Rachel Killington's work on the local radio station's website won't go on for ever - so she applied for a similar job in London and was interviewed. How did I do? Sadly my London dreams were just that. Dreams. I got the call about a week later, and despite reassurances from Kelly (the interviewer) that I had done really well, and she had been very impressed with me, it was still a bitter pill to swallow. I just felt so disappointed, and thought that I had let people down, and I wasn’t even brave enough to tell anyone at first - I felt that telling people I hadn’t been successful would mean admitting I had failed.
Of course, I was fine after a couple of days - I began to see the whole experience in a far more positive way, and realised that I actually had done really well - for having the guts to apply for the job in the first place, for getting an interview, and for doing well in that interview. I asked for feedback, and was pleased when it was all positive - I was told that the interview was ‘pretty perfect’. Kelly said she would happily have me on the team as a junior editor, but that the advertised position was simply a more senior role. I consoled myself with the thought that should another position become available, I would effectively be in the ‘shop window’- maybe I would be considered more readily than before - and so I busied myself with planning a well-earned holiday, whilst going back to the drawing board looking for vacant online positions. Another interviewAfter a fantastic week of sun, sea, sand and sangria I returned to work, and was soon back in the swing of things. Before I left for my holiday I had applied for a job as the content manager for two stations about 70 miles away from home (the job I had originally applied for over six months ago - which had become vacant again), but since I hadn’t heard anything I had presumed I hadn’t been successful in securing an interview. I was pleasantly surprised when I received a call inviting me to an interview in three days' time, and dutifully began the preparation. This time was very different to my London interview. I felt more confident about the job role since I believed I was far better suited to the more local position - after all, it is essentially what my job has been for the last six months. I decided to drive down, and though I had less preparation time, I completed the work for the required presentation. I glanced over my books once more, but assured myself that since it was less than three weeks since I was in Leicester Square, I would remember most of it. I was ready. Or so I thought. The drive down was uneventful, but unlike my first interview (where I mentally prepared myself on the train journey) I had no ‘me’ time to re-read notes or go over my prep work. I arrived five minutes early, but there was no one in reception. After waiting a few minutes I began to panic, and decided the best thing to do would be to just find my way alone. I gingerly knocked on the door and was greeted by a rather startled-looking office full of people. I felt my cheeks burn as I explained who I was, what I was doing, and why I had seemingly barged into their work space uninvited. Not a good start. I was introduced to the station’s Programme Controller, and shown into an office. My boss Neil was there, but to avoid any unfair advantages, I was interviewed by the PC - something that I had not really envisaged, nor prepared for. Under pressureThe interview was 1 hour 20 minutes long, but it felt like days. I floundered on some questions, and was quizzed on areas I wasn’t really sure about. I tried my hardest but found the experience stressful and unnerving. When I finally got out of the station it was wonderful to feel the warm sun on my face, and the breeze ruffling my hair, and I bumped into the current online editor who assured me that I had probably been more successful than I thought, and that she too, had found the interview selection tough. I consoled myself with that fact, but as I left the car park tear spilled down my cheeks. With hindsight I realise I should have been more pro-active in my interview preparation. I assumed the interview would be similar to the London one which was actually fairly enjoyable, therefore I didn’t feel the need to panic. I was fairly naïve - I could have (and should have) done more preparation, but since I am familiar with the job, I assumed I would be ready for any questions I was asked. I struggled on a couple, then panicked and began to waffle, and it wasn’t surprising when I was told a few days later that I didn’t appear very composed during the interview. I would have benefited from more time to prepare, particularly on the day of the interview itself, and I could have thought of more original ideas to showcase my presentation. I know now that it was probably the interview that was my downfall, and for a while I was angry with myself for failing again, but I’m a great believer that everything happens for a reason, and it was only the second interview I’ve ever had after all! Lessons to learnI was given a full debrief and feedback session on the interview, and although certain parts were hard to swallow, it made me realise where I went wrong. Because I’m familiar with the job I had wrongly assumed any questions posed would be easy to answer like the ones in the London interview had been, which had set my mind at ease. What I hadn’t anticipated, however, is that it was because I had been so determined to do well in the initial interview that I did do well. It was a subject I was familiar with, but I made sure that each and every avenue was covered. The second interview didn’t go as well because I didn’t prepare enough, and I realise that now. Yes, I need to work on composure and nerves, but what has become apparent is that you can have the best interview technique, but you can't replace knowledge and thorough preparation. It was an experience to learn from. I know what areas I need to improve, and I’ll be more prepared for that when (and if) I get more interviews. I realise I wasn’t quite ready for the role, and that’s the main reason I didn’t get the job. I now intend to up my game - to work harder, to be pro-active in the way I carry work, and make sure I learn as much as I can. If by experiencing the interview I had learnt only one thing to improve my performance, then it would have been well worth it. As it is, I have plenty of points to work on, and I’m determined to work hard to ensure I do the very best job I can in all aspects of my work. See Rachel's previous job logs: |
