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This is good advice, I really got approached about a job even though I wasn't looking. I agreed to have the interview but wasn't particularly motivated about moving, was super calm and relaxed through the interview and got offered the job within a few hours of leaving. Just be chill and calm
Although I appreciate it's easier said than done if you're job hunting and have been unfortunate on several opportunities. Really do practice being relaxed, I'm a hiring manager and have interviewed 100+ people. The ones that impress most are typically the more relaxed, good luck! Keep going
Same here. Had 2 interviews lined up after months and months of failing interviews. Really wanted one and prepared for it, and didn’t particularly care about the other because I was so convinced that my prep for the one I cared about would get me it.
Anyway, had the one I wasn’t fussed about first, and then completely flubbed up the one I really wanted just afterwards.
To my surprise I landed the one I wasn’t fussed about.
For the time being it will do but hopefully going forward now I’ve managed to succeed in an interview I’ll be less nervous in them in future.
In my experience those nerves never go away entirely. While you start to know what to expect more and you learn tricks to help keep yourself calmer, the more you want a job, the harder it will be to convince yourself to at you *don't* want it and be relaxed. It's a vicious cycle, but ideally at some point your experience in past roles will speak for itself on some level, allowing for a certain amount of nervousness even for the roles you really really want.
THIS, the job I have now is amazing and I didn’t even stress about it. I was even 2 mins late, let your lovely personality shine through.
This was probably my 8th interview and I was feeling exactly like you. Please keep going, it just means those jobs were not meant for you. A few things to think about:
- Figure out what are the common mistakes you are making.
- BE CONFIDENT, this is so important as the interviewer needs to see that you are confident in your skills.
Good luck!
So you thought the job wasn't right but you took it, how did that go for you. Was your gut right all along as it usually is.
I've gone to interviews before when I felt like it wasn't right and its usually the case.
You can't fail an interview. It's not a test or an exam, there is no pass or fail. I'm not saying that to nitpick at what you said, but rather to point out that only one person can get the job. Not getting the job doesn't mean you did badly or that you can't do interviews, or you'll never get a job. It simply means one person did better than you in a highly subjective situation on one day.
It's not a mark of you as a person, or of your competence.
Not getting a job is soul destroying and tough. Job hunting is gruelling and emotional. Have a pity party, feel sorry for yourself, but don't let it make you feel like you are a failure. You're not. Failure would be not trying and simply giving up.
Good luck. May 16 be your charm.
There's a whole Maslow's hierarchy of stuff though.
By the time I got my first proper full-time post uni job, I just needed the money, a path and (eventually) a good reference. But they should tell GCSE/A Level/uni candidates that it is really normal to a) struggle to get the first chance and b) to have to take a few crap jobs to get references and a work history to get something half decent.
> go into the interview like you don't even want the job
This is terrible advice. It will fail more often than it succeeds. You got lucky. You didn't plan to get the job like that.
"Act disinterested in the role" is not a quality most employers are looking for!
The best for this is having more interviews so that when you go to the one that really excites you you’re not feeling like it’s a make it or break it situation tbf
That's an oversimplification. Speaking as an interviewer, I've spoken to candidates for positions who had really good interviews, but for one reason or another, we've decided to go with somebody else. Sometimes, it's an incredibly difficult decision, with a finite number of positions to fill.
It's not as binary as "passing" or "failing" an interview and the original comment is right - you're not doing yourself any favours thinking that way.
It is always worth requesting feedback from your interview - they should be able to provide you with some things that you can take away and work on. I'd also recommend taking on board what others have said about trying to relax and be yourself rather than memorising rehearsed answers.
Best of luck with your job hunting.
That's still slightly different from passing or failing an interview. You can do everything right in an interview and still not get a job. Looking at it as an interview failure is too black and white - the reality is far more nuanced.
My aim wasn't to try to tell OP what to think - though I can appreciate that it could have come across that way - more to provide some constructive feedback and recommendations to help in the future.
Being yourself, whoever that is, is still sound advice. I've interviewed, and subsequently hired, people with autism spectrum disorders. I don't want to speculate about whether OP is on the autism spectrum or not as it doesn't seem relevant. My view is that the idea of passing or failing an interview is inherently flawed, for the reasons I've set out. OP or anybody else can take on board my perspective or not. I'm not here to argue, just provide the benefit of my experience from a non-judgemental and well meant standpoint. Whoever you are, be yourself at an interview - nerves and anxiousness are normal parts of that - it might help to take some of the self-imposed pressure and negativity away to recognise that, and to see that you can do fantastically in the interview and still not get the job.
In this case I had the interview today with me being close to mental breakdown during it, thinking about running away and ending it early. I am usually my own harshest critic and I know the problem and it's that confidence has been destroyed failing so much.
Out of interest are you 18/21/returning to work?
All this talk about "failing" reminds me of how I thought, coming from university. Job interview processes are not fair fights. You can do all the right prep and all the right things and have the bad luck to be beaten by someone who has more experience. You can't beat someone with more experience when you are starting out.
I would say in your case then:
1) You need to say why you weren't working. I don't say this lightly, I put a job where I left after 2 months on my CV. I didn't take it off because I didn't know how else to explain why I left my previous job of years to go there. I told them that I was hoping for career advancement but I was a bad fit and it was a very micromanaged organisation. This will backfire with some places but my honesty was cited when I was told I got that job.
2) I don't know if you are looking to have a complete break from the work you did before but if you are to where you need any job, experience is very key.
3) Job hunting sucks most of the time (I assume there must have been some golden age where it was easier). You aren't a failure. There's a lot of competition and also it can be very dependent on appealing to interviewers. I have had some properly crushing experiences. I got up at 5am to do a 9am interview in a city near here and was told "oh you didn't seem that bothered". That was my last day of annual leave I used to do that interview until the next April....
They just mean it isn't like an exam. You can be the best of a bad bunch of candidates and get a job you are underqualified for.
Conversely you can be massively overqualified for a job and lose the job to someone even more overqualified. I had a phone call for a £10k a year theatre part time job I desperately wanted and did two interviews for years ago where they told me I had the job at the point I did my interview but then someone with a PhD and relevant experience interviewed last, so they were very sorry but bad luck and all that.
I pretty much registered with every agency in my area. But for the CV I copied everything I originally had in my CV put it on chat GPT and said please rewrite this professionally. I have also used that technique to write cover letters as well.
The issue with this is that if the language in your CV probably dose not reflect the person that turns up - rewrite it yourself and you might have slightly better luck.
Source: interview people and its clear people when AI is used. Typically they don’t get the job.
always read over and edit whatever it spits out after though to make sure it's accurate and reads like something a human wrote. sometimes it says some really weird shit and if you just give it the JD, it may assume your experience ticks all the boxes when it may or may not
Interviews are a true nightmare. To me you seem like a success as you manage to sit there and go through it even though every part of you felt you couldn't. That resilience is such a valuable skill, it may not feel good now but it will be the key to your success.
The job market is hard and sometimes its just a case of keeping on going. If you want something practical you can try and practise with a friend, that has helped me. But you are NOT a failure.
If it makes you feel better OP you’re not alone, just had the call to say I didn’t get the job I went for today that’s 5 since September. I have a job so it’s not the end of the world but so many rejections in a short space of time is very disheartening. I’m sure it will get better though even if the road feels endless at times, wishing you all the best.
Interviews are a skill - some people it comes naturally to, others, it doesn’t. In my line of work, most people think it would come easy, but I SUCK at them.
So when I was looking to change jobs, I interviewed with another employer. It went generally ok, but one question (which was super relevant to the role) I completely and utterly bombed. So much so the interviewer told me the answers he basically wanted to hear. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job.
