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Apparently, I must suck at interviews. My resume is getting me noticed and called for interviews, but I don't get the job. This has been my 2nd one this year, and kinda feels like a smack in the face.
I was told that I was the last person they were interviewing for the position. It was out of state so I drove 240 miles and made sure I got there right on time. I was taken to a conference room, and it was a round table interview with two guys and three women. The atmosphere was fairly light hearted with some humor and ribbing of each other. (this was on a Friday too) I was asked some unusual questions like what are my hobbies outside of work, and if I would be comfortable working with women. My GF told me these are actually illegal questions to ask since they do not pertain to the job specifically.
I talked a lot about my myself, skill set, and work examples where I had succeeded. The worst part for me was my allergies kicked in, and sure enough, the itch returned in my throat forcing me to start coughing. I fished around for a cough drop, but for about a minute, I could barely talk right. I was told that they would make a decision within a week and let me know something via email.
I got the email less than two hours later:
Mr. XXXXX – we appreciate your interest in the Application Analyst position at XXXXX. We have made a decision and unfortunately we have decided on another candidate. We wish you good luck in any future endeavors you may persue.
It felt like a punch to the gut not only because I didn't get the job, but because the decision was made so quickly. Does this mean I did really bad on the interview, or perhaps they were already pretty much decided on someone else? If it is the latter then it's pretty lousy for them to allow me to drive that far for nothing.
Should I write an email reply or just let it go? His email felt pretty cold, so I thought about just a flat reply saying "Thank you for the consideration."
I would not bother to send an e-mail. It won't make a difference and could come across the wrong way. I'll bet they had pretty much decided on someone before your interview and you would've had to dazzle them to have a shot.
FWIW, I was once a finalist with two other people for a position. I was offered the job, but had another interview scheduled, and asked for some time to consider the offer. I ended up being offered the second job and declined the first. The employer offered it to their #2 candidate who ended up declining the job. The person who was their #3 candidate out of three ended up with the position.
I was asked some unusual questions like what are my hobbies outside of work, and if I would be comfortable working with women. My GF told me these are actually illegal questions to ask since they do not pertain to the job specifically.
Your GF is wrong. It is not illegal for an interviewer to make sure you are a good fit.
They are asking you about interests outside of work because they want to know what kind of person you are, not just what kind of worker.
I would definitely write an email reply thanking them for the opportunity to interview. At least they told you their decision. If you haven't noticed, many companies do not even give you the courtesy of a response.
I just read an article about this, in which the author suggested that if one is interested in the job/company & didn't get an offer, to write a short thank you note/email & ask to be considered for future openings. If you google 'thank you note rejection' you'll find a number of articles. The reasoning was that people rarely write them, particularly after being rejected & even if the interview didn't go according to plan (we all make mistakes... I've had a few dicey interviews recently, in which I was less than stellar) that it's not unheard of that their #1 choice could accept another offer before starting, or just after starting or may not be the right fit & they'll need to hire someone else. Your thoughtful 'thank you for the interview note' may keep you fresh in mind.
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Also, as for the fast response, it mostly meant that they during their interview process had their #1 candidate in mind, but wanted to be fair and see everyone that was qualified.
That's exactly what I was thinking. In other threads here, people have said they've had an interview after accepting a job offer, in one case an interview at 8am the same day as his 1st day of work, beginning at 10am. It doesn't mean he regretted accepting the offer, but that a potential better offer presented itself at that time. We all need to look out for ourselves financially & business is business. Sounds like this company was doing the same.
It's a shame you had to drive so far, but I've done it, too & those are the breaks... it was still worth it since the alternative was to bypass the interview, then wonder if they might have hired you had you shown up. Pretty soon you'll have an offer. Good luck in your searching!
I think they already knew who they wanted and felt obligated to interview you. If you'd ended up being some kind of superhero they might have considered you. Chalk it up to experience. Sounds like you did fine. Don't worry about the coughing but take a bottle of water with you next time. We're all human and if they hold that against you they aren't very nice people.
Everyone they interviewed thought they were perfect for the job. One was, but it was not you. If you don't get picked after 20 - 25 interviews, depending on your field, you might start to worry, but getting a good job is tough. Very tough. Good Luck.
Did you not have water? You should bring a bottle of water if this an issue. Almost everyplace with any class will offer water, but it is good to be prepared.
I'm surprised the interviewers didn't offer water, especially when the OP started coughing. Usually something like that will trigger an offer of water, but they just let him sit their and cough up his lungs, and then decide they didn't want to offer him the job???????
To OP-I would not discard the cough as a reason for not getting hired, of course, it's illegal, but they might have thought you had some chronic health condition that would interfere with your work duties so did not want to bother, although, they should have offered you water, jerks, any decent place would offer you water before you even start talking. Next time, take an allergy medication and bring a bottle of water with you, it's perfectly fine to ask for a 5 minute break to drink/use bathroom.
You were the last interview. It is not unusual for a hiring team to have found their favorite prior to interviewing you. A good team, would still interview you, and if you were even a better fit, you would have been offered the job. After your interview is decision time, and as you did not beat out the other candidate, they were offered the job and you were rejected. They were able to give you a quick rejection, because you not beating out the other candidate their decision was then made.
A good hiring team, will after the first 3 candidates, will select the best, and keep looking for one that beats out their first choice. When that person comes along, they replace their first choice with the second first choice. They keep looking for a better candidate, and a new leading candidate. When the last interview is finished and does not beat out the leading candidate, they have the winner and the one to offer the job to. THat is how they could give you such a quick rejection.
This is considered a much better and efficient way to do it, than wait till all the candidates have been interviewed and try to select their first choice. It is easier to keep track of the good ones this way than wait till after all the interviews and then try to remember why each may be the best and select one. Pick a leader early in the process, and keep looking for one that would even be better. Each candidate is really only being compared to one person, and the one that wins is the leader. Last man standing, is the winner of the job. The leading candidate may change several times, as an even better choice comes along.
To OP-I would not discard the cough as a reason for not getting hired, of course, it's illegal, but they might have thought you had some chronic health condition that would interfere with your work duties so did not want to bother, although, they should have offered you water, jerks, any decent place would offer you water before you even start talking. Next time, take an allergy medication and bring a bottle of water with you, it's perfectly fine to ask for a 5 minute break to drink/use bathroom.
I would actually avoid bringing any beverage into the interview and I would definitely not ask to use the bathroom during the interview. Those are distractions, even if you have legitimate reasons, and your interviewer may not get the impression that you are very prepared or responsible. Personal needs need to be taken care of BEFORE the interview begins. Now if you have two interviews in one day (for instance) and there is a break between interviews, then of course it is okay to use the bathroom during this time. You do not want to leave during the middle of an interview. This is time set aside for you and the interviewer (keep in mind the interviewer may have to use the bathroom too) and you need to make the most of it. One bad impression can ruin your chance of getting the job.
A company does not have to provide water either. It's nice if they do, but don't expect it. You aren't there to be catered to. You are there to sell yourself to your potential employer. The benefits begin after you are hired.
I think the original poster happened to be one of the last to be interviewed and it just so happened that the company had already decided to go with someone else. That's just bad luck.
I would not bother to send an e-mail. It won't make a difference and could come across the wrong way. I'll bet they had pretty much decided on someone before your interview and you would've had to dazzle them to have a shot.
FWIW, I was once a finalist with two other people for a position. I was offered the job, but had another interview scheduled, and asked for some time to consider the offer. I ended up being offered the second job and declined the first. The employer offered it to their #2 candidate who ended up declining the job. The person who was their #3 candidate out of three ended up with the position.
I'm on the fence about a response to the rejection. I initially did a few of those, but a friend said why would I write something like "I hope your new candidate works out well", when it's disingenuous. I guess I wouldn't put it past the back of my mind that a piano falls on the new candidate, kills him, and I get to take the job now. However, the whole interview process itself is disingenuous anyways. "Why do you want to work here?". 95% of us think of the main reason of "because I want to a salary to pay my bills and make a living", but of course in an interview, you tell them something else that you should say instead and they're looking to hear.
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"Why do you want to work here?". 95% of us think of the main reason of "because I want to a salary to pay my bills and make a living", but of course in an interview, you tell them something else that you should say instead and they're looking to hear.
