Had It, Lost It: The Story of My Greatest Failed Job Interview
That time when I thought my dream job was within reach — until it wasn’t
Anyone of their working-age has had a brush with the “job interview that got away”. Either of the following cleanly fits the definition:
- A job interview that you thought you had in the bag because there were positive signs throughout the interview only to be met by crushing disappointment.
- A job interview that you had to turn down because you already accepted (and is working) at an offer you accepted prior
The story that I’m about to tell you falls under #1. Out of all the job interviews I’ve had over the years, it is safe to say that this has to be my greatest failed job interview because of the many lessons learned along the way.
If the precept “Close but no cigar” were a human experience, this is it. However, in hindsight, every time I replay that interview in my head, I’ve come to realize what seemed to be a knock in the park eventually was just another door closed.
The Beginning
It was April 2018, the end of my MBA study. Classes, exams included, were finally finished and I was just waiting for graduation later that year. So while waiting for my shiny diploma, I was following other cohorts in their job search. That time I’ve been on the hunt for about four months already, as soon as the calendar flipped to the new year in time for my final term of study.
My eyes were set on the creative communications and marketing industries out of passion and previous experience. I’ve had the time of my life at my old job before my masters; why not give it another shot now that I gained additional skills that could take my career over and beyond?
Moreover, I’ve always wanted to experience the thrill of working at an international advertising agency. To me (at least at that time), any individual who works at a renowned agency and is tapped to work behind an award-winning campaign is the cream of the crop, among the best in the world that is.
So off to the job boards I went, searching high and low for my next role in my dream industry. Resumes were sent, hopes were hanging, and feelings were mixed as I received little to no responses from companies. If there were any responses, it was the generic “we’ll contact you if you’re shortlisted” trope.
The more dead air silence I endured, the warier I was with my quest. Only then it prompted me to review and tailor my resume according to the employer’s posting as my one-size-fits-all version wasn’t getting callbacks. Strong action words, quantitative results, relevant keywords later came into the picture.
Halfway through the job search, I came across a LinkedIn job posting from a prominent advertising agency. They were looking for a social media executive who can create and curate content across various brands.
My veins got a little kick from that adrenaline rush. Just like that feeling when you think you’ve found your soulmate or what you’re looking for. I re-read the LinkedIn posting to ensure it’s legit — the entire description indeed matched what was my dream job.
Only a girl can dream, yeah? So I didn’t waste any time longer, polished my resume and online portfolio, then emailed the goods to the job poster.
I waited, waited, waiting….
The First Interview
One week later, I received an email from the HR assistant inviting me to an interview at their office.
True enough, I was screaming “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” in my head. This ad agency, deemed for its immaculate weaving of digital and traditional media in their works, was considering me to be part of their brood. An MBA candidate with two years of marketing communications experience was in the running for one of the most desirable jobs in the world.
The interview was scheduled for next Tuesday. Subsequent days were filled with practicing interview answers, review of the agency’s case studies and award-winning works, and the like.
Fast forward to Interview Day. I put on my best suit, came early, greeted the receptionist, and soon enough I was in the interviewing room with the social media team head. Surprisingly, the hour-long interview was casual as it revolved my past work experience and projects I’ve done for school.
A little over two hours later, I received a text message from the HR assistant inviting me for a second interview the following week with two social media executives i.e. my (could’ve been) teammates slash colleagues.
At that point in time, I knew I was one step closer to landing my dream job. my confidence was at an all time high. Career advice websites (shoutout to my favorite, Ask A Manager) all denoted that securing the coveted second interview meant a 90% chance it would lead to a job offer regardless.
I started imagining working at that agency, crafting that Facebook post to perfection and tracking user analytics. Having read about their company culture from the interwebs, I was stoked at the likeliness of working at a cool office where you can play Playstation on lunch break.
It would take an additional hour for me to gauge on the full details of how the second interview went. However, for attention span purposes, I’ll keep it brief.
A precaution: this does not have a Disney ending.
The Second Interview
That Tuesday afternoon, I tried to keep my composure as I walked with the social media executive into the same interview room from last week. Supposedly there were two interviewers but one backed out at the last minute.
The interview was “great” when I left the office that afternoon. Looking back now, however, it was the opposite.
So where did it go wrong exactly? Here’s a rundown of “highlights” that may have just drained my job chances:
- I couldn’t give concrete examples to behavioral questions. The interviewer asked to tell me a time I solved a huge mess-up on a brand’s social media page, the most difficult situation encountered and how it was resolved, a time our work satisfied a client, etc. Every attempt, I was just blabbing around without fully answering
- I was trying too hard to impress them with my knowledge of the company. Researching the company before the interview is key in nailing the interview then the job, as the folks would always advise. So during the interview, I started telling the interviewer how impressed I was with their recent works particulatly a TVC series they did for an insurance company. Between those conversations the interviewer had to complete the sentence for me as I couldn’t say the right words. Whenever I think back of that moment, it gave me the impression it was Exhibit A of tell-all behavior. Not great bob.
- I told them my desired working environment would involve a good work-life balance.
- The parting gesture was…just no. It was a painfully cringey interview to say the least. There was apparent awkwardness between me and the interviewer solely on how it all went down. At the end of the interview, she offered a handshake. But stupid me, I didn’t do so on the spot and instead asked her what would be the next steps. She bluffed and said there’s nothing but positive feedback and they were still interviewing candidates.
Yet at that time, I still believed in my chances.Upon reaching home, I emailed my thanks to both the HR assistant and the social media team lead for the opportunity. The latter emailed hours later, saying she’ll inform me of the next steps by Friday.
That Friday came, nothing.
I sent a follow-up email with a link to an article on some social media factoid the next Monday, sadly never heard from them again.
The next thing I knew, the job was reposted. It wasn’t just meant to be.
Remember Game 7 of the Sharks and Golden Knights series in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs? For those unaware, VGK was up 3–1 in the series and 3–0 in Game 7. They ended up losing the series because of a controversial penalty call in the third period that set up the Sharks’ historic comeback with an overtime win.
In relation to real life, I was VGK in that situation. Had it, lost the golden opportunity because of unexpected mishaps.
The job hunt continued until two months later when I started working in the insurance industry — a steep change from the marcom industry. It stung that my role was totally different from what I had envisioned. Nonetheless it helped me improve the communication, negotiation and problem-solving skills that I admittedly lacked to prosper in my desired role.
Sometimes I still wonder if my career trajectory and life could’ve been had I nailed the interview and landed my dream job. But we can’t dwell on the “what if’s”. We cannot change the outcome, it is what it is. Besides there’s no way of predicting that my life would be totally different had I been chosen for the role.
In hindsight, that failed interview could be the universe’s way of telling me I wouldn’t land a similar role without working on improving my weaknesses. Maybe I wasn’t just ready for that big responsibility or the pressure yet. Maybe I wouldn’t have thrived or fit there regardless of how shiny it was from the outside looking in.
Most of all, the biggest lesson learned from that experience is to never put all your eggs in a single basket. Nothing is guaranteed even in job searching. There’ll be times that you’d think you have it in the bag until change puts your plans to a screeching halt.
Thanks for reading!