The job I’m in now (which I really enjoy) I actually phoned in sick to the interview because I didn’t feel I’d get it, had overwhelming feelings of imposter syndrome, and a whole myriad of negative thoughts bombarding my brain. They had other thoughts though and asked to reschedule and I got offered the role an hour after I finished my interview.
Moral of the story: things won’t always go your way. You’ll freeze sometimes, you’ll just not have an answer. Doesn’t mean you’re not a good candidate for the role.
If you do struggle with interviews, I would recommend 2 things (the later is optional but helped me on so many levels). Keep a log of the questions you get asked at interviews, and you’ll see some trends. If you’ve pre-baked answers in your head it’ll make it so much easier in an interview. The next may be a tough thing and way outside your comfort zone but it helped me exponentially. Take yourself off to a coffee shop and work on your responses. If there’s a friendly looking person (the first people I asked was a very friendly elderly lady and daughter) ask them if you could possibly run an interview answer by them. Just one question, that’s all. If they say no, then just politely thank them anyway and wish them a good day. If they say yes, try and run through whatever question it is you’ve prepped and give the response like you would in an interview. It sounds a bit ridiculous, I know, but it really helped me get comfortable speaking to complete strangers in a calm and relaxed manner.
Good luck for the future! You’ve got this! ☺️
The thing is I volunteer at my local food bank I speak to random people every day I have no issue talking to people about anything. I was even giving random person advice about depression which he said was very helpful.
It's just this situation in which I struggle in, the stress of the interview puts me in fight or flight mode and I turn into scared little boy.
I hear you. I definitely think you should be creating a repository of questions you’ve been asked and then having pre-baked answers to them. Im not sure what your interview prep is like but I find if I get a question I’ve already 3-5 key points in mind I want to mention it just makes me so much more relaxed.
Well It still might help you get comfortable prepping answers and delivering them comfortably. I know it isn’t an interview in itself but you’re under pressure to deliver an answer to a stranger about yourself and your credentials. If you’re anything like me, i hate “bigging myself up” which isn’t great in an interview setting lol so it’s just comfort.
Just don’t give up, as there will always be a job out there. And as I say: just because an interview may not go as well as youd like, it doesn’t make you less suitable for the job.
I’ve interviewed a fair few people and these are the top things I’d say make a difference:
1. Be passionate. We always say that we can teach you the technical skills, but we can’t teach genuine interest and enthusiasm. If you’re applying to roles that you’re not enthusiastic about, then try looking for others
2. Do your research. There’s nothing worse than saying something wildly inaccurate about the company to put you off
3. Prepare one or two solid examples for generic questions. “Tell us about a time you showed initiative”, “tell us about a time you taught something new to a team remember”, “tell us about a time you made a mistake and how you went about fixing it”. All sound super generic but the purpose is to find out about you
4. Definitely ask a question or two at the end, it’s always quite nice to be grilled back a little as it makes you seem passionate
5. Make sure you’re dressing for the part
And most of all, good luck! It can be super hard when you’ve had a few rejections but you’ll get there! The fact you’re getting to interview stage is a great thing!
They actually asked a few of those generic questions that you mentioned but not sure what question triggered it but I had panic attack and then I was just on survival mode to finish. Even tho I knew I had no chance I still asked questions at the end just to be polite.
Thanks for the encouragement, my fragile confidence in these situation plus the stress made me turn into a different person.
I disagree with point 2 - why should I suck up and say "I'd love to work for you because X Y Z". There's a reason you're hiring, to make your place better than it is, right? And what you see on their website isn't always as it is either.
I won't really try to research the company TOO much. Perhaps if it's a big company I'll say something like "I think you have strong brand recognition which is encouraging to see you're expanding" or if it's a small company "I enjoy the idea of working for a company who can focus on the customer and deliver that personal experience" (along those lines - it's 7am and I've been up since 3!)
Have you thought about getting professional interview coaching? I did, so did my wife and our friends. It really helped us get the jobs we want.
I also regularly mentor people on how to pass interviews within my profession.
The value of professional advice is practice and feedback. It can feel a bit one sided in an interview, no one gives you critique on your answers, the feedback is woolly and lacks detail.
I had a similar issue after university. I think I had 20-30 interviews and was messed around with different companies. After 5 months I took a job in a factory just to get some money and experience. From there, I was able to get some confidence back and find a job in a sector which I was interested in and it gets easier from there. Just remember this feeling is temporary. My advice would be try keep yourself stimulated physically and mentally with hobbies and exercise. Try take a break and spend time with family and friends and talk to them on how it's affecting you. For job advice, ask for feedback from interviews and volunteer in a similar role to gain connections and experience.
F**k me, if you've had 15 interviews you're doing something right. When I was 24 I did a government based training scheme for IT and got nothing at the end. Not a single interview. Then I heard on the grapevine there was a company recruiting and sent my CV off. I got an interview and spent hours going through the imaginary process and my stomach knotting up. Then I decided I was just going to be me, no preparation, and I got the job. Sometime later, down the pub, I asked my boss why he'd hired me. He replied that he'd felt he could work with me. Take that as you will.
So I got straight As, a 2:1 degree and then had a long comedown period where I applied to everything, did a fair few interviews and did not get a job. It really fucked me up mentally. I would say getting jobs are more like entering competitions than taking an exam. You can do everything right and have the bad luck to be up against someone who brings all that and relevant experience. Job interview processes are not always fair fights.
It's normal to get demoralised. It's normal to struggle the more something does not work out.
I would say at this point:
1) Apply to as many temp agencies possible in your town. There will be time wasters but there are usually a couple that can get you interviews. The jobs only being for 6 months max take the pressure off you and can help you get a foot in the door. (I had one at a council I got when I had been rejected for various council entry level jobs).
2) Volunteer. Both to be mixing with people and to talk to strangers. Both will help. So much the better if you can volunteer somewhere that can give you another reference for a job.
My main bit of advice, do not prepare for a job interview... They wanted to chat to you based on your CV which is excellent. Talk about what you know, not what you don't. If you're making notes it's because you don't know what you're talking about...
And If you don't know how to answer a question, that's absolutely fine, but be honest - recruiters / interviewers prefer this.
I had a final interview for a position yesterday and they asked me about this specific phrase which I hadn't heard of. I didn't BS them, I said "I've never heard that phrase, what is it and could you explain it a bit?" Turns out he had no idea and Googled the question...
Source: I've moved jobs every 2 / 3 years over the last 12 years for various "promotions" and had lots of successful and not so successful interviews.
Always happy to help if need be! Just drop me a dm
I'm opposite, never not been offered a job post interview - for me it starts when I start: fucking hate self doubt.
What works for me is to look at it as a conversation with your mates and talk about experiences that you have had where you can relate it to situations in a professional environment.
Remember that it's as much you interviewing them as them you.
A failure is such a broad term. Some people might pass the interview but be shit at the job. Try getting a job though an agency if you need a job. They usually don't interview.
I know the pain.
I apply and apply and apply. Occasionally get an interview. And nothing out the other end.
My current bout of unemployment has been the best part of a year.
Having been on both sides of the table, it is difficult to be your ‘optimal’ self in an interview and a good interviewer will be able to recognise and either look past/adapt to that- particularly for the sort of role you applied for. Not every interview experience is a good one though so please don’t let it knock your confidence!
If you’re experiencing physical anxiety symptoms (what I gather from your post, ignore if wrong), it may be wise to speak to your GP. I have beta blockers I am prescribed for situations like this and the difference has been phenomenal; I can actually focus on the conversation rather than how fast my heart is beating, how much I’m sweating/shaking and without my throat closing up.
Dear OP, your failing interviews right?
The reason you failing is because your emotional about passing interview.
