned feedback was too much detail. Make sure your examples are grade appropriate. I’ve listened to many interviews where I’m told low level activity in detail. It loses the flow. I usually get lost. Recommend thinking carefully about filtering actions that are at grade or higher.

Others have share great tips to do outside interviews but also think about:

• Do mock interviews.
• Record yourself on video. (Awkward yes!)
• Offer to go on interview panels in current role. Really recommend this.

Agree it’s a competitive market.

• Ask if you can do stretching tasks in your current role so it can give you more experiences above grade to discuss.

Candidates that stand out keep it concise. But they often;

• Reflect what they learned from the experience
• Give results that stand out (I.e By changing this process I saved X hours per week, freeing time for other business critical work).
• Join up the ‘why’. If you hadn’t done X in the way you chose, it would have affected X.

I personally would steer away from AI to prepare. I’ve chaired panels where it’s been pretty obvious and generic. It’s likely the interviewer has input the question pre interview to see what responses they might hear that day!

Good luck

My feedback was to speak slower and not overwhelm with detail

As that's their feedback knowing you are autistic, you've dodged a bullet imo.

Ah I’m sorry, it’s always hard being rejected for anything but internal roles can sting more.

This stood out to me from the feedback: “My feedback was to speak slower and not overwhelm with detail”

These sound like things to look into a bit more. I also wouldn’t particularly trust Chat GPT for advice as everything that comes out of it is rambly.