Strange...tons of interviews and no job yet...

So I've delayed grad school for a year due to some unforeseen reason and I decided I wanted to move on from my current job. So by my count, in the last 3 months, I've had 6 interviews, but no job as of yet. It's weird, because I'm pretty experienced and generally I interviewed well (or thought that I did. Its incredibly obvious when an interview isnt going well). I've just had my latest rejection, which did piss me off a little. I interviewed with Bloomberg last week and it went well. However, I got the dreaded email.

Now I've been out of the job hunt market for a while so obviously I am doing something wrong here. So thinking through the interview, I've narrowed down a few things that might be an issue:

1) He asked me where else I am applying/interviewing. I told him, however I expressed my interest in Bloomberg being my first choice. Should I have not mentioned other interviews, especially when they correlate well with my background too?

2) I expressed a strong desire to progress within the company, and that, in retrospect, may have put him off I think because I showed less commitment to the current role perhaps? Not sure, anyone want to chime in. How do you handle the 'where do you see yourself in 5 years' without coming across as someone not invested in the current role. I expressed my plans in a way depending how the team is structured, and how previous team members moved on. Not sure what else I could have done, I toed the line I felt.

3) This probably dinged me I feel - I didn't dismiss working in large teams outright but he asked me what motivated me and I said a recognition of team success, and that usually happens when a smaller team works hard together. (I should mention that the team I would have worked immediately with was a grand total of 3 people).
So he said to me that i was being dismissive of working in large teams and that he's had experience of working in large teams and recognition of success and responsibility is there. I apologised for the fact that he misunderstood me and explained my thought process which he seemed satisfied with.

4) Everything else went really well. I gave solid examples of my experience, how I fit the role, asked the right questions so I was pretty disappointed with the outcome.

As a general rule (and being kinda of a seasoned poster here), I felt I consumed all the info here a long time ago and considered myself a solid interview. Obviously something is going wrong and I cant afford to continue down this path, especially as I'm really unhappy with my current role.

So I guess, I need some tips. One of my last interviews was complete bullshit, while another said I was overqualified for the role. So now, I'm headed for another few this week, which I need to nail. So any information or tips would be useful.

 

Sometimes it is just luck. Interviewer could be having a bad day or feels like testing the candidate or any other variety of reasons and it goes poorly for you. It could be you do not seem driven enough and determined to get into the company. You should ask them for feedback, they will often reply with general answers but if you get one honest answer that can show you what's going on, it's worth it.

Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 

Thanks. Yeah I get that but its been happening a few times now. I am speaking to Bloomberg tomorrow with the feedback but I really think that interview went well.

The feedback I've gotten in the past has been pretty generic but we'll see. Any tips on how to improve, because obviously whatever success I had in the past has deserted me.

 

what type of grad program are you holding off on? MBA? perhaps the interviewers can sense you are planning on going that route and thus don't view you as a long term proposition?

 

Luck can play a role. You can interview great, but someone else has better experience. I had interviews where I asked for feedback, and they wouldn't give me any constructive criticism, just that they hired someone with a few years experience vs my 1 internship. Keep pressing along.

 

Hate to be arrogant but they'd have to have a lot more experience to beat me out for some of these roles. I think out of the 6 I've had in the past 6 weeks or so, I've been under-qualified for one of them. Another I was beat out by an internal hire looking to move so its difficult to guess what the problem is. I am thinking its my interview technique but I hate to speculate either.

 

Regarding: 1) Only mention firms that are in their area of focus and don't mention any firms that would have them thinking ???. If you need to "come up" with other firms your talking to that don't fit the condition before make it more vague.

2) Not sure what else you can do.

3) Odd thing to mention. Maybe you should say ability to make a difference as opposed to recognition.

4) If you really felt like it went well and are troubled as to why they dinged you send him a polite follow up email asking for any advice. Most don't get back to you but some do and give you some really invaluable info.

 

1) Did so. All of the positions were in the same field and involved pretty much the same work skills needed.

2) Exactly. But he explicitly mentioned in the interview, I talked about opportunities a lot. I dont know how he could have a problem with me looking forward to working in the team for a long time.

3) I guess I could have phrased it differently but I explained my motivations behind it. I'll take the advice on board.

4) They said they will get in touch to offer some feedback but what pisses me off is that they guy interviewing me seemed to have made up his mind early. Most interviews, they want to hire me so help you along the way. He was looking to catch me out. I did reschedule once so perhaps there was something to do with that, even though I had a medical excuse.