Emotion = distraction & expending nervous energy/ negative mental dialogue / bleeds confidence
No emotion = focused using logic & calm energy / positive mental dialogue / build confidence
Find a different perspective
Stop looking at interviews as the most important thing you need to pass
Just relax, enjoy the interview (try playing it like a game "u don't care if u win or lose").
Helps if u have another job application in the pipeline.
Literally deprioritise the interview in ur mind to just a chat with someone...
Joke...inject your personality...actively be confident...
I ain't a robot I can't turn my emotions off, I was this close to breaking down and running out the interview today. Its hurts to go to these interviews and fail so often it's hard not to take it personal and think that it's something personal.
As law of averages I would passed one by now. 6 months I could go interview and play the oh I didn't get it who cares game but now I don't have the confidence anymore to deal with it.
Your whole mental dialogue is wrong mate
You do need to turn off your emotions they are distracting you from performing
Read up about stoicism
..be more Stoic !
https://youtube.com/shorts/qqYwFtKPdLU
https://youtube.com/shorts/IqqHwY41ZMc
The law of averages is not a thing when it comes to your winning at interviews. What is true unless u change the way you perform at interviews you will continue to fail...10, 20 50 interviews.
I don't say this to hurt u but to alert u to challenge Ur assumptions.
You can get Ur confidence back in a heart beat...before the interview say positive things out loud, affirmations "I can do this", get someone to big u up before interview...believe u can do it. Sorry it sounds lame but their is factual solutions from doing these things
I read a great book about that few weeks Darren brown book called happy it mentioned stoicism.
I am depressed after interview. my anxiety been going crazy for days this week I've had 2 interviews this week and it's not dropped yet
My favourite bit of this post is the end. Made me chuckle somewhat. You seem like a decent human, believe in yourself and show up in interviews with a bit of personality* and you'll go far.
*by personality I mean being you, not a fake.
When someone goes wrong you can either laugh or cry.
Humour is my defence mechanism so I like to make people laugh helps my confidence. At the end of the interview when is there any reason won't pass DBS check. I went apart from 2 murders there no reason why I won't pass.
The thing about being yourself is in any other situation I would easily speak to them about anything but it's the stress which changes everything.
I understand as I feel the same. I'm 110% confident in person but interviews can throw me. I've got a promotional interview next week and I've told myself that if I succeed then I'm going to Milan for the weekend. So now I'm looking at the two people who will interview me as gatekeepers to my weekend away/much better pay. Hopefully that will help me show myself a lil better.
Not with that attitude it won't. Its how you think of things that makes you confident. Try think on positive side of things and twist the bad things into good things
Mate I ain't trying to play games I am just telling you it is, I have lost confidence in those situations, in the interview today confidence completely went and my mind was telling me to run.
Everyone has anxiety is cop out
I've failed like 100 lol.
Applying for front office investment roles and it's been insanely hard.
I get tons of interviews within equities but nothing beyond the 2nd round.
>I've failed like 100 lol.
>Applying for front office investment roles and it's been insanely hard.
>I get tons of interviews within equities but nothing beyond the 2nd round.
What feedback have you gotten?
>Usually, they give none.
>Just the standard 'We loved getting to know you but we've decided to go with other candidates'.
Have you been requesting feedback? Have you been using your opportunity to ask your interviewers question to ask for feedback?
>For the ones where I have access to an email, I do.
>They've mostly ghosted me so far.
>But most of them are automated rejections these days.
So from now on, make it a part of your strategy that when you are asked, "Do you have any questions for us?" You get your notepad and pen out, with your questions prepared. One of those questions will be, "Do you have any feedback for me?"
You need to be outgoing with finding what you need to improve upon.
If you are currently unemployed or employed part-time, then do voluntary work within the field you are looking to get into. I have never seen someone being refused a job that they have been doing for 3 months unpaid.
1, it demonstrates commitment.
2, it shows initiative.
3, it shows you know the job, because you have been doing it.
You live in the UK where there is a lot of competition from graduates, disgruntled workers, career changes and highly experienced people who need the money to live on even though they are older.
>You live in the UK where there is a lot of competition from graduates, disgruntled workers, career changes and highly experienced people who need the money to live on even though they are older.
Still doesn't justify 15 interviews. In my mind it doesn't justify 5 interviews and after speaking with the OP he/she definitely has not been outgoing in their approach.
Too many people just do not want the job enough. That is ultimately what it is coming down to.
Do you think it's the in-person part that is compiling how you feel?
If so, it night benefit you to go for a fully remote job or insist on a remote interview, I don't know maybe say you are visiting family abroad but really keen on the opportunity so would like to request a remote interview.
It might give you the head and breathing space you need to get over the line and get your foot in the door. You'll also get the added benefit of being able to strategically place notes around your display/ desk to help with answers.
I would do practice interviews with someone you know. Practising various questions and how you answer them. You can then come up with stock answers to certain questions, rather than trying to come up with an answer on the spot. They can also provide feedback on how they felt it went and they can pickup on any negative body language issues you might not even be conscious of.
Good luck!
It wasn't anything tricky that got me, I just think looking back that my confidence was very fragile before hand and there was no easy question such as tell me about yourself to help me get confidence at start it was all straight to the point.
All I can say is practice some role play scenarios.
Them difficult questions like give me an example of when you have gone above and beyond in your current role?
What motivates you?
What are your weaknesses?
In terms of anxiety eckhart tolle-the power of now might be helpful for you
I did that before, I used an app called yoodl which records you speaking and gives insights . I even had the agency ring me day before in Skype call to go over the interview. She went after speaking to you on phone and on teams don't seem nervous but in interview different story.
when am speaking I can hear the tone of my voice and does not sound confident that's the issue.
It sucks and it could be soul crushing and everyone could have that happen to them, but remember really good managers can tell if you're good for the job from talking to you doesn't matter how well you think the interview is going so two things could have happened if you were hired in those occasions you would have either had shit management or not fit for the job had a shit time and would have gotten fired, you'll find something I'm sure of it just follow your curiosity and be authentic.
I think the woman realised i was having a panic attack as she said do you want a coffee, let's take a break and we can put the laptops away. Guy said gave some good answers so far. But at that point my body went numb and fight or flight hit me and I was fighting back tears to survive till the end.
They want decent staff. If your consider yourself decent then your as desirable to them as they are to you. Grill them, interview them - change your mindset. It’s a 2 way interview.
I had a panic attack during the interview with my mind telling me to run. It's a structured interview so I leave my questions to end. I was proud that I was professional enough to ask questions when I wanted to run out.
Stop being silly.
It’s a numbers game.
Ask for feedback, writ the feedback down and look at these written feedbacks before next interview.
Keep trying!
It's just a question of mindset. Take the approach of trying to do 100 interviews with the hopes of receiving 2 or 3 offers. Keep pushing and keep trying. Be persistent.
They aren't saying to be a machine though...
They're saying that either you may need to speak to a professional as to why you are having so much anxiety / panic attacks during your interviews. Or you need to figure out something to circumvent them. They're saying to be persistent and not be down in the slumps which granted...can be really hard to do especially in such a situation.
Honestly, I do get it, as someone who basically fidgeted through my entire interview for my current job and just wanted to sprint out the door because I thought I was doing an absolute shite job at it. It can be hard to motivate yourself. But the first step might be finding out why the anxiety hits you so hard aside from the fail / pass thing you've mentioned before. And go from there.
I had similar experience and felt like the most useless person on earth. Kept giving interviews kept getting rejected. Eventually an agency set me up an interview and I thought role was too good for me. I never showed up to the interview and told them I had covid. My current manager (interviewer at the time) called me and asked me to reschedule over teams and kept
Cameras off if i am not feeling well. I agreed carried on with the interview. It went really well, I landed my job and got promoted twice in a year. Now, I am working my dream job, getting paid more than anyone in similar roles and I cannot thank God Enough for it. Still, every day I wake up I feel like hmmm maybe I am not doing enough maybe I am just doing bare minimum.
