“Other candidates had more experience”

[starlightstarbright6]

Received an email rejection today for an interview I attended earlier in the week - it was a career change but a job with many transferable skills. But it was clear on my application I didn’t have direct experience with the sector, but was shortlisted anyway. Interview seemed to go really well.

In the email they said while I performed well at interview, there were lots of other applicants who had that direct experience, so I hadn’t gotten it. Fair enough.

But what gets me is, why invite me to the interview at all if they can see clearly from my application that I don’t have the experience, and most other people applying do have it? Just feels like it was a bit of a done deal already and feels like a waste of my time 😕
Appreciate it’s all good experience but still feeling a bit aggrieved

Because other people might have the experience on paper but exhibit reasons why they wouldn't be a good cultural fit with the organisation at interview. They are testing out how people are in person versus how they appear on paper. I've interviewed people before and wanted to say: "Erm - did someone else write this CV because I honestly can't match any of what is on this page to you!" Chin up - it's all grist to the mill. I really hope you find something perfect for you soon.

They invited you because they liked your application and wanted to know more about you. They wouldn't know how the candidates with experience were going to perform at interview they might have been exaggerating their experience or interviewed badly. But it sounds as though they interviewed well too, given that and their experience they were offered the job but it wasn't a given.

Sometimes just because they have experience, doesn’t mean they can do the job. I often push my candidates to go deeper with their answers, to give examples, scenarios etc. I worked in procurement for over a year, so I have experience - could I do it well as a job? Absolutely not. If questioned on my procurement “skills”, I’d waffle at best. That’s why I sometimes interview those with no direct experience, to see if they can discuss transferable skills and what they would bring to the table. I’ve learned the hard way that someone with a wealth of experience can be absolutely terrible at their job!

I had an interview not long ago at a private school and didn’t get the job because my own kids are not in private school so I wouldn’t understand the parents 🙄

If that’s the case PUT IT IN THE JOB SPEC.

I hate that shit; they wasted your time.

I was once rejected as not having enough experience. I had 12 years experience at the time, so quite how much more they expected for the salary was a mystery.

It’s just words they use as a sop to soften the refusal.

I would take it as a positive that they interviewed you. I have sometimes done that when there is enough interest in what has been said in the application. I will not waste my time in interviewing people to make up the numbers as it’s a waste of my time as well as the applicant’s.

Wow!

I had an interview with a group element when I was 20. The second youngest person there was easily 35. I got the 'other candidates had more experience' rejection. No shit since most of them had been working longer than I'd been alive. A lot of the time, I think it's 'we weren't totally unwilling to hire somebody with no experience but yeah, you'd always got an uphill battle against the candidates with experience'.

To be honest, I’d have really much preferred if they just said “other applicants scored better at interview”. The others having more experience just makes the whole thing seem pointless, as if I was never in for a shot anyway if that’s the deciding factor

My dd was turned down for a promotion to a more senior role at work about two years ago as she 'didn't have enough experience', but then management wanted her to train the person who did get the job.

She wasn't happy about that in the slightest, and told them where to get off.

That reply, OP, sounds far more like a bog standard HR reply to most candidates, rather than any reflection of you specifically. If you wanted, you could ask for more feedback on YOUR interview. I agree it sounds shit and they should word it as 'scored higher in the interview'.

You also don't know whether someone internally had been lined up, yet they legally had to interview externally too. Wishing you the best for next time x

Because it's the standard 'feedback' these days, as it's unchallengeable. I get the same, even when I meet the person specification exactly.

This is true. I interviewed for a job a few years ago where I knew the other candidate - he was working the same job part time but this was the full time job. I didn’t have direct experience in the role (though same industry) I went to the interview knowing he would likely be getting it, and he did. I wasn’t too fussed at the rejection as I already had this background information.
So I guess sometimes they really do have someone lined up but again it’s the whole burucratic process of having to give everyone a chance. Still shit, though ☹️

It was good that they wanted to interview you - you’ve obviously got something they liked.
As far as experience goes - just echoing some of the previous comments. Someone may say they have ten years experience. But it could be the same year ten times over ie they have never learned much in all that time!

