Accidentally found out former colleague going for same job, feeling hopeless, what do?

[YouHaveAnArse]

I was made redundant a couple of months ago and, by all accounts, things at my old company are pretty crap and those left are starting to think about moving on.

Got an interview with a job I really want, it's a slight pay cut and only a 12m contract but am hoping it will at least lead to other things further down the line. They emailed me about a second interview yesterday, but accidentally left in an internal note with the name of the other second interview candidate...and it's someone currently working at my old job.

(I think they tried to recall the email but it doesn't work properly with Gmail and I saw it anyway - and as far as I can work out, it was sent directly to me so other candidate might have just got the 'correct' version... obviously I've said nothing to them nor would HR person have realised I've seen it)

I'm feeling really under-confident following the redundancy and some difficult mental health stuff over the past couple of years. and finding out someone who was a rank above me at work is going for the same role makes me feel like I'm doomed before I start. There's not many roles going in our industry right now and it's difficult to transition out of it, so I was really hoping this would be a possibility for me....but I can't help thinking that former colleague is just that bit better at it all! It's tripping my anxiety horribly which is the last thing one needs when interviewing at the best of times. How do I deal with this?

(Mind you...part of me wonders whether I might have a better chance without a three month notice period, or former colleague might realise what amounts to a £10-15k paycut and a 12m contract might not be worth it vs the current albeit miserable job etc)

They may also not want someone ‘too’ senior because they will be more likely to jump away when they can

My DH was up against his former manager. His manager was offered it, but turned it down. If you are not in you have no chance at all.

I interview people regularly and sometimes come across rather arrogant people who think they are over qualified and a shoo in, so they don’t really put much effort in and are no doubt shocked they do not get an offer.

Prep for the interview and do your best.

@YouHaveAnArse don't overthink it.

Make sure you study and memorise answers in the STAR method format. This creates an equal playing field and in my experience, the candidate who gives the better STAR responses is the one who gets the role.

It won't matter if the other person was in a role above you. If you are both answering the same questions:

Q: Tell me about a time you led a project or team.
Your competition may start the response by saying-
"I led a cross-functional team to roll out a new onboarding process"
but you'd say-
"I co-ordinated a cross-functional team to roll out a new onboarding process. This project was allocated to me to spearhead."

You are basically saying the same thing. Your response wipes the slate clean because although you may not have been a supervisor, you still acted like one. That is what will tick their boxes.

This is why STAR method is so good. You can formulate responses using buzz words that they want to hear that make you sounds better and showcase you in a broader light.

Good luck, OP! You can do this.

Prep for the interview and do your best.

This!
I interviewed recently and he candidate that come out top was nervous at first but came across as personable, capable in her work and human.

She had clearly put the work in, but at the end of the day it was her personality that I wanted on my team.

Ive appointed plenty of less senior candidates who were a better fit for the role.

Your the opposite of me if I saw this I would be like “I’m getting that job.”

Don’t over think this. Prepare for the interview and give it your best shot - even if the other person really is better at the job (and you may be selling yourself short there), the interview is only about who is better for that hour. The interviewers have no idea what either of you are actually like on the workforce so they ca only judge it from the hour you each show them.

Good luck!

Like others have said as long as you prepare for it you can't do much more than that.
I know how you feel about the knocked confidence though as I recently went for my 1st job interview after being out of the work force for over 6 years, I was so nervous I revised absolutely everything about the company that I could so that I could be prepared for the interview. I also had a look on different forums and researched what interview methods they used which turns out the S.T.A.R method that I had never heard of before so I started looking into that and practicing how I would answer different questions.
Anyway long story short I thought I looked so nervous in the interview but all my revising paid off as I was offered the job. Always have faith in yourself and don't compare yourself to others you obviously have your own unique skills and qualities. Also good luck I've got everything crossed for you.

They’re interviewing you again so you e clearly impressed!! Go get that job!!!

Is the STAR method used outside of the public sector? I found my private sector interviews a refreshing change from the “Tell me about a time when you have lost the will to
live” questions.

