Ask HR: I have failed five interviews, is there any need to keep trying?
What you need to know:
- Do you thoroughly prepare yourself for interviews to enable you defend your suitability both in terms of your competence and character?
- Do you arrive at interview venues on time? Are you respectful to those you meet at such venues including those that welcome and usher you in?
- What do your speech and manner at interviews say about you? How do you dress for interviews?
I have failed five interviews in the past two years. I am wondering what I am doing wrong every time, yet I have the right qualifications. Could I be missing something or is it time to stop trying and keep my current job?
The experience of successive losses in a series of crucial contests can compound disappointment which, if handled poorly, could degenerate into despondency and apathy. This is especially so with respect to job interviews which can often be perceived as potential doorways to a desired career and future. Failure cannot however be averted in every contest. It is therefore prudent for any competitor to learn how to handle success as well as dashed expectations. Defeat is not a tragedy unless one’s heart sinks alongside plunging scores.
Are the jobs that you have applied for consistent with your profile? Do they accord with your competence or merely your desire to get them? Whose advice did you take concerning your suitability? Do you thoroughly prepare yourself for interviews to enable you defend your suitability both in terms of your competence and character? Do you arrive at interview venues on time? Are you respectful to those you meet at such venues including those that welcome and usher you in? What do your speech and manner at interviews say about you? How do you dress for interviews?
Do you project confidence in your abilities without appearing cocky? Do you highlight what you would uniquely contribute to an organisation should you be the successful candidate? What questions do you ask interviewers? What have you since learnt from the five interviews that you failed? What have you sought to improve with each interview? Have you called any of the organisations seeking feedback on what you need to focus on more? Five failed interviews are five opportunities to learn and grow, not five indictments to leave you wallowing in despair.
Take the perspective of a competitor who desperately desires to win yet can take a loss in his stride and learn from defeat. The cost of success is often dear and sometimes it will include disappointing hiccups and gaffes. Take heart and keep motoring; inertia and despair will only compound your sense of defeat. Your turn will come.
HR Practitioner