They might not have had someone lined up OP. It can be really hard when you are shortlisting for interview to tell who will be a good fit for your team based on CVs alone, and I've invited people who don't have as much experience as other candidates but something else stands out to me. Sometimes I've appointed a candidate with less technical experience than others because they have better people skills and they'll be a better fit for the team/better with our customers. I've also turned down people with excellent technical experience because I'm worried about their inter-personal skills. I'd never invite someone to interview that I didn't think had a decent shot of getting the job because it wastes their time and mine. If you're invited to an interview I think it's always worth going along and giving it your best shot.

It’s easy and safe feedback - no one gets offended and no one takes you to a tribunal. Unfortunately it doesn’t help someone improve and it isn’t really proper feedback, companies being taken to tribunal is not unheard of, so whenever we gave any real feedback it had to be signed off by someone very senior - obviously that’s a bit time consuming and not really workable if you’re conducting lots of interviews. So a safe set of words is used instead. Sometimes the wild card gets the job! Good luck in your search.

We interviewed 6 people last week. 1 no show, 2 unappointable, first and second choice both turned us down, so we ended up with no 3. Recruiting is tricky! You never know what will happen on the day.

Urgh! I hate this. I hate interviews anyway but if you don't even have a chance it's not worth my time. I once had a phone call to say I was the top choice but they couldn't afford my salary point (pay scaled career and had to mention my point on the application form). Firstly, why advertise the job as point 1-6 if you can only afford 1-3. And then why shortlist someone you can't afford!

There are soooo many reasons that a face to face brings up new considerations. I’ve interviewed people who are perfect on paper, literally tick every box, but in interview I can tell they wouldn’t fit in with our team culture (candidate was super formal and we are the total opposite) and I’d have to manage that dynamic with the limited time I have. I can’t be recruiting more problems.

My last hire got the job in large part because every other candidate name dropped a certain organisation in interview as an example of best practice that they would link in with, and the successful candidate had set that very place up - so it was a no brainer - but I didn’t know they’d all say that until I spoke to them and asked the questions.

Choosing people isn’t easy, it can come down to the smallest of details when you get a good batch of applicants, and it works both ways - you could have got a bad fit vibe from them too.

Your skills obviously piqued their interest enough to meet you so that’s really good, but there are multiple factors at play - don’t look at it as wasting time, it’s what interviews are for.

I do lots of hiring and in fact am hiring right now. Three of the candidates we have invited to interview for this position have some direct experience in the area and one has none, but has experience in another area in our sector that is appropriately complex and senior. I consider them all equally. My last hire had no direct experience in our area, but has turned out very well - they don’t interview you if they don’t think you might be hireable.

When interviewing try to make sure you have lots of examples at hand of how your experience is comparable to the role - whether in terms of volume, complexity, stakeholders engaged, etc - and make sure you explain this, don’t expect them to assume anything.

But why would you assume it is a done deal just because you had an interview?

Covers a multitude of sins (theirs most likely)

Ok if you were interviewing 10 people for a job how would you go about it? unless there is 10 jobs how can they give the one job to 10 different people?

The best approach is to go to an interview, accept you probably don't know who you are up against, do the interview then move on, forget about it, keep applying to other jobs. All over Linkedin are similar lengthy posts from people, and also moaning about lack of feedback. Even if people get feedback its probably going to be one or two of several generic phrases, nothing useful. Do your best at interview and move on you just never know who you are up against. However you think it went is irrelevant.

It's usually the case that you didn't demonstrate your experience in interview as well as the other candidates. You didn't show as well as them how you were a fit for the role. Yes, they should have worded it better, but you were lucky to get feedback and clear communication.