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I suppose this plea is addressed to fine folks like momof2dfw and Sassberto, both of whom seem to have a lot of experience either interviewing people or advising folks on what to do and what NOT to do during the interviewing process.
I just read momof2dfw's rant in which she listed nine "pet peeves" of hers about potential candidates that ranged from tardiness, to whining, to lack of confidence, and I must say I am saddened that I don't live in an area like hers where so many people have such a poor work ethic. Here in Northeastern Pennsylvania the problem is just the opposite; a plethora of skilled professionals are all vying for a scarce pool of available positions.
I'm a Junior who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from an AACSB-accredited undergraduate school. I have five full years of retail and/or customer service-related work experience at two reputable employers---a grocery store and a home improvement store. I love volunteering, I'm relatively active in campus life (although not as much as I'd like since I'm also trying to juggle working nearly full-time to help ease my parent's financial burden with my very expensive tuition), and my GPA of 3.5 isn't stellar, but it is most certainly not too shabby for someone who is working full-time and engaged in a long-distance romantic relationship while handling a courseload of 18 credits.
I applied for a summer internship opportunity with a regional accounting fim here in my area, and I successfully made the first two "cuts"---one from simply looking over resumes, and a subsquent phone interview. I received an e-mail invitation to attend a "Day of Interviewing" at the firm's office in my area, and I entered well-dressed and well-groomed, confident, and prompt---fifteen minutes early to be exact. I met another young woman from a college outside of our area in the lobby of the office building, and I introduced myself to her as we took the elevator up to our floor. We exited into the office, politely greeted and introduced ourselves to the receptionist, and were soon greeted by the firm's recruiting manager. We chit-chatted briefly before more rivals arrived. Normally I'd welcome competition, but it soon became apparent to me that even after two prior screenings there were STILL roughly 15 candidates remaining vying for just two open positions!
Prior to our intensive interviews we were asked to briefly introduce ourselves to our peers and potential future superiors and colleagues. I was one of the last ones to present myself, and needless to say my confidence was shattered when I benchmarked my own accomplishments against a woman who had already had an internship with the Big 4, a man who was in his senior year of his MBA program at a more well-regarded school, etc. Since I likely had more of the "soft" skills that the firm was seeking, I made that apparent as being the only one to elicit laughter and smiles from everyone with a corny joke about my hometown being the world's quality tomato capital!
I then had my first interview with a rather pleasant woman in her late-30s. We immediately struck a chord with one another when I found out that she was a former runner, and when I mentioned my love for my family she said that I was really making her feel valued because she too was a parent afraid of losing the interest of her children as they aged. Before we knew it we were actually out of time, and my confidence rose since I had managed to keep this woman at the edge of her seat the entire time while "selling" my soft skills and my love of their company.
My next interview was less pleasant. I was met with a rather frazzled woman, a manager, who seemed to regard me as being a "chore." She frowned continuously, acted distractedly, and made a lot of unwelcomed sighs. I figured this was probably the firm's way of subjecting us to a "good cop; bad cop" type of scenario, so I took the initiative during the frequent gaps of silence to initiate new conversation aimed at linking past success stories of how I overcame challenges in the workplace in order to prove that I had good analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
Eventually I managed to break down her icy barrier as well because I found out she had a weakness for community service. When I described my success as being a co-captain of a Relay for Life team to benefit the American Cancer Society we finally struck our "chord" as well, and the conversation turned much more pleasant; I noticed her mood change from bored to intrigued. It turns out I spent the longest amount of time in each interview, as I was the final one to return to our group post-interview gathering. I thought this was a good sign as I apparently had more time to prove myself a worthy candidate than my rivals, some of whom had perfect GPAs (but little or no work experience may I add). The next day I followed-up with personalized e-mails thanking each interviewer for taking the time out of their busy schedules to accomodate me. The woman who initially gave me the cold shoulder was the only one of the two to respond, and I was sheerly surprised by how pleasant her tone was. I got my first "hint" that I wasn't likely to be chosen when she reminded me to keep in touch no matter what happened because they weren't taking many candidates (two, as a matter of fact, out of that final pack of around 15), and I truly appreciated that.