 

If your interview skills are the issue, i.e. nerves, then don't drink coffee before, make it a point to not come off as "overqualified," and maybe don't bring up your upcoming masters degree at all. Lastly you could see a doc and try and get a sample prescription of something that really tones down the nerves.

 

I was pretty much on the same boat with SA positions. Had tons of interviews and assessment days and it really pissed me off when everything seemed to go smoothly and you get a generic rejection saying nothing about you in particular.

What I am starting to think right now is that in the current job market being "OK" material is not enough. What I mean is you cannot hope to receive an offer if you go to an interview with a goal "Don't screw this up" / "don't say stuff that will get you rejected", i.e. BE LIKE OTHER CANDIDATES. You have to actually be on a higher level and leave a unique mark, sell yourself, make them remember you even if that's in a weird way (not the kind that gets you kicked out of the building tho).

Maybe this is a gamble, but not being different from other candidates imo is much worse than being unique, rememered (even if this get you rejected a few times).

From what I can tell about you, you seem like a solid guy in terms of personality, so why not try to make one or two jokes (e.g. Q: Why are you searching for another position rather than staying at your current firm? A: I'm pretty much the hardest working person on the firm and have a record of beating results/expectations, thus I'm getting a feeling my boss worries that I might soon take his place/get him thrown out of the firm). I know this might sound stupid (too lazy to think of a better example), but you should get the idea.

Interested in what other have to say about this.

 
droking7:

If your interview skills are the issue, i.e. nerves, then don't drink coffee before, make it a point to not come off as "overqualified," and maybe don't bring up your upcoming masters degree at all. Lastly you could see a doc and try and get a sample prescription of something that really tones down the nerves.

Like a beta blocker or what?

 
Best Response
Sunbeam:

The financial job markets in the West are pretty much saturated unless you want to work in a glorified boiler room. My sister with an MBA from Miami University spent 7 months looking for job in America, and another 2 months in the U.K. She finally came to visit me win China (I have been here for almost 10 years) and I introduced her to some friends who gave her an internship that transformed into a $45,000 job with good (not great) benefits. If she plays her cards right, she can make VP in 2-3 years and earn over $150,000. If you learn Chinese here, there are no ceilings so long as you get in with an international company. China is still hopping folks. Take advantage before it gets too difficult to get a visa: http://open.salon.com/blog/china_business_central/... But be damn sure you get the right visa and invitation letter BEFORE you buy your plane tickets or you may be wasting your time and money.

An MBA from U Miami and she could only land a position in China making 45k?

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

I know a place that is still hiring. PM me if you are interested in getting more information.

"It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin
 

Went through the same thing last summer, its a competitve market and sometimes it coems down to the luck of the draw. Just keep grinding, I worked in consulting for a year out of school before I made it into banking. Leverage your network, alumni, family friends etc. Indeed.com is a great job board as it pulls listings from major banks so you do not need to go to each website.

 

@CaR

Lol, how brilliant you are! Is this necessary? I am just trying to help fellow monkeys who might deserve a chance but in the same shoes as I was before...

"It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin
 

I have sent out hundreds of applications and only had three interviews the last two months. No offer so far. Its depressing, but you got to keep your head up. I think more or less it comes down to the person who is interviewing you. They might just not like the way you look, dress, hair-style or anything else and will automatically ding you for that.

A little bit of it comes down to luck, is what I'm thinking now.

 

That sucks dude. I guess I'm gonna keep at it. I have two more interviews this week and they have to go well I guess. I feel they always do (aside from the odd occasion where I knew I fucked up), which is why its strange I havent got through yet. I guess I should be happy I'm getting tons of interviews.

 
Nefarious-:
Sunbeam:

The financial job markets in the West are pretty much saturated unless you want to work in a glorified boiler room. My sister with an MBA from Miami University spent 7 months looking for job in America, and another 2 months in the U.K. She finally came to visit me win China (I have been here for almost 10 years) and I introduced her to some friends who gave her an internship that transformed into a $45,000 job with good (not great) benefits. If she plays her cards right, she can make VP in 2-3 years and earn over $150,000. If you learn Chinese here, there are no ceilings so long as you get in with an international company. China is still hopping folks. Take advantage before it gets too difficult to get a visa: http://open.salon.com/blog/china_business_central/... But be damn sure you get the right visa and invitation letter BEFORE you buy your plane tickets or you may be wasting your time and money.

