My Interview Went Well…But I Didn’t Get The Job
This article was originally written by Nancy Segal and appeared on the blog of Solutions for the Workplace (www.solutions-workplace.com) and is shared with permission.
It happens to all of us; you think you nailed your interview and you’re already thinking about resigning from your current position but then you find out that you didn’t get the job. What happened?
A number of things, of course, could have happened. Here are 10 to consider:
You misread the room. It’s always possible that the interview did not go as well as you thought…you may have just misread the room, come off as overly rehearsed, arrogant, or any number of things.
There were a lot of well-qualified interviewees. You may, in fact, have interviewed very well—but it’s possible others did as well. Don’t be discouraged, your non-selection does not mean that you weren’t qualified.
Something about the way you presented yourself was not a good match. You may have had a great interview and strong qualifications but there may have been factors (yes, let’s call them unconscious biases) that turned off your interviewers. I once had a hiring manager tell me that she wouldn’t hire someone because the interviewee came in wearing something other than navy, black, or brown!
Your social media did not match the image the organization wants to project. Right or wrong, many hiring managers will check your social media. What does yours say about you?
The organization already had another candidate in mind. Sometimes interviews are just proforma. Doesn’t make it right. Think about it as the organization’s version of practicing even though they’re not serious about you as a candidate. Applicants do this all the time.
You didn’t close the interview, do any follow-up, etc. Hiring managers want to know that you’re interested in their job; you should close your interview appropriately and follow up (without being a nuisance).
The job disappeared, got canceled, was subject to budget cuts, priorities changed, or the position suffered a similar fate.
Your references were not strong enough. Most employers will contact references—even for candidates they really liked. Are your references strong enough?
Your social interactions with non-interviewers (receptionist, security, etc.) were not as pleasant, warm, and/or polite as they were with the interviewers. Everybody counts! And sometimes, everyone gets a vote.
Your responses did not include strong accomplishments. It’s one thing to have simpatico with your interviewers; it’s another to really back up your answers with strong examples of your success—and tie those examples to the job you’re interviewing for.