I then received a rejection letter just over a week later. Since this was the only opportunity available in my area for college public accounting internships, my mood soured. I've been depressed and grieving over this ever since last week. I've been berating myself, telling myself "I'm worthless," etc., etc., and now I'm even more depressed because I realize I'll probably have to move out of my beloved hometown in order to find opportunity in the public accounting field. My college urged me to change my major to accounting under the guise that certified public accountants were in "high demand." They never told me that there truly is NOT a demand for public accounting after all!
Sorry about the length of this message, but judging by what information I provided, what does it sound like I did wrong in order to have been rejected? I even thought so minutely as to bring along a Becker CPA pen, making sure it was noticed by the interviewers, in hopes that they'd see how ambitious I was to already be in touch with Becker about their prep courses for the exam while only in my Junior year.
You might consider the possibility that you are overreacting here. It sounds like you did the right kinds of things to make a good impression but not having witnessed your interviews, I can't really say.
I've interviewed people in the education field for several years and I'll just throw out some things for you to think about. While it's important to sell yourself, it is also important not to appear too self-absorbed. I want to know why I should hire you, not why you're a wonderful person. So while you may make a connection with someone, it doesn't mean that the qualities they admire mean you are right for the job. On the plus side, that person might become a good contact for you. Maybe you can contact the icy woman and ask her if there is a non-profit she would suggest you contact to gain some volunteer work experience.
Another important thing is subtlety. If there is a natural way to make the point that you are industrious and forward looking, great. But if you have to show somebody your pen to point this out, it may come across as a pushy or obvious. On a related note, it's a pet peeve when somebody asks a question they know the answer to as a way to make themselves appear more knowledgeable.
Again, not saying you did these things, but try to look at your performance objectively. Also, we talk a lot about social cognition, and the link below fleshes out what that means. In an interview, you have to read your audience.
Finally, it's OK to be disappointed about this, but the self-flagellation and blaming the school for your choice of major is a bit dramatic - you might want to tone it down.
Good luck.
type 'social cognition' into the glossary (http://www.allkindsofminds.org/glossary.aspx - broken link)
While you connected with the personal aspects, it may have come off as too much style and not enough substance. Even though it was the interviewers' responsibility to keep the interviews on point, lacking that, you could have.
I say this because I had a similar interview once and, in hindsight, saw that I misread the commonalities in our personal life as a professional connection. I needed to sell myself professionally, not personally.
You're doing great and that was just one company. It's not the end of the world, but I know that is easy to say. Just keep getting back on the horse and you'll do fine.
Based on your post, you did a lot of things right. Sometimes, there are just other, more qualified candidates and you can and will lose to them. Remember that interns are not the same as experienced hires, and the judgement used on an intern is often less tangible and less exact.
Based on what you are saying here, it sounds to me like you did as well as can be expected. Given the level of rigor in this hiring process, I am guessing there was a lot of competition in the first place. Don't take it too hard, and don't put all your eggs in one basket - line up as many interviews as you can, even if they are not all your "dream job".
Good luck, don't get discouraged, and post here again when you finally land that first gig.
I will have to agree with the others on here and say it sounds as you did well but had some mighty stiff competition. You win some you lose some but it is how you handle those loses that can make the BIGGEST difference.
Someone else already mentioned getting involved w/ a non-profit and that might get you in touch with others and networking CAN be very beneficial when it comes to looking for and landing jobs nowadays for several reasons. The costs associated w/ running an ad for an employment opportunity are INSANE be it in a local paper or online. The last person for an office position that I hired was thru word of mouth. For some reason that was the best source of potential candidates and employees over anything else. This time I started out w/ the same approach and we were getting nowhere fast. The tardy people came from this bunch. Inspiration hit and I listed the position on craigslist for FREE - WOOHOO!!! In a 4-hour time period we had over 50 applicants that ALL were close by which in a major metropolitan area and gas prices rising is important. In less than 24 hours I removed the ad and we sorted thru the 100+ applicants resumes and called in a few as well as some that had actually read the ad and knew what "Apply In Person" meant. DUH!!! I'm happy to say the new girl started today and this was after 6 were called back for 2nd interviews on Monday and it was still hard to decide after that. One is someone I want to hire for MY personal assistant. OMYGOSH!!! I SO NEED HER!!!!