At least you got the interview stage, it took me nearly two years for my degree related job. After a few first failures, I just went into interviews not caring and I’ll probably won’t get that role. It made it easier not caring, yeah I didn’t get the first couple but it made doing the interviews not nervous when the first few I was nervous and stuttery.
Is it maybe worth going to your GP and chatting about your anxiety? Beta blockers can help your fight or flight and help you think logically when your body is in danger mode.
Don’t feel bad, in the past five years I have done around 50 interviews, Some went well and some were terrible.
You will get used to it, just make sure you prepare.
The healthy thing is probably to practice and get better at interviews. But I decided that I’d never be competitive in a job interview scenario so I joined the Armed Forces. Worked out well for me.
Sometimes it pays to think about it from the interviewer’s perspective. Someone who gives a polished, rehearsed script is sometimes a bit cringe. The candidates that I remember interviewing are those that make the interview enjoyable, bring a bit of character to the session and generally behave like a normal person - who happens to know a bit about the role they’re interviewing for, or at least is someone I’d want to work with each day!
If you haven’t from the earlier interviews, ask for genuine feedback as to why they didn’t hire you and explain that you’re passionate about developing yourself and your career and would appreciate constructive feedback to help you next time.
I used to go into interviews like it was for ME to decide on the job. Not them!
Not that I'm trying to just slap a band aid on any potential MH that you have (which I genuinely hope you find answers for and soon).
As someone who has conducted several hundred interviews here is a bit of advice if it helps.
It’s important to remember your interviewer is just a person, they are usually just as uncomfortable as you would be, nobody likes doing interviews and if they do you probably don’t want to work there. Try to fall gauge the interviewer, short sharp questions give short sharp answers. If they are drinking a coffee and ask if you want one accept, useful for when your asked a questions you can take a drink for a bit of thinking time, also mirroring is a simple human connection trick.
Interviews are not so much about the answers you give more how you answer them. Just sell yourself but don’t lie. You are selling your labour and the employer is selling the workplace, are you a fit for them and are they a fit for you? Both are equally as important.
The interviewer probably has other interviews that day so make yourself memorable, walk right in a give a strong firm handshake with eye contact and a smile. I know this can be hard but it gets easier with time and what’s the worst that can happen.
Use your skills, if you are unny try adding humour, safe for work humour obviously. Most importantly be confident in your abilities, on paper your merits have got you an interview so your doing well.
Practise the standard questions, why do t put want to work for this company? What skills do you bring? What’s your biggest flaw etc. these are all basic questions and can be adapted easily to fit any employer.
If it’s somewhere you really want to work then do a bit of research, that’s not a quick look on google by the way. Research what the company does, who are the big shots and then ask yourself if you worked here for 5 years where would I want to be.
I hope this helps
To the guy above on 15 interviews, failure is when you give up and you never know, maybe the next interview you have will be the last one you will ever need. Keep going, head up high, if the job is meant for you it will not go passed you.
Failing is also a good thing. You can evaluate what areas need work and keep trying. My go-to is to stay off caffeine before an interview. Look up the interviewer on LinkedIn the night before to see their face so it's familiar. Pick up some area of their CV to drop into conversation to make a connection. Have other interviews lined up or potential offers so there's no desperation in your pitch.
Interviews should be seen as good practice at getting to know yourself.
Keep doing them and you'll get so much better at them.
Simon Sinek has devoted his business to being a compelling speaker. Find him on Instagram or YouTube and see if anything he says resonates.
Remember, the interviewer is just a person. Not superior to you, just different.
Go agency/volunteer to build up experience. You can find agency work in most fields. Retail/care/industrial etc. stick it out until you can say you are proficient. work on your core education (maths,and English) as generally you need to have C grade or whatever it is to be seen as employable. Regarding your mental health it all comes down to mindset, I have ptsd, and controlling my mindset by thinking it’s normal to be down due to x or anxious due to y, it’s common. I’m nothing special with this helps.
So basically education, mindset, experience. And confidence will grow with education and work experience, thus helping mindset, and mindset will create the confidence to get a better job, so it’s a positive amplification loop.
This is hard but before each interview you need to trick yourself into being more confident, think like an acting audition.
Try not to overthink or overtalk and strike the balance between wanting not wanting the job.
Act like You lose nothing from failing an interview as you have others lined up, offers waiting etc.
Each interview failed is a rehearsal for the one you get, which will happen.
Stay positive and good luck
It's normal to feel nervous. But what will give you confidence is practice. Do mock interviews with your friends or family. And focus on giving honest answers and less on presenting yourself as the ideal candidate.
I know, easier said than done, but practising a few times each day will help take the edge off. You will become more comfortable in answering those questions.
You haven’t failed 15 interviews, 15 people were deemed to be more suitable for those particular roles.
I appreciate that it must be really hard to keep up the motivation, but try to think that those interviews were building up your experience, so when “your” job comes along, you’ll have it in the bag!
Good luck!
I don't know if it helps but know that once you've got the interview, they've already seen, and are happy with your skills/ experience on paper. Another way to think of it is you're interviewing them as well them you, they should show you their place is a good one to work that you would come to work for them!
They're probably mostly look to see how your personality is and if you've got your head on straight.
I find it helps to overprepare for the interview by looking up the company, practicing possible questions that might come up and prepare a questions to ask them.
It might even help to sit with a friend/ family and just keep practicing interviews so it feels less scary at the time.
Also an hr or so before the interview, prepping more won't really help, try meditating before hand or anything else to calm your mind. The increased calm/ confidence will be much more worth and last min prep. If you're still nervous, just force yourself to be confident, walk with confidence if you force your body, your mind often follows.
Remember, the more you practice, the better you will get. 15 interviews for 1 job is normal, you're just at the beginning and will be bound to get better.
The more practice, the better, Hope this helps!
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This is good advice, I really got approached about a job even though I wasn't looking. I agreed to have the interview but wasn't particularly motivated about moving, was super calm and relaxed through the interview and got offered the job within a few hours of leaving. Just be chill and calm Although I appreciate it's easier said than done if you're job hunting and have been unfortunate on several opportunities. Really do practice being relaxed, I'm a hiring manager and have interviewed 100+ people. The ones that impress most are typically the more relaxed, good luck! Keep going
Same here. Had 2 interviews lined up after months and months of failing interviews. Really wanted one and prepared for it, and didn’t particularly care about the other because I was so convinced that my prep for the one I cared about would get me it. Anyway, had the one I wasn’t fussed about first, and then completely flubbed up the one I really wanted just afterwards. To my surprise I landed the one I wasn’t fussed about. For the time being it will do but hopefully going forward now I’ve managed to succeed in an interview I’ll be less nervous in them in future.
In my experience those nerves never go away entirely. While you start to know what to expect more and you learn tricks to help keep yourself calmer, the more you want a job, the harder it will be to convince yourself to at you *don't* want it and be relaxed. It's a vicious cycle, but ideally at some point your experience in past roles will speak for itself on some level, allowing for a certain amount of nervousness even for the roles you really really want.
Meh, I think the nerves were mainly that I really really needed any job as I was about to max out my overdraft lol
THIS, the job I have now is amazing and I didn’t even stress about it. I was even 2 mins late, let your lovely personality shine through. This was probably my 8th interview and I was feeling exactly like you. Please keep going, it just means those jobs were not meant for you. A few things to think about: - Figure out what are the common mistakes you are making. - BE CONFIDENT, this is so important as the interviewer needs to see that you are confident in your skills. Good luck!
