Why Didn’t I Get That Job?

Moving countries and finding new jobs never gets easier with time.

This is the story of why I didn’t get a particular job after moving to a new geography. This can happen to anyone, even without a change in employment markets.

My first job interview after the move was uptown in an unfamiliar area. And let me tell you Google maps can be confusing even with all the technological advancements. I somehow made my way to the correct building right on time. In a world where resumes get lost in the black box, I was delighted that they had found me, owing to the niche experience that I had gained with my previous employer. There was also a subtle nostalgia of cockiness lurking in me because I had previously worked for one of the best companies in the world. Not only had I worked there, but I had also been blessed with two promotions and adequate recognition from my leaders.

But that first interview deflated my confidence like a balloon that was struck by a proverbial pin. After the brief introduction of my background and some context about their company, the armor of questions came firing.

“You have never been a developer. What makes you think you can manage a team of developers?”

Excuse me. I applied for the role of Development Manager, but you picked me for an interview. Also, I had worked very closely and guided developers in the past.

“What are the some best practices to follow when coding?”

“Do you know about agile? Can you walk us through some basic agile concepts?”

“In your previous company, how was code versioning done? What storage system was used?”

All good questions for a Development Manager no doubt and I can appreciate them as someone who has been on the other side of interviews as well. But the first question tainted everything and got me in the defensive zone. I felt like they were asking questions not to genuinely learn about my experience and evaluate whether I am a good fit for this role. They had already decided I could not do the job and were asking questions to verify that decision. Needless to say, my answers were not well thought through as a cloud of negative emotions had begun to clog my brain.

Then it was my turn for question-asking. “If I get this role, what are some of the key issues that you want me to get after as your top priority?”

The answer came in fits and bounds, revealing deep, ugly cracks. I intuited that my hiring manager was burned out. They seemed to have no control, visibility or influence over projects. Although this didn’t seem like an ideal place to work for, I would have taken the role if only I was offered. I was not.

My second interview was with a competitor of the first company. They were a nice bunch of people and made me feel like a respected, fellow human. Although I didn’t get this role either, I truly needed that after the deflating first interview.

Fast forward a few months and many, many interviews, I got a job at the first company, but in another team. I worked closely with members of the team who had interviewed me during my very first interview and got to learn more about that first hiring manager. Toxic is what comes to mind when I interact with this manager now. She undermines all other teams, backstabs her closest allies, changes direction, and makes flaky decisions that can be upturned on a whim. This manager sends out thundering emails, criticizing team members who are not even on their team, exhibiting no desire to collaborate and motivate.

They have also not yet filled the role that I was interviewed for although it has been almost an year since my interview.

Very few get the opportunity to join a company that you busted an interview at and observe the team you would have been a part of if only you had done better at the interview. I was blessed with this missed opportunity and now I know why I didn’t get this job.

I am nothing short of thankful for my failed first interview.

Remember that you would be too if you only got the opportunity to join a company that you didn’t get into in the first place.

(Of course, I’m not implying that every hiring manager will turn out to be toxic like mine. But, there is a mismatch in company culture, management style, your level of maturity, or a myriad of other reasons for an interview not to work out. If these reasons were ignored by the hiring manager, your life would have been made sullen and excruciating for sure)

Have you had any interview disasters like me? Looking back, can you now think of why they weren’t necessarily disasters?