What we saw that detracted from our position were some that were WAY over qualified be it in education or job experience. Those we knew in this position they would get bored quickly and move on. I was also keeping my eye open for someone young and energetic that was open to explore a new field. For the right person especially a female they could come into this industry starting as an Admin. Asst and learn the terms, uses of products, etc and go out into outside sales and if they REALLY wanted to go further become an industry expert. The sky really is the limit in this industry. Sadly, none of those appeared
Sounds like you did fine in being able to break through and get them to remember you. Especially if the "cold shoulder" woman was not even interested but remembered you and responded back. If she is someone that you think MIGHT be able to help in networking in your field she might be a good source IF she acts like it (I would not push it or become pushy, clingy, needy, etc and not want to be "best buds" or such). She might be open to giving you a critical open and honest opinion of how you did. Never hurts to try.
Good luck, keep your chin up and do NOT let this get you down. There were HOW MANY probably in the original pile and you got into the last of the group of 15 to be called in. Sweetie, that says a LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will have to agree with the others on here and say it sounds as you did well but had some mighty stiff competition. You win some you lose some but it is how you handle those loses that can make the BIGGEST difference.
Someone else already mentioned getting involved w/ a non-profit and that might get you in touch with others and networking CAN be very beneficial when it comes to looking for and landing jobs nowadays for several reasons. The costs associated w/ running an ad for an employment opportunity are INSANE be it in a local paper or online. The last person for an office position that I hired was thru word of mouth. For some reason that was the best source of potential candidates and employees over anything else. This time I started out w/ the same approach and we were getting nowhere fast. The tardy people came from this bunch. Inspiration hit and I listed the position on craigslist for FREE - WOOHOO!!! In a 4-hour time period we had over 50 applicants that ALL were close by which in a major metropolitan area and gas prices rising is important. In less than 24 hours I removed the ad and we sorted thru the 100+ applicants resumes and called in a few as well as some that had actually read the ad and knew what "Apply In Person" meant. DUH!!! I'm happy to say the new girl started today and this was after 6 were called back for 2nd interviews on Monday and it was still hard to decide after that. One is someone I want to hire for MY personal assistant. OMYGOSH!!! I SO NEED HER!!!!
What we saw that detracted from our position were some that were WAY over qualified be it in education or job experience. Those we knew in this position they would get bored quickly and move on. I was also keeping my eye open for someone young and energetic that was open to explore a new field. For the right person especially a female they could come into this industry starting as an Admin. Asst and learn the terms, uses of products, etc and go out into outside sales and if they REALLY wanted to go further become an industry expert. The sky really is the limit in this industry. Sadly, none of those appeared
Sounds like you did fine in being able to break through and get them to remember you. Especially if the "cold shoulder" woman was not even interested but remembered you and responded back. If she is someone that you think MIGHT be able to help in networking in your field she might be a good source IF she acts like it (I would not push it or become pushy, clingy, needy, etc and not want to be "best buds" or such). She might be open to giving you a critical open and honest opinion of how you did. Never hurts to try.
Good luck, keep your chin up and do NOT let this get you down. There were HOW MANY probably in the original pile and you got into the last of the group of 15 to be called in. Sweetie, that says a LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, what about that when you have tons of experience and education and they hire someone else and then call you up and say that do have an administrative assistant position opening up. BTW, they said they loved my ideas and were very impressed me and felt I would be a perfect compliment for the person they did hire for the director position. It sounds like to me they want two directors with equal skill levels but only pay one as a secretary. What am i supppose to do? I desperately need the money and yes, I probably would be bored with stuffing envelopes and answering the phone all day but I can't seem to find anything in my field that wants someone with experience and education. Then I found out today, a job I applied for and was perfectly suited to, was filled by the agency director's sister who had no experience and no education. That just shouldn't be allowed!