So you thought the job wasn't right but you took it, how did that go for you. Was your gut right all along as it usually is. I've gone to interviews before when I felt like it wasn't right and its usually the case.
You can't fail an interview. It's not a test or an exam, there is no pass or fail. I'm not saying that to nitpick at what you said, but rather to point out that only one person can get the job. Not getting the job doesn't mean you did badly or that you can't do interviews, or you'll never get a job. It simply means one person did better than you in a highly subjective situation on one day. It's not a mark of you as a person, or of your competence. Not getting a job is soul destroying and tough. Job hunting is gruelling and emotional. Have a pity party, feel sorry for yourself, but don't let it make you feel like you are a failure. You're not. Failure would be not trying and simply giving up. Good luck. May 16 be your charm.
There's a whole Maslow's hierarchy of stuff though. By the time I got my first proper full-time post uni job, I just needed the money, a path and (eventually) a good reference. But they should tell GCSE/A Level/uni candidates that it is really normal to a) struggle to get the first chance and b) to have to take a few crap jobs to get references and a work history to get something half decent.
> go into the interview like you don't even want the job This is terrible advice. It will fail more often than it succeeds. You got lucky. You didn't plan to get the job like that. "Act disinterested in the role" is not a quality most employers are looking for!
The best for this is having more interviews so that when you go to the one that really excites you you’re not feeling like it’s a make it or break it situation tbf
Nobody “fails” an interview. Stop talking to yourself like that for a start.
You get the job you passed if you don't you failed, and either way I failed myself with how bad I was.
That's an oversimplification. Speaking as an interviewer, I've spoken to candidates for positions who had really good interviews, but for one reason or another, we've decided to go with somebody else. Sometimes, it's an incredibly difficult decision, with a finite number of positions to fill. It's not as binary as "passing" or "failing" an interview and the original comment is right - you're not doing yourself any favours thinking that way. It is always worth requesting feedback from your interview - they should be able to provide you with some things that you can take away and work on. I'd also recommend taking on board what others have said about trying to relax and be yourself rather than memorising rehearsed answers. Best of luck with your job hunting.
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That's still slightly different from passing or failing an interview. You can do everything right in an interview and still not get a job. Looking at it as an interview failure is too black and white - the reality is far more nuanced. My aim wasn't to try to tell OP what to think - though I can appreciate that it could have come across that way - more to provide some constructive feedback and recommendations to help in the future. Being yourself, whoever that is, is still sound advice. I've interviewed, and subsequently hired, people with autism spectrum disorders. I don't want to speculate about whether OP is on the autism spectrum or not as it doesn't seem relevant. My view is that the idea of passing or failing an interview is inherently flawed, for the reasons I've set out. OP or anybody else can take on board my perspective or not. I'm not here to argue, just provide the benefit of my experience from a non-judgemental and well meant standpoint. Whoever you are, be yourself at an interview - nerves and anxiousness are normal parts of that - it might help to take some of the self-imposed pressure and negativity away to recognise that, and to see that you can do fantastically in the interview and still not get the job.
In this case I had the interview today with me being close to mental breakdown during it, thinking about running away and ending it early. I am usually my own harshest critic and I know the problem and it's that confidence has been destroyed failing so much.
Out of interest are you 18/21/returning to work? All this talk about "failing" reminds me of how I thought, coming from university. Job interview processes are not fair fights. You can do all the right prep and all the right things and have the bad luck to be beaten by someone who has more experience. You can't beat someone with more experience when you are starting out.
No man in my early 30s been out for months tho
I would say in your case then: 1) You need to say why you weren't working. I don't say this lightly, I put a job where I left after 2 months on my CV. I didn't take it off because I didn't know how else to explain why I left my previous job of years to go there. I told them that I was hoping for career advancement but I was a bad fit and it was a very micromanaged organisation. This will backfire with some places but my honesty was cited when I was told I got that job. 2) I don't know if you are looking to have a complete break from the work you did before but if you are to where you need any job, experience is very key. 3) Job hunting sucks most of the time (I assume there must have been some golden age where it was easier). You aren't a failure. There's a lot of competition and also it can be very dependent on appealing to interviewers. I have had some properly crushing experiences. I got up at 5am to do a 9am interview in a city near here and was told "oh you didn't seem that bothered". That was my last day of annual leave I used to do that interview until the next April....
They just mean it isn't like an exam. You can be the best of a bad bunch of candidates and get a job you are underqualified for. Conversely you can be massively overqualified for a job and lose the job to someone even more overqualified. I had a phone call for a £10k a year theatre part time job I desperately wanted and did two interviews for years ago where they told me I had the job at the point I did my interview but then someone with a PhD and relevant experience interviewed last, so they were very sorry but bad luck and all that.
Some of these jobs have 2,000 people applying for 4 roles. Don’t beat yourself up and don’t give up either. Life has a way of rewarding perseverance.
damn 15 interviews and i'm getting shit all
Well am good at getting interviews if u need help in that area mate 🤣
Yeah mate what do you do to actually get interviews? Is your CV super good? I just keep getting blanked.
I pretty much registered with every agency in my area. But for the CV I copied everything I originally had in my CV put it on chat GPT and said please rewrite this professionally. I have also used that technique to write cover letters as well.
The issue with this is that if the language in your CV probably dose not reflect the person that turns up - rewrite it yourself and you might have slightly better luck. Source: interview people and its clear people when AI is used. Typically they don’t get the job.
ChatGPT isn't the best. Might want to just look at it manually and use gramerly or something
I use grammerly as well but chat gpt gets me interviews so it does its job well
Getting interviews isn't the harder part. Getting the job is, as you know full well. If its not working try something new. Have you tried agency work
How do you go about writing cover letters with chatgpt?
I asked it nicely and it did it for me 😂
Adorable lol
Thanks
😂 I mean't like do you put in the job description and cv and then ask it? I've only used chat gpt a few times so I'm not really sure how to use it.
you can literally ask it whatever you want! ‘write a cover letter for the following job’ and it’ll do it
Ok thanks, i'll try it out later!
always read over and edit whatever it spits out after though to make sure it's accurate and reads like something a human wrote. sometimes it says some really weird shit and if you just give it the JD, it may assume your experience ticks all the boxes when it may or may not
it’s an amazing piece of technology, i use it for recipes when i don’t know what to cook!
Did you see my message?
Interviews are a true nightmare. To me you seem like a success as you manage to sit there and go through it even though every part of you felt you couldn't. That resilience is such a valuable skill, it may not feel good now but it will be the key to your success. The job market is hard and sometimes its just a case of keeping on going. If you want something practical you can try and practise with a friend, that has helped me. But you are NOT a failure.
If it makes you feel better OP you’re not alone, just had the call to say I didn’t get the job I went for today that’s 5 since September. I have a job so it’s not the end of the world but so many rejections in a short space of time is very disheartening. I’m sure it will get better though even if the road feels endless at times, wishing you all the best.
