Qualified for the job but not hired — lessons from my interview experiences (2024)

I still remember the feeling —a potent mix of anxiety (“will they like me?”) and excitement (“I really want to be a part of this company”) —when I was invited to interview for a communications job at a bank.

It propelled me to go into overdrive to research the company and polish up responses to the many questions I imagined would be thrown at me. That was sometime in 2007.

After going through a few rounds of interviews which I thought went well, I was crushed to learn that the job had gone to someone else.

For days, I could not stop wondering where I might have fallen short.

So much so that I decided to contact the hiring manager, who was kind enough to put me out of my misery.

She very candidly said that while she felt confident I had the technical skills to do that job, I did not show enough assertiveness.

As a result, the hiring panel decided that I was not the best fit for the role.

Even though this feedback was not what I expected, it made my loss a bit more palatable. More importantly, it gave me an invaluable insight which I believe all job seekers should bear in mind when attending interviews for jobs.

It may seem obvious, but it is worth reminding ourselves that possessing the right qualifications does not necessarily mean we are the best person for the job — it only gives us an entry pass to enter the competition arena with the other shortlisted candidates.

Unless we have certain rare skills or experiences (which many of us do not), we will need a “secret sauce” —a combination of behavioural traits deemed important by the hiring manager and/or the company —to stand out from the crowd and get the job.

Because the ingredients of this “secret sauce” varies across companies —some look primarily for results (the “what”) while others may focus on the “how” —doing our research will help us put our best foot forward.

It may even help us decide that the company is not a fit for us after all, which was what I did sometime in 2018.

After progressing through a few interviews over video with a global tech giant, I was to travel to meet its chief executive officer (CEO) in person.

However, the company was unable to set a definitive time and date for about three months.

Each time, they proposed a meeting (at short notice) over the weekend, with a caveat that “the CEO may not have time to meet you, but we’ll fly you here just in case”.

Despite my protests, I was told to “please understand the CEO is very busy”.

I ultimately decided to pass on this company, as I did not fancy working in a place where employees are made to feel it is acceptable to be at the beck and call of the CEO.

I learnt from some of these experiences when I became a hiring manager myself over the last 10 years or so.

My aim during interviews was to understand how a candidate gets work done, rather than merely seeing him/her as someone with a skill and achievement.

This is because all things being equal, the way a person gets work done can make all the difference in the world between a great hire and a big mistake.

I learnt this the hard way after a couple of costly mistakes where I had made hiring decisions based more on the candidates’ experience and qualifications.

But they did not work out. I had to mediate and resolve conflicts which popped up frequently, repair damaged work partnerships and provide coaching more often than I would normally have to.

I also had to make an effort to go through the hiring process again.

To be clear, someone who did not work out in one company can very well be successful at another company which has a culture —a set of strongly held values and beliefs that are widely shared by employees —that is more conducive.

When making hiring decisions, I assess the ability of the candidate to not only fit with but also add to the company culture and amplify the impact my team is making.

I am sure there are many hiring managers who value behavioural traits over technical skills, so here are some simple pointers to keep in mind when you prepare for your job interviews.

Avoid saying “I” if you can say “we”.

I keep a mental tab of the number of times a candidate says “I” versus “we” or “my team” when describing his/her achievements.

If the tally for the former is a lot higher, it’s a potential “red flag” that prompts me to probe further, because an “I” person is less likely to be an effective team player, and great things are (almost) never done by an individual acting alone.

Dialogues are more productive than monologues.

On a few occasions, I politely ended an interview ahead of time because the candidate could not be coaxed off his/her monologue.

While it is natural to want to tell the interviewer as much about yourself as possible, it is frustrating for the interviewer to constantly interject to keep the interview on track. You could also come across as lacking in self-awareness and uninterested in the needs of others.

Add to the mix of perspectives.

A candidate who offers a different perspective to mine is not only more interesting, he/she gets bonus points from me.

As a hiring manager, I value someone who can do the work and inject new ideas as well, because this helps us make more informed business decisions. If done in a constructive and professional manner, disagreeing with the interviewer is not a taboo.

Your questions say a lot.

While it may be customary to ask questions when invited to, I find it refreshing when a candidate mixes things up and shows initiative.

In my view, the best questions convey genuine interest in the job and the interviewer, and I find myself going into selling mode to promote the role to the candidate.

The worst questions are those that come across as perfunctory or “lazy”. An example is “where do you see major growth opportunities for Company X”? The answers can be found easily by doing basic research on the internet.

Finally, no matter how thoroughly you think you have prepared for questions that may come your way, be prepared for curveballs.

Years ago, fresh out of school, I messed up when I was asked “why should we NOT hire you”.

I panicked and my mind went blank.So I could only manage to say, “I can’t think of any” or something silly like that.

So what should you do in a case like this?

Maintain your composure and go with the flow. Have a crisp “elevator pitch” about yourself that you can fall back on when something unexpected happens so that you don’t derail an otherwise good interview.

Good luck!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Roger Pua has more than 25 years of international work experience, and was most recently senior director of brand marketing and corporate communications at LinkedIn. He has also authored and published a book that sheds light on living with dementia in the family.

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