Don't assume you've got the job

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Have you ever had an interview you thought went so well, you couldn't figure out why you didn't get the job? I remember a friend telling me after one of his interviews that by the end of the interview, the interviewer was talking to him like he already had the job. He was excited and figured the job was his. As you may have guessed, he didn't get the job. This rejection left him wondering why and he began to doubt himself.

Rejections take their toll on all of us, and if you let them they can make you feel like you're never going to get a job. It's natural to be disappointed but you need to work your way through it and deal with it instead of focusing and obsessing over it. It will only make you feel worse. This isn't the end, there will be other opportunities and you should be ready to put your best foot forward when they appear.

You can put your best foot forward by learning from each interview you attend. Recognising what didn't work, or what you think you didn't do well is helpful in improving yourself. But don't just focus on the negatives, take note of the positives as well. This way you can use what worked well for you during your next interview. Because there will be a next interview, even if it feels like there won't be.

It can seem unfair when you don't get the job or it can seem like you did something wrong. Just because you didn't get the job, doesn't mean you made a mistake during the interview. Unless you did or said something majorly wrong during the interview that you got an obvious reaction from the interviewer, you're probably not going to know why they didn't pick you.

1. They may have decided they didn't actually need to hire new staff anymore.
2. Something may have come up and they no longer have the funding for the position.
3. They may have decided to hire someone from within the company.
4. You were great during the interview, but there was a stronger candidate that they decided to go with.

There are many reasons why they didn't pick you that don't have anything to do with you making a mistake, or it being your fault.

The important thing to do is not to harass the interviewer about why you didn't get the job. You can ask for feedback on what you could have done better and they may provide it, but they aren't obliged to. Harassing them about their decision can eventually lead to burning that bridge for good.

The reason you shouldn't burn your bridges is they may have had other positions they were thinking of interviewing you for. They may have opportunities in the future that they contact you about, or you hear about and want to apply for. If you sour their opinion of you now you make it harder for yourself in the future to prove yourself. You may even ruin your chances of doing anything with them.

Don't get your hopes up prematurely and don't get hung up on a rejection from an employer. Avoid setting yourself up for disappointment by remembering one simple thing. No matter how positive the interviewer's comments may be or how well you think you did, you don't have the job until they make you an offer.

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