Same

I went for a job I really wanted a few years ago and when I got to the interview it turned out that the role was more senior than I was expecting - I wouldn’t have applied had I known that but they said they didn’t advertise it was a senior role in case they didn’t get any applicants! On the day it was me and another lady being interviewed. The other lady told me she had a degree (I don’t) and the interviewer had already asked her employer for a reference for her. I almost went home then as I thought I stood no chance as they hadn’t asked mine for a reference. I did my interview and went home only to be totally gobsmacked later when they rang and offered me the job!
Don’t give up OP! Do your research and do your best and you stand as much chance as the other candidate. Good luck!

People appear differently in different environments, companies look for different things. Your old colleague may also have wildly off salary expectations. I got a job at a company and someone I'd looked up to at another place interviewed later (so we weren't in competition but it was a huge organisation with many similar roles). I thought if I'd got the job, she'd be a shoo in, but she didn't have the vibe they wanted. She was probably paid double what I earned when we worked together, but 9 months later she didn't get a role at my new level. Its swings and roundabouts. Just go in, do your best and see how it goes! Good luck

You’ve probably lost a little bit of confidence after the redundancy and your brain believes what you tell it. Start telling yourself that you will get this job. Knuckle down and prep like a boss.
you may not get the job but you will have given it your best shot.

Hahaha! In large organisations I've worked in (e.g. 10-80 000) where interview templates were sent round by the hr team (me) and candidates might ask for feedback, data access requests etc, then yes we used them. Not exclusively as we would add in questions about skills etc, but a big proportion of the interview would be competency based. It's because they're easy to write templates for, score for and assess fairly (in theory). It is meant to get a candidate who has the right competencies and traits for the job, as previous performance is the best indicator for future performance.... as I say, in theory.

I used to have to ask these stupid stupid questions and only these stupid stupid questions.

God I'm so glad I don't have to recruit people any more.

I would echo this. I interview for a range of roles. Its not just about ticking skills boxes, its also attitude and general feel for how a person may fit in with the rest of the team. If this is a 2nd interview, you obviously met the criteria the first time round for them to invite you back.
Interviews shouldn't be designed to trip you up. They should be an opportunity to show the very best of you and to show them why you would be the best person for the role.
The other person may have been more senior than you, that doesn't mean they are better than you or the best person for this particular job.
Good luck!

Sadly I would also say there is a lot of ageism in this market and if you are a little younger than your former colleague that will also be a positive. And you are right that for a contract role, being immediately available is appealing. I would spend a lot of time researching the actual people on the panel as for a second interview it is very much a vibes check.

I think you’ll have a better chance as you are less ‘senior’ than the other person. Just go in and show them you! You have nothing to loose. Good luck.

It’s often more about who performs better in the interview than experience in my opinion

My current job, the first private sector one after years in the civil service, I wouldn’t even have looked at the job ad. It required a degree in something very specific that I didn’t have, experience in a sector that I didn’t have and I really didn’t think I would be a good fit. A friend of mine is a NED and told me that I should apply. He recommended me to the CEO, who agreed. I had a ridiculous number of interviews with different combinations of people and was offered the job. And so far, so good! It made me wish that I had jumped ship years ago, as I hadn’t realised my skills were so transferable.

Exactly this
go for the interview and do your best

You never know. They might well not be suited, ive had this experience. You wont get the job if you dont do the interview. Go in with an open mind and loads of star style answers, examples and relevant research. Don't underestimate that the other person might not prepare so thoroughly as they think theyll get it or think the interviewers know their experience and skills (but you dont get the points if you dont talk about it).

Worst case scenario... you might feel shit for a day or two and you'll gave gained some valuable practice and feedback from interview.
Best case you get it!

So with prior knowledge of your former colleague, what are you going to do better than them at interview?

Do good prep for your next interview, including speaking out loud. Prepare responses to Qs about being out of work.

They don’t know you or your colleague. It often just comes down to interview performance.

Doesn’t matter whether she was better than you at your old job or could be better than you at this.

you want and need a job, so best foot forward!