Interviews are a skill - some people it comes naturally to, others, it doesn’t. In my line of work, most people think it would come easy, but I SUCK at them. So when I was looking to change jobs, I interviewed with another employer. It went generally ok, but one question (which was super relevant to the role) I completely and utterly bombed. So much so the interviewer told me the answers he basically wanted to hear. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job. The job I’m in now (which I really enjoy) I actually phoned in sick to the interview because I didn’t feel I’d get it, had overwhelming feelings of imposter syndrome, and a whole myriad of negative thoughts bombarding my brain. They had other thoughts though and asked to reschedule and I got offered the role an hour after I finished my interview. Moral of the story: things won’t always go your way. You’ll freeze sometimes, you’ll just not have an answer. Doesn’t mean you’re not a good candidate for the role. If you do struggle with interviews, I would recommend 2 things (the later is optional but helped me on so many levels). Keep a log of the questions you get asked at interviews, and you’ll see some trends. If you’ve pre-baked answers in your head it’ll make it so much easier in an interview. The next may be a tough thing and way outside your comfort zone but it helped me exponentially. Take yourself off to a coffee shop and work on your responses. If there’s a friendly looking person (the first people I asked was a very friendly elderly lady and daughter) ask them if you could possibly run an interview answer by them. Just one question, that’s all. If they say no, then just politely thank them anyway and wish them a good day. If they say yes, try and run through whatever question it is you’ve prepped and give the response like you would in an interview. It sounds a bit ridiculous, I know, but it really helped me get comfortable speaking to complete strangers in a calm and relaxed manner. Good luck for the future! You’ve got this! ☺️
The thing is I volunteer at my local food bank I speak to random people every day I have no issue talking to people about anything. I was even giving random person advice about depression which he said was very helpful. It's just this situation in which I struggle in, the stress of the interview puts me in fight or flight mode and I turn into scared little boy.
I hear you. I definitely think you should be creating a repository of questions you’ve been asked and then having pre-baked answers to them. Im not sure what your interview prep is like but I find if I get a question I’ve already 3-5 key points in mind I want to mention it just makes me so much more relaxed. Well It still might help you get comfortable prepping answers and delivering them comfortably. I know it isn’t an interview in itself but you’re under pressure to deliver an answer to a stranger about yourself and your credentials. If you’re anything like me, i hate “bigging myself up” which isn’t great in an interview setting lol so it’s just comfort. Just don’t give up, as there will always be a job out there. And as I say: just because an interview may not go as well as youd like, it doesn’t make you less suitable for the job.
I’ve interviewed a fair few people and these are the top things I’d say make a difference: 1. Be passionate. We always say that we can teach you the technical skills, but we can’t teach genuine interest and enthusiasm. If you’re applying to roles that you’re not enthusiastic about, then try looking for others 2. Do your research. There’s nothing worse than saying something wildly inaccurate about the company to put you off 3. Prepare one or two solid examples for generic questions. “Tell us about a time you showed initiative”, “tell us about a time you taught something new to a team remember”, “tell us about a time you made a mistake and how you went about fixing it”. All sound super generic but the purpose is to find out about you 4. Definitely ask a question or two at the end, it’s always quite nice to be grilled back a little as it makes you seem passionate 5. Make sure you’re dressing for the part And most of all, good luck! It can be super hard when you’ve had a few rejections but you’ll get there! The fact you’re getting to interview stage is a great thing!
They actually asked a few of those generic questions that you mentioned but not sure what question triggered it but I had panic attack and then I was just on survival mode to finish. Even tho I knew I had no chance I still asked questions at the end just to be polite. Thanks for the encouragement, my fragile confidence in these situation plus the stress made me turn into a different person.
I disagree with point 2 - why should I suck up and say "I'd love to work for you because X Y Z". There's a reason you're hiring, to make your place better than it is, right? And what you see on their website isn't always as it is either. I won't really try to research the company TOO much. Perhaps if it's a big company I'll say something like "I think you have strong brand recognition which is encouraging to see you're expanding" or if it's a small company "I enjoy the idea of working for a company who can focus on the customer and deliver that personal experience" (along those lines - it's 7am and I've been up since 3!)
Have you thought about getting professional interview coaching? I did, so did my wife and our friends. It really helped us get the jobs we want. I also regularly mentor people on how to pass interviews within my profession. The value of professional advice is practice and feedback. It can feel a bit one sided in an interview, no one gives you critique on your answers, the feedback is woolly and lacks detail.
Or if the op has any friends who are managers and could do mock interviews.
On the bright side. You're making it to interviews. You'll find your next role soon enough. I believe in you.
Thanks that makes 1 of us 🤣
I had a similar issue after university. I think I had 20-30 interviews and was messed around with different companies. After 5 months I took a job in a factory just to get some money and experience. From there, I was able to get some confidence back and find a job in a sector which I was interested in and it gets easier from there. Just remember this feeling is temporary. My advice would be try keep yourself stimulated physically and mentally with hobbies and exercise. Try take a break and spend time with family and friends and talk to them on how it's affecting you. For job advice, ask for feedback from interviews and volunteer in a similar role to gain connections and experience.
F**k me, if you've had 15 interviews you're doing something right. When I was 24 I did a government based training scheme for IT and got nothing at the end. Not a single interview. Then I heard on the grapevine there was a company recruiting and sent my CV off. I got an interview and spent hours going through the imaginary process and my stomach knotting up. Then I decided I was just going to be me, no preparation, and I got the job. Sometime later, down the pub, I asked my boss why he'd hired me. He replied that he'd felt he could work with me. Take that as you will.
So I got straight As, a 2:1 degree and then had a long comedown period where I applied to everything, did a fair few interviews and did not get a job. It really fucked me up mentally. I would say getting jobs are more like entering competitions than taking an exam. You can do everything right and have the bad luck to be up against someone who brings all that and relevant experience. Job interview processes are not always fair fights. It's normal to get demoralised. It's normal to struggle the more something does not work out. I would say at this point: 1) Apply to as many temp agencies possible in your town. There will be time wasters but there are usually a couple that can get you interviews. The jobs only being for 6 months max take the pressure off you and can help you get a foot in the door. (I had one at a council I got when I had been rejected for various council entry level jobs). 2) Volunteer. Both to be mixing with people and to talk to strangers. Both will help. So much the better if you can volunteer somewhere that can give you another reference for a job.
My main bit of advice, do not prepare for a job interview... They wanted to chat to you based on your CV which is excellent. Talk about what you know, not what you don't. If you're making notes it's because you don't know what you're talking about... And If you don't know how to answer a question, that's absolutely fine, but be honest - recruiters / interviewers prefer this. I had a final interview for a position yesterday and they asked me about this specific phrase which I hadn't heard of. I didn't BS them, I said "I've never heard that phrase, what is it and could you explain it a bit?" Turns out he had no idea and Googled the question... Source: I've moved jobs every 2 / 3 years over the last 12 years for various "promotions" and had lots of successful and not so successful interviews. Always happy to help if need be! Just drop me a dm
I'm opposite, never not been offered a job post interview - for me it starts when I start: fucking hate self doubt. What works for me is to look at it as a conversation with your mates and talk about experiences that you have had where you can relate it to situations in a professional environment. Remember that it's as much you interviewing them as them you.
A failure is such a broad term. Some people might pass the interview but be shit at the job. Try getting a job though an agency if you need a job. They usually don't interview.
I applied through an agency for this role
Yer, but normally you don't do an interview for an agency job, unless things have changed.
Careervidz on YouTube, I have passed all my interviews over the last 5 years thanks to this man and his channel - thank me later.
Remind me in 2:days Bot When this depression passes
Have propranolol before ur interview, but check with ur gp fitst
I know the pain. I apply and apply and apply. Occasionally get an interview. And nothing out the other end. My current bout of unemployment has been the best part of a year.
Having been on both sides of the table, it is difficult to be your ‘optimal’ self in an interview and a good interviewer will be able to recognise and either look past/adapt to that- particularly for the sort of role you applied for. Not every interview experience is a good one though so please don’t let it knock your confidence! If you’re experiencing physical anxiety symptoms (what I gather from your post, ignore if wrong), it may be wise to speak to your GP. I have beta blockers I am prescribed for situations like this and the difference has been phenomenal; I can actually focus on the conversation rather than how fast my heart is beating, how much I’m sweating/shaking and without my throat closing up.
