Job Description
Jones had the experience, skills and ambition it took in his field. But despite being overly qualified and reliable, his boss kept passing him over for promotions. Frustrated, he said Enough! and immediately started looking for better opportunities.
He had his eyes set on an opening as a manager following the advert he saw on the corporate Staffing LinkedIn page. He tried practicing for the interview; confident he would win over the panel.The interview came, and he was nervous, but he looked over the JD and was confident that he checked all the boxes.
He was sharply dressed, arrived earlier than most candidates and had a confident smile as he was ushered in. After a few weeks, no feedback. He refreshed his email. Crickets. He decided to swallow his pride and dial the CSS number he found on the website.
“Hello, my name is Jones. I’m calling in regards to an interview I did about a Software Engineer Manager position. I was wondering if there was any feedback,” he asked nervously.
His chest tightened. His heart started racing. When the caller told him the role had already been shortlisted, he was disappointed, it was confirming every rejection doubt he had tried to bury.
Pulling himself together, he mastered the courage to ask the interviewer where he went wrong.
The interviewer flipped through some pages, “Jones Kilonzo?” he hesitated. That made him feel forgettable. He took out a pen and paper, eagerly noting every mistake being pointed out.
The recruiter didn’t sugarcoat it. “You came off as vague…rambled too much… and interrupted me twice.”
The feedback was harsh. But he was given clarity. Here is what went wrong, and ways you can fix it.
- Giving vague or generic answers
“You were being too vague yet rambling at the same time”
Jones, however qualified for the role, gave very generic answers that didn’t make him stand out among other equally qualified opponents. He started overexplaining himself, which made him go off topic and made it harder for the hiring team to follow his point.
“You want to be specific and back up claims with examples (think STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result). This method will surely make the recruiters remember you, even when the competition is tough.”
- Interrupting or talking over the interviewer
“Honestly, Mr. Jones, this suggested poor listening skills. Ultimately, this made us write arrogant next to your name.”
Jones walked into the interview with overconfidence that became his downfall. He started talking over the interviewer, trying to show just how much knowledge he had in the field.
- Being overly rehearsed or robotic
“As much as we tell people to come prepared and do their research, being too robotic removes authenticity.” The interviewer explained
At the risk of not getting selected, Jones spent the whole night researching and preparing to ace the interview. But not knowing, sounding too scripted, makes you seem fake.
Jones thanked the recruiter and sat there wishing he could turn back time with the set of knowledge the recruiter had just overloaded him with. He went to our website and immediately scheduled a meeting with an interview coach.
This time, Jones didn’t rehearse; he refined. He went in calm, collected, clear, and confident. By noon, his phone rang. “We’d like to make you an offer.” Just like that, the narrative shifted.
If this sounds like you, don’t hesitate to seek our expert interview coaches. It is time to take back control and ace your next interview.
The post Why Strong Candidates Still Don’t Make It Past The Interview Stage appeared first on Corporate Staffing Services.