Judging Interviews

[JohnM]

One thing I have learnt over the years is never ever to try and judge interviews for contracts. The best advice I would give to any new(ish) contractor is always have several interviews lined up, never think you have definitely not got a role or on the flip side definitely got a role role. You can never judge interviews, especially contract ones that can sometimes be a lot quicker than a typical permanent interview

Never get down over interviews if you don't get something, a lot of times there is absolutely nothing you could have done, its just personality sometimes not even skill set.

I used to get really down over rejections when I first started contracting, I just accept them as par for the course now, some you will get you didn't think you did well in others you will not get even if you thought you aced it

Keep going and never get down

[Paralytic]

With very few exceptions (though there's at least one £2000-day-deserving person on here who thinks otherwise), there is *always* someone better placed for a role that you are. The question is whether they happen to apply for that role when you do.

So, I'd agree - so long as you're happy that you acquitted yourself well at an interview, just assume that someone better qualified/a better fit/friends with the MD got the role, and move onto the next one.

[quackhandle]

I had two zoom interviews last summer, both went well and both ended with we'll be in touch.


Heard nothing, even when I asked the interviewer direct for info/feedback on Linked In DMs.

Nothing, got proper ghosted. I'm mean tell me I didn't get it that's fine, but to not even respond?

That's contracting for you, but still found it really odd.



qh

[velcro]

I had an interview for a contract with a well known innovative engineering company who make vacuum cleaners in 2018. The contract was ideal for me, and the two people in the interview both said there and then: "yes, you've got it, you can start in a week, welcome aboard. We'll be in touch tomorrow with the contract." They took me and showed me where I'd sit, parking arrangements, where the canteen was - even gave me a copy of the menu!
Then absolutely nothing from them. Nothing going back to the agent either, who were pulling their hair out. I'd tried to get some feedback direct from the client, but they wouldn't return any calls or emails. Fair enough if they have second thoughts on anything, or budget gets binned or whatever, but they could at least let people know. It's just plain rude, but that is business...
Don't take anything for granted until you have a signed contract in your hand, and then allow for it to all to still get canned at the last minute.

[silent bob]

I had a zoom interview right at the start of the first lockdown. Emailed agent for feedback. Nothing. So moved on.
The next week got an email for a quick survey asking about my experience with the agency. Gave them a crap score.
Next thing manager from said agency rings to ask me why i gave them a crap score.
So told them, no feedback, despite asking.
So she investigated and came back to me later.
Apparently I'd passed the interview and was through to the next stage . Go figure that one......

[SussexSeagull]

Sometimes you don't connect with the interviewer in an interview and once in a while you have an off day. On other occasions someone is better than you. Always used to be part of the game and you moved on to the next one having been promptly informed by the agent (more commonly than not on the way home).

Problem is now half the time you never find out and get ghosted. By necessity you move on to the net thing but it really isn't a healthy way of operating when agents are too much of a bunch of cowards not to spend a minute sending an e-mail.

[biergarten]

I don't consider myself good at the interview phase, have a ratio 1 in 6 and decreasing.

i am a bit of ambivalent about being informed that i don't get a role, lets me a bit down. and as well while they don't tell me i keep considering it open. lol, helps it me to go through the 'hard' times of the search, thinking i have several open leads

although i had even the case when they told me i didn't get the role. two days later they called me offering the role

[jayn200]

Ive had a couple amazing interviews where everything clicked and the match was perfect but didn't get the contract and no feedback why. On the other end of it, the worst interview I ever had where the interviewer actually raised their voice at me, was extremely hostile and I failed the technical test I got an offer 1 hour after leaving the interview. You just never know, that's why volume is so important. It's so hard to use a targeted approach. You have no idea who is going to be interested in you and why. You just don't have enough information from their end to know what's going to happen.

[hairymouse]

It seems to me that the new norm is Velcro's experience, where the potential employer/client pretends that you have the role and then ghosts you if you don't. During my last job search, I was completely ghosted by at least %50 of the interviews I attended.

[Fraidycat]

I was completely ghosted by at least %50 of the interviews I attended.

Unless most of your interview are direct, normally it is the agents job to get feedback for you when you are not successful?

And if the interview seemed positive but the outcome was not, its normally because they liked you but liked someone else even more.