Okay, what about that when you have tons of experience and education and they hire someone else and then call you up and say that do have an administrative assistant position opening up. BTW, they said they loved my ideas and were very impressed me and felt I would be a perfect compliment for the person they did hire for the director position. It sounds like to me they want two directors with equal skill levels but only pay one as a secretary. What am i supppose to do? I desperately need the money and yes, I probably would be bored with stuffing envelopes and answering the phone all day but I can't seem to find anything in my field that wants someone with experience and education. Then I found out today, a job I applied for and was perfectly suited to, was filled by the agency director's sister who had no experience and no education. That just shouldn't be allowed!
If they are open to hiring you knowing you are over qualified for the position of Admin. Asst. then I might go for it. They might be looking at you as a person they can groom into a higher position. Could be they also see an upcoming need and don't want you to get away and can snag you by offering you SOMETHING just to get you. Be upfront and honest with them if you want and flat out ask them, "Are there any chances for advancement if I come to work for your company as an Administrative Assistant?" If they answer yes and you know you would get bored then be honest with them by saying that you would LOVE to take on any additional work that is normally above and beyond what a normal Admin. Asst would be expected to perform.
As for the other job and a relative getting it............ happens all the time and not a thing none of us can do about it. Always has been that way and will be till the end of time.
Scranbarre - the competition sounds so stiff that I bet those 2 spots went to people who had personal connections with the company and you just can't compete with that. Maybe the sour lady knew the two spots had to go to the director's niece and the CEO's secretary's son or whatever. You did good though making a great impression and that may help you later on. It's the start of networking.
Finding internships and consequently, jobs is just difficult, period.
I was lucky to slip into my internship because the person I worked with had a sibling that attended my school, and along with the fact the person I was working with had the same major at a different school, the spot was sealed up for me. That was the only place I'd applied to.
However, now that I've graduated, things have gotten more difficult. The jobs I'm applying for seemingly encourage college graduates to apply, but they want experience, lots of experience at the same time. There are around 10 openings at once, and at one interview I just recently went to, I realized everyone holding the job I was interviewing for had to be at least 15+ years older than me. it's difficult, but you know, you gotta do what you've gotta do. I've been depressed this half of a year finding a job, but whatever.
Have you asked for feedback from the interviewers? You may have come across as too emotional. Soft skills are valuable, but I'd suggest the long interviews are not a good sign. I have scribed MANY job interviews, and interviewers often get involved in non-core conversations, and although the are supposedly driving the timing, naturally even if they've mismanaged the interview timing, it will reflect on you.
I question why you are having such personal conversations with your interviewers - those topics are for after you've gained the job and are chatting over the water fountain, aren't they? Creating 'intrigue' as you put it, in an interviewer will not necessary translate into a positive on the meeting notes.
If I were in your shoes, this would be my strategy:
If the interviewers aren't running a tight, directed interview, learn to direct your answers well and stay on topic.
Always seek feedback (make sure you fit in with the interviewer's schedule and don't ask on-the-hop), and ask for a robust and honest account so you can learn from it.
If you don't gain the position, assume that it's because there was a better candidate. Ask the interviewer what steps they would recommend, so you can compete better another time.
Be humorous and gracious, NEVER betray a hint of disappointment. You may be being put on the backburner for a different position in their minds.
Oh, and keep up the corny jokes! Just make sure you are telling them confidently and carrying them off. If you demonstrate that you can 'die on stage' and carry on as though you just gave them the best one-liner they'll ever hear, it's the best look there is.
Lastly, you've brought irrelevancies into your -sorry, what I'd call a poor-me - approach. If you are conducting a long-distance relationship, that's totally irrelevant.
The Becker pen ploy was a nonsense and you know it!
"My mood soured ..." - there's the crux of it. "Bouncing back" from a setback or disappointment is the prime skill in any occupation.
Sorry to sound tough, but I think you are taking the wrong attitude to market.
Ginny
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