Be in Control of the Process: Part I

As a job seeker, I was once told by a recruiter that the team that interviewed me really liked me and said I answered every question well. But, I didn’t get the job. I asked why, and am glad to have had a recruiter who was honest with me. He told me that I seemed nervous, and while they strongly considered me, when they pictured the role they didn’t see me in it.

My lesson learned? Be in control of the interview process. They requested the interview on a Monday after I had been on vacation the previous week. I flew home Sunday, and woke up early Monday, downed several cups of coffee, and went off to be interviewed. There is a good chance that if I had said sorry, that day doesn’t work, and instead scheduled a day later in the week when I was alert and back in business mode, I would have gotten the job. Great on paper, said all the right things. But the job went to someone else who they could better see in the job.

I’ve since learned that it is important to put yourself in a position to succeed. When are you at your best? Will a morning interview make you feel rushed if you have to get to your job? Are you tired in the evening after a day of meetings? Try to schedule interviews for when you are most likely to shine.

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