Interview Upsetting

[melikey12]

I am upset about the phone interview that I had the other day. The recruiter said that she would let me know about “next steps” in a week or so but I got an email the next day that said I was not being considered. This pisses me off because she didn’t even give me a week’s worth of consideration. Why am I not being seen as a valid option? To me the thought of an interview bothers me in general because it brings me back to how I felt as a kid being an outsider. I never wanted to be in the in-group, in fact, I despised them because of the perceived exclusivity of the members. I didn’t want to be evaluated by them and I didn’t want to care what they thought of me. This is translating to my poor interview performance because it pisses me off that I have to appeal to a person for membership in their group. I guess in a way I like to be a loner and independent and I don’t want to be a part of a team. I guess the interviewers can feel that vibe off of me just like girls can tell that “I’m different.” It is really upsetting because I want to work and want to be successful but I can’t just because people don’t include me in their groups.

 

[The Penguin]

The recruiter said that she would let me know about “next steps” in a week or so but I got an email the next day that said I was not being considered.

This is just standard procedures what companies do. It not right but this is very common.

 

[Aspergirl4hire]

Hi, Melikey12, welcome to AspieCentral!

I feel your pain.
"I am upset about the phone interview that I had the other day. The recruiter said that she would let me know about “next steps” in a week or so but I got an email the next day that said I was not being considered. This pisses me off because she didn’t even give me a week’s worth of consideration. Why am I not being seen as a valid option?"

It may not feel like comfort, but there has been a huge backlash against HR and companies over the years taking too long to tell people how they fared. I having been on hiring teams myself and know that the interviewers typically review results with the team within 24 hours. It doesn't usually take a week to figure out who's moving forward. The intent is to keep moving, and be honest and not lead with false hopes; while one interviewer may have thought things would proceed, they usually don't make a unilateral decision.

I don't know what was true in your situation. I do know that generally, only candidates believed to be competent get a phone interview. You got that far. Hold that thought. The other thing is that sometimes the HR person is willing to pass along your resume to other people who need your skills, but you have to give written permission to do that. Writing a thank-you note for their time spent interviewing you is a good courtesy--and you can thank them for promptly informing you of the result, and ask them to forward your resume if they know someone looking for skills like yours. It's a way to turn that contact to your advantage when the results aren't what you want.

I know it's hard. I've been there myself. Take heart, and try anew tomorrow.

 

[Greg]

I have gone on some interviews lately and they have not gone well. I come out of them feeling bad and really don't want to work for that employer.

 

[Andrew206]

My last interview was about 6 months ago. It went well, but the interviewer was looking for someone to work nights. I ride the bus to and from work, and that would make working nights tough.

 

[dragonwolf]

I am upset about the phone interview that I had the other day. The recruiter said that she would let me know about “next steps” in a week or so but I got an email the next day that said I was not being considered. This pisses me off because she didn’t even give me a week’s worth of consideration. Why am I not being seen as a valid option? To me the thought of an interview bothers me in general because it brings me back to how I felt as a kid being an outsider. I never wanted to be in the in-group, in fact, I despised them because of the perceived exclusivity of the members. I didn’t want to be evaluated by them and I didn’t want to care what they thought of me. This is translating to my poor interview performance because it pisses me off that I have to appeal to a person for membership in their group. I guess in a way I like to be a loner and independent and I don’t want to be a part of a team. I guess the interviewers can feel that vibe off of me just like girls can tell that “I’m different.” It is really upsetting because I want to work and want to be successful but I can’t just because people don’t include me in their groups.

Have you seen the interview tips thread? It's probably worth a read -- JOB INTERVIEWS! Tips, how to answer questions, ask questions & GET THAT JOB! | AspiesCentral.com

That said, the "in a week or so" thing is more of a maximum time, not an exact time.

Don't get discouraged, you may not have done anything wrong. There are a number of reasons for why you didn't get to the next step, and most of them aren't your fault. Here are just a few (and ones that can happen a lot faster than a week):

1. The company changed their mind on the position itself and is no longer looking in general.
2. Another candidate has better/more attractive qualifications (ie - more years experience, more direct experience, etc).
3. Another candidate's experience fits the requirements better (ie - more items on the requirements list "checked off").
4. The company has a set idea of how their "ideal candidate" answers their questions and yours didn't line up (no, this isn't your fault, this is potentially more a fault of theirs, as it closes them off to perfectly valid candidates).

Things like this also happen to the best of us. I've had it happen on numerous occasions (if you count the times that I've submitted a resume and didn't even get a first interview, then it's happened more times than I can keep track of). Hell, I had one time where I had a phone interview that lasted all of 5 minutes, before they were done with me and had no interest in me. It happens, try not to take it personally.

Just keep looking toward the next interview and do your best at each one. I know, it can be hard sometimes, especially on more "down" days (I have them, too; sometimes, it's so bad that I don't even bother so much as sending in an application/resume, because I don't feel up to the effort or potentially talking to someone at all).

 

[Aspergirl4hire]

I didn't find the link helpful...I'm allergic to SHOUTY TEXT and guarantees, because there aren't any. Even if everything does go "right" at the time...then again, I do this a lot.

I did just had a surprising experience. I did a self-care stress management blog before today's interview, and after. I'm trying out new stuff I learned here.