An MBA from U Miami and she could only land a position in China making 45k?

Miami Ohio I assume. Not that UM is blowing people's minds either.

 
TDSWIM:
droking7:

If your interview skills are the issue, i.e. nerves, then don't drink coffee before, make it a point to not come off as "overqualified," and maybe don't bring up your upcoming masters degree at all. Lastly you could see a doc and try and get a sample prescription of something that really tones down the nerves.

Like a beta blocker or what?

I didn't know you needed a prescription for alcohol.

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for freedom of thought which they seldom use.
 

Lets be realistic here: being tipsy prob won't be your best bet in an interview haha. I am an advocate of drinking before presentations, however.

And yes, some sort of beta blocker would do the trick, maybe just placebo you into a calm state.

 

Just my two cents, but it's probably best not to mention other companies you're interviewing with, your plans of going back to school, or next steps after the job you're interviewing for unless specifically asked. Your best bet is focusing 100 percent on how you will deliver above and beyond on the requirements of the job, and you also want the interviewer to like you and have that "I could work with this guy" feeling afterwards.

It's hard to tell from your post since a lot of an interview is tone and body language, but I also suggest making sure you're humble during the process. No one wants to hire the guy who walks in thinking he knows the company better than the interviewer. Not saying that was you but just something to keep in mind.

 

Thanks. He asked the questions about next steps and the company I was interviewing with so I had no scope not to. I NEVER intimate my plans to go back to school, it'll be a death sentence.

I guess I exude some confidence but thats natural right? I dont know, I'll take it on board for my interview tomorrow.

 

Thanks. He asked the questions about next steps and the company I was interviewing with so I had no scope not to. I NEVER intimate my plans to go back to school, it'll be a death sentence.

I guess I exude some confidence but thats natural right? I dont know, I'll take it on board for my interview tomorrow.

 
FinancialNoviceII:

Thanks. He asked the questions about next steps and the company I was interviewing with so I had no scope not to. I NEVER intimate my plans to go back to school, it'll be a death sentence.

I guess I exude some confidence but thats natural right? I dont know, I'll take it on board for my interview tomorrow.

I'm sure you know this already, but there's a very fine line between confidence and appearing cocky. As a senior in college, I did not have a job lined up but, like you, went on an insane amount of interviews. I interviewed with at least 7-8 companies and did not get a single offer from any of them (I would do really well on the phone interview, but would always get dinged after the in face interview). I asked for feedback from everyone and they either didn't respond or told me something really really generic.

I couldn't figure out why I was getting rejected so much until one day, a friend got me an interview with a company where one of his relatives worked in HR. I interviewed and again did very well in the phone interview phase but got dinged after the in person one. I had my friend ask his relative for the feedback that my interviewers gave him, and to my surprise EVERYONE had said the same thing. Individual is very arrogant and thinks very highly of himself.

In my attempt to appear as a qualified candidate who would hit the ground running, I probably came off as someone with a huge ego. Something to keep in mind.

 

I may be a lot of things but cocky isnt one of them. Although thanks for the input, I'll bear it in mind. I guess like you say there is a fine line but even for the job I was deemed overqualified for and he plain in the interview was making reference to how much more educated I am to anyone else working in the team (no idea how those people got the jobs because frankly I'm well educated but I wouldnt blow it out of proportion) I kept a level head and never acted on the bait to disparage anyone. So I dont think I'm cocky in an interview.

 
Sunbeam:

The financial job markets in the West are pretty much saturated unless you want to work in a glorified boiler room. My sister with an MBA from Miami University spent 7 months looking for job in America, and another 2 months in the U.K. She finally came to visit me win China (I have been here for almost 10 years) and I introduced her to some friends who gave her an internship that transformed into a $45,000 job with good (not great) benefits. If she plays her cards right, she can make VP in 2-3 years and earn over $150,000. If you learn Chinese here, there are no ceilings so long as you get in with an international company. China is still hopping folks. Take advantage before it gets too difficult to get a visa: http://open.salon.com/blog/china_business_central/... But be damn sure you get the right visa and invitation letter BEFORE you buy your plane tickets or you may be wasting your time and money.

my experience, after 10 years here in China, and learning Mandarin to fluency, is the exact opposite. I feel for foreigners there's a very real ceiling, and I'm going back to California. I know of a dozen others who have gone back. I don't think this advice holds water, but that's just my opinion. Glad it is working out for your sister though.

 

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