Aced the superday but got rejected

Interviewed with a bank (one of the big 5 in CA) for an internship at CM. I think I 100% meet the requirements and even have few stand out points.

The first round was good, and got into a superday in a few days. The superday consisted of few consecutive interviews, where I think I did a really good job in most of them (behavior + technical). There were interviewers that absolutely loved me and the rest are ok.

After the interviews and based on the interviewers reaction, I thought I had a very high chance in getting it but ultimately got rejected few days later. What can go wrong? Is that simply cause I’m not good enough for the role, or I can’t talk as good as other candidates do, or my background is not good enough for an internship, or the team just doesn’t like me?

I honestly would not be so disappointed if the interviewers did not give me a high hope of getting it (or this can all be my imagination). Now I’m having a hard time getting over it and self doubting my abilities. What can I even do?

 

Sometimes in life, you can do everything in your power and it doesn't work for reasons you will never know. It can be something as weird as an MD's daughter's boyfriend taking your spot, or someone having a bad day and you had to take the L. Just brush it off, if you did as good as you say then you'll get another opportunity somewhere else.

 
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keep in mind you are dealing with professionals who are MUCH more experienced then you with dealing with folks at this point in their career.   Every person I interview walks out thinking they did a good job but my desks needs and wants could be much different then what you bring to the table.  Keep grinding and you will be fine....  you only need one offer...  

 
Most Helpful

If there was someone you were close with during the process then ask for what you can do better. You’ll probably get some platitude or non-useful comment but might get something. Will never know if you don’t try. Don’t make it sound like you’re surprised you didn’t get the job, make it seem like you want genuine feedback (which you should).

I’ve interviewed for a number of roles across IB/PE/HF/VC/corporate/etc since I started interning long ago. I found that between internships and FT recruitment that I had a tendency to think I did better than I actually did. When I recruited for the buyside I had a much better pulse on my performance. Probably was the Dunning-Krueger effect early on and now I’m hypercritical of myself after an interview which leads to thinking I’ve got less of a chance than I usually do.

That said, and others have pointed this out, sometimes it just doesn’t work out for you. I’ve had interviews where I felt great coming out, was receiving good feedback, etc and then someone else fills the role because they were the best fit, had more experience, knew someone, could start sooner, etc. It’s largely circumstantial and less a reflection of you and your performance, don’t let it get you down. I’ve found that dream jobs often times aren’t anything what I expected and finding the best fit for me is really the dream even if it’s not the sexiest sector, biggest check size, highest comp, etc.

 

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