You went on a job interview.
- You prepared/could have prepared a bit better.
- You dressed in your interview best/you couldn’t dress appropriately because your boss would have guessed immediately what you were up to.
- You did your best/you weren’t on your game and totally blew it.
- You were the best candidate around but they put the position on hold/you were not even close to being the best candidate around.
- You thought before the interview it was the ideal job/during the interview you realized this would be a horrible fit.
All of the above scenarios have ended up in your not being offered the position. So….How do you make lemonade out of lemons?
- Never take it personally. If you do, you’ll never last in New York and will have to spend your days hiding under the kitchen table with your coat over your head. But it didn’t work when you were 5 and it’s not going to work now.
- Be honest with yourself, even if it’s a bit embarrassing or painful. Analyze what you did or said that wasn’t right.
- Practice getting it right with family or friends or your counselor at the agency.
- If you went through a placement service, THEY CAN HELP. If they can’t, change placement services! Can’t speak for the others, but the best are like Merit, one would like to think. They will coach you through the interview process, the specifics of the interview style of that particular company. They may even be able to tell you afterwards why their client decided not to pursue your application any further. You have to be grown up and listen to them, even if it’s negative. You showed no emotion or enthusiasm and the company thought you weren’t that keen on the job? But you’re the quietest, shyest, most unemotional person this side of the Rockies… The agency can still help you practice what to say, how to say it, even if it just means having to admit in the interview, “I sometimes come across as unenthusiastic, but I’m kind of like the swan, sailing sedately passed while my feet are going like mad under the water.”
Is this blog making you go, “Huh? What’s she going on about?” What I’m saying is that that many candidates don’t like to hear negative stuff (not very keen on criticism myself, actually) and they switch off. Which is fine, but they won’t have learned for the next opportunity. History doesn’t have to keep repeating itself. We’re here to help.