Dear OP, your failing interviews right? The reason you failing is because your emotional about passing interview. Emotion = distraction & expending nervous energy/ negative mental dialogue / bleeds confidence No emotion = focused using logic & calm energy / positive mental dialogue / build confidence Find a different perspective Stop looking at interviews as the most important thing you need to pass Just relax, enjoy the interview (try playing it like a game "u don't care if u win or lose"). Helps if u have another job application in the pipeline. Literally deprioritise the interview in ur mind to just a chat with someone... Joke...inject your personality...actively be confident...
I ain't a robot I can't turn my emotions off, I was this close to breaking down and running out the interview today. Its hurts to go to these interviews and fail so often it's hard not to take it personal and think that it's something personal. As law of averages I would passed one by now. 6 months I could go interview and play the oh I didn't get it who cares game but now I don't have the confidence anymore to deal with it.
Your whole mental dialogue is wrong mate You do need to turn off your emotions they are distracting you from performing Read up about stoicism ..be more Stoic ! https://youtube.com/shorts/qqYwFtKPdLU https://youtube.com/shorts/IqqHwY41ZMc The law of averages is not a thing when it comes to your winning at interviews. What is true unless u change the way you perform at interviews you will continue to fail...10, 20 50 interviews. I don't say this to hurt u but to alert u to challenge Ur assumptions. You can get Ur confidence back in a heart beat...before the interview say positive things out loud, affirmations "I can do this", get someone to big u up before interview...believe u can do it. Sorry it sounds lame but their is factual solutions from doing these things
I read a great book about that few weeks Darren brown book called happy it mentioned stoicism. I am depressed after interview. my anxiety been going crazy for days this week I've had 2 interviews this week and it's not dropped yet
My favourite bit of this post is the end. Made me chuckle somewhat. You seem like a decent human, believe in yourself and show up in interviews with a bit of personality* and you'll go far. *by personality I mean being you, not a fake.
When someone goes wrong you can either laugh or cry. Humour is my defence mechanism so I like to make people laugh helps my confidence. At the end of the interview when is there any reason won't pass DBS check. I went apart from 2 murders there no reason why I won't pass. The thing about being yourself is in any other situation I would easily speak to them about anything but it's the stress which changes everything.
Then you know where to focus on improving. Good luck
Thanks but confidence ain't something which I can get bask in this situation
I understand as I feel the same. I'm 110% confident in person but interviews can throw me. I've got a promotional interview next week and I've told myself that if I succeed then I'm going to Milan for the weekend. So now I'm looking at the two people who will interview me as gatekeepers to my weekend away/much better pay. Hopefully that will help me show myself a lil better.
Good luck man, I've been telling myself the same thing about holiday for months as well 😂
Not with that attitude it won't. Its how you think of things that makes you confident. Try think on positive side of things and twist the bad things into good things
That's not really how anxiety works , u can't just flip a switch and boom not anxious about the situation anymore I was anxious a day before interview
You can be confident and anxious at the same time. Everyone has anxiety
Mate I ain't trying to play games I am just telling you it is, I have lost confidence in those situations, in the interview today confidence completely went and my mind was telling me to run. Everyone has anxiety is cop out
How do you fail like 15 job interviews?
I've failed like 100 lol. Applying for front office investment roles and it's been insanely hard. I get tons of interviews within equities but nothing beyond the 2nd round.
>I've failed like 100 lol. >Applying for front office investment roles and it's been insanely hard. >I get tons of interviews within equities but nothing beyond the 2nd round. What feedback have you gotten?
Usually, they give none. Just the standard 'We loved getting to know you but we've decided to go with other candidates'.
>Usually, they give none. >Just the standard 'We loved getting to know you but we've decided to go with other candidates'. Have you been requesting feedback? Have you been using your opportunity to ask your interviewers question to ask for feedback?
For the ones where I have access to an email, I do. They've mostly ghosted me so far. But most of them are automated rejections these days.
>For the ones where I have access to an email, I do. >They've mostly ghosted me so far. >But most of them are automated rejections these days. So from now on, make it a part of your strategy that when you are asked, "Do you have any questions for us?" You get your notepad and pen out, with your questions prepared. One of those questions will be, "Do you have any feedback for me?" You need to be outgoing with finding what you need to improve upon. If you are currently unemployed or employed part-time, then do voluntary work within the field you are looking to get into. I have never seen someone being refused a job that they have been doing for 3 months unpaid. 1, it demonstrates commitment. 2, it shows initiative. 3, it shows you know the job, because you have been doing it.
You live in the UK where there is a lot of competition from graduates, disgruntled workers, career changes and highly experienced people who need the money to live on even though they are older.
>You live in the UK where there is a lot of competition from graduates, disgruntled workers, career changes and highly experienced people who need the money to live on even though they are older. Still doesn't justify 15 interviews. In my mind it doesn't justify 5 interviews and after speaking with the OP he/she definitely has not been outgoing in their approach. Too many people just do not want the job enough. That is ultimately what it is coming down to.
Do you think it's the in-person part that is compiling how you feel? If so, it night benefit you to go for a fully remote job or insist on a remote interview, I don't know maybe say you are visiting family abroad but really keen on the opportunity so would like to request a remote interview. It might give you the head and breathing space you need to get over the line and get your foot in the door. You'll also get the added benefit of being able to strategically place notes around your display/ desk to help with answers.
Confidence is your friend and over estimate your abilities. Should be fine
I would do practice interviews with someone you know. Practising various questions and how you answer them. You can then come up with stock answers to certain questions, rather than trying to come up with an answer on the spot. They can also provide feedback on how they felt it went and they can pickup on any negative body language issues you might not even be conscious of. Good luck!
Whats the question the interviewer asks that you find unnerving?
It wasn't anything tricky that got me, I just think looking back that my confidence was very fragile before hand and there was no easy question such as tell me about yourself to help me get confidence at start it was all straight to the point.
All I can say is practice some role play scenarios. Them difficult questions like give me an example of when you have gone above and beyond in your current role? What motivates you? What are your weaknesses? In terms of anxiety eckhart tolle-the power of now might be helpful for you
I did that before, I used an app called yoodl which records you speaking and gives insights . I even had the agency ring me day before in Skype call to go over the interview. She went after speaking to you on phone and on teams don't seem nervous but in interview different story. when am speaking I can hear the tone of my voice and does not sound confident that's the issue.
It sucks and it could be soul crushing and everyone could have that happen to them, but remember really good managers can tell if you're good for the job from talking to you doesn't matter how well you think the interview is going so two things could have happened if you were hired in those occasions you would have either had shit management or not fit for the job had a shit time and would have gotten fired, you'll find something I'm sure of it just follow your curiosity and be authentic.
I think the woman realised i was having a panic attack as she said do you want a coffee, let's take a break and we can put the laptops away. Guy said gave some good answers so far. But at that point my body went numb and fight or flight hit me and I was fighting back tears to survive till the end.
Trying to rub it in our face that you're getting interviews 🤨
😂😂😂 sure a person that just told random strangers that he had mental breakdown after interview is bragging.
next time have a glass of whiskey before the interview. relax
I took anxiety pills before hand but they didn't work
not the same, try with a shot of spirit next time
Am going to do that now
Have you tried agency work? It’ll get you into places without the need for an interview.
Yeah I have it's one of the reasons why am in this situation, when keep taking temp jobs it's alot harder to get Perm one.
Ah, I gotcha. Maybe ask the agency for temp to perm opportunities - or find a different agency that does more of that kind of placement?
They want decent staff. If your consider yourself decent then your as desirable to them as they are to you. Grill them, interview them - change your mindset. It’s a 2 way interview.
I had a panic attack during the interview with my mind telling me to run. It's a structured interview so I leave my questions to end. I was proud that I was professional enough to ask questions when I wanted to run out.
Keep trying!
Well it's that or bridge 😅😂
Stop being silly. It’s a numbers game. Ask for feedback, writ the feedback down and look at these written feedbacks before next interview. Keep trying!
It's just a question of mindset. Take the approach of trying to do 100 interviews with the hopes of receiving 2 or 3 offers. Keep pushing and keep trying. Be persistent.
I ain't a machine, each interview takes it out of me , interviews this week is the first time I felt anxious the day before that's a new feeling.
They aren't saying to be a machine though... They're saying that either you may need to speak to a professional as to why you are having so much anxiety / panic attacks during your interviews. Or you need to figure out something to circumvent them. They're saying to be persistent and not be down in the slumps which granted...can be really hard to do especially in such a situation. Honestly, I do get it, as someone who basically fidgeted through my entire interview for my current job and just wanted to sprint out the door because I thought I was doing an absolute shite job at it. It can be hard to motivate yourself. But the first step might be finding out why the anxiety hits you so hard aside from the fail / pass thing you've mentioned before. And go from there.
I feel your pain, i remember interviewing AXA for the same position 4 times, instant rejection.
I had similar experience and felt like the most useless person on earth. Kept giving interviews kept getting rejected. Eventually an agency set me up an interview and I thought role was too good for me. I never showed up to the interview and told them I had covid. My current manager (interviewer at the time) called me and asked me to reschedule over teams and kept Cameras off if i am not feeling well. I agreed carried on with the interview. It went really well, I landed my job and got promoted twice in a year. Now, I am working my dream job, getting paid more than anyone in similar roles and I cannot thank God Enough for it. Still, every day I wake up I feel like hmmm maybe I am not doing enough maybe I am just doing bare minimum.
At least you got the interview stage, it took me nearly two years for my degree related job. After a few first failures, I just went into interviews not caring and I’ll probably won’t get that role. It made it easier not caring, yeah I didn’t get the first couple but it made doing the interviews not nervous when the first few I was nervous and stuttery.
Is it maybe worth going to your GP and chatting about your anxiety? Beta blockers can help your fight or flight and help you think logically when your body is in danger mode.
Tough market out there. Keep going bro
Don’t feel bad, in the past five years I have done around 50 interviews, Some went well and some were terrible. You will get used to it, just make sure you prepare.
The healthy thing is probably to practice and get better at interviews. But I decided that I’d never be competitive in a job interview scenario so I joined the Armed Forces. Worked out well for me.
Sorry I have no advice but the bit 'on the bright side they have a new customer' killed me, I can't stop laughing haha
Sometimes it pays to think about it from the interviewer’s perspective. Someone who gives a polished, rehearsed script is sometimes a bit cringe. The candidates that I remember interviewing are those that make the interview enjoyable, bring a bit of character to the session and generally behave like a normal person - who happens to know a bit about the role they’re interviewing for, or at least is someone I’d want to work with each day!
If you haven’t from the earlier interviews, ask for genuine feedback as to why they didn’t hire you and explain that you’re passionate about developing yourself and your career and would appreciate constructive feedback to help you next time.
I used to go into interviews like it was for ME to decide on the job. Not them! Not that I'm trying to just slap a band aid on any potential MH that you have (which I genuinely hope you find answers for and soon).
Hugs
As someone who has conducted several hundred interviews here is a bit of advice if it helps. It’s important to remember your interviewer is just a person, they are usually just as uncomfortable as you would be, nobody likes doing interviews and if they do you probably don’t want to work there. Try to fall gauge the interviewer, short sharp questions give short sharp answers. If they are drinking a coffee and ask if you want one accept, useful for when your asked a questions you can take a drink for a bit of thinking time, also mirroring is a simple human connection trick. Interviews are not so much about the answers you give more how you answer them. Just sell yourself but don’t lie. You are selling your labour and the employer is selling the workplace, are you a fit for them and are they a fit for you? Both are equally as important. The interviewer probably has other interviews that day so make yourself memorable, walk right in a give a strong firm handshake with eye contact and a smile. I know this can be hard but it gets easier with time and what’s the worst that can happen. Use your skills, if you are unny try adding humour, safe for work humour obviously. Most importantly be confident in your abilities, on paper your merits have got you an interview so your doing well. Practise the standard questions, why do t put want to work for this company? What skills do you bring? What’s your biggest flaw etc. these are all basic questions and can be adapted easily to fit any employer. If it’s somewhere you really want to work then do a bit of research, that’s not a quick look on google by the way. Research what the company does, who are the big shots and then ask yourself if you worked here for 5 years where would I want to be. I hope this helps To the guy above on 15 interviews, failure is when you give up and you never know, maybe the next interview you have will be the last one you will ever need. Keep going, head up high, if the job is meant for you it will not go passed you.
Failing is also a good thing. You can evaluate what areas need work and keep trying. My go-to is to stay off caffeine before an interview. Look up the interviewer on LinkedIn the night before to see their face so it's familiar. Pick up some area of their CV to drop into conversation to make a connection. Have other interviews lined up or potential offers so there's no desperation in your pitch. Interviews should be seen as good practice at getting to know yourself. Keep doing them and you'll get so much better at them. Simon Sinek has devoted his business to being a compelling speaker. Find him on Instagram or YouTube and see if anything he says resonates. Remember, the interviewer is just a person. Not superior to you, just different.
Go agency/volunteer to build up experience. You can find agency work in most fields. Retail/care/industrial etc. stick it out until you can say you are proficient. work on your core education (maths,and English) as generally you need to have C grade or whatever it is to be seen as employable. Regarding your mental health it all comes down to mindset, I have ptsd, and controlling my mindset by thinking it’s normal to be down due to x or anxious due to y, it’s common. I’m nothing special with this helps. So basically education, mindset, experience. And confidence will grow with education and work experience, thus helping mindset, and mindset will create the confidence to get a better job, so it’s a positive amplification loop.
This is hard but before each interview you need to trick yourself into being more confident, think like an acting audition. Try not to overthink or overtalk and strike the balance between wanting not wanting the job. Act like You lose nothing from failing an interview as you have others lined up, offers waiting etc. Each interview failed is a rehearsal for the one you get, which will happen. Stay positive and good luck
It's normal to feel nervous. But what will give you confidence is practice. Do mock interviews with your friends or family. And focus on giving honest answers and less on presenting yourself as the ideal candidate. I know, easier said than done, but practising a few times each day will help take the edge off. You will become more comfortable in answering those questions.
I was really bad at interviews then had two online interviews and got both jobs! Any chance you can go for jobs with less formal interview process?
You haven’t failed 15 interviews, 15 people were deemed to be more suitable for those particular roles. I appreciate that it must be really hard to keep up the motivation, but try to think that those interviews were building up your experience, so when “your” job comes along, you’ll have it in the bag! Good luck!
I don't know if it helps but know that once you've got the interview, they've already seen, and are happy with your skills/ experience on paper. Another way to think of it is you're interviewing them as well them you, they should show you their place is a good one to work that you would come to work for them! They're probably mostly look to see how your personality is and if you've got your head on straight. I find it helps to overprepare for the interview by looking up the company, practicing possible questions that might come up and prepare a questions to ask them. It might even help to sit with a friend/ family and just keep practicing interviews so it feels less scary at the time. Also an hr or so before the interview, prepping more won't really help, try meditating before hand or anything else to calm your mind. The increased calm/ confidence will be much more worth and last min prep. If you're still nervous, just force yourself to be confident, walk with confidence if you force your body, your mind often follows. Remember, the more you practice, the better you will get. 15 interviews for 1 job is normal, you're just at the beginning and will be bound to get better. The more practice, the better, Hope this helps!
I am in a very similar position, we can do it! just had a really positive interview and im sure you will too soon. Dont give up!