CVUK Interview Tip Of The Week #11
Unsuccessful Interview? No biggie
Yesterday was ‘International Happiness Day’, but here at CVUK we want our candidates to be happy all year round, and our 11th interview tip will ensure you’re doing just that, even if a job interview hasn’t turned out quite how you wanted it to the next one absolutely will.
We know too well just how frustrating and exhausting job hunting can be. Endless applications to jobs perhaps you’re not quite qualified for, occasionally finding one or two that you couldn’t be more perfect for but ‘how the hell are they going to see your potential from underneath a pile of other applicants?’ This time around we’re talking ‘interview rejection’ and how not to let an unsuccessful interview get you down. Ask for feedback and use that to shape your next interview.
Getting feedback isn’t about whether or not you agree or disagree with what the person is telling you but rather about seeing how others perceive you. All feedback is helpful and will aid your preparation for the next interview. An interviewer is seeing a side of you that you will never get to see, (it’s hard to judge a self-performance objectively) so they can feedback on things you haven’t noticed, such as your body language and how you present yourself.
In most cases any company worth their salt will provide constructive feedback, highlighting your strengths in an interview and pointing out why, this time around, you were unsuccessful. If a company is refusing to offer you feedback it may be in fear that you will view their decisions as discriminatory or unfair. Bad feedback is as un-enjoyable for the client to give as it is for the candidate to receive, but if both parties can take into consideration both points of view then (hopefully!) it can become a positive experience. The main thing to remember when receiving bad news from a job interview is to remain polite and interested in what they have to say; you never know what else they may have for you, now or in the future.
The most common reason for being unsuccessful is lack of experience (which can be incredibly frustrating because how can you gain more when people won’t give you a chance right?!) but it could also be that you didn’t quite verbalise your experience well enough. If this is the case then you will know to work on it in the future.
Remember, employers want you to be successful or they wouldn’t have wasted their time or money interviewing you. If you are unsuccessful for a position they are going to want to give you as much help as possible to ensure your success in the future. Leave on good times and always remember to thank them for the opportunity because you never know when you